Merelhth
March 5, 2003
Herald
Volume XVIV, Issue 21
Board of Trustees meets, approves
controversial 2003-04 budget
Faculty and staff
divided over salary
freezes and cuts In
part-time benefits.
CHRISTY
SADLER
Editor in Chief
The Meredith College
Board of Trustees voted
Friday to approve a contro
versial new 2003-04 budget
for the College.
The budget includes a 10
percent cut in operating
expenses for all divisions
and departments, as well as
die elimination of health
insurance benefits for part*
time faculty and staff and a
freeze on salaries for all
faculty and staff. In addi
tion, full-time faculQr and
staff will be asked to pay
20 percent of their health
insurance each month,
amounting to an approxi
mate cost of $70 per
month.
According to Dr. Rebecca
Oatsvall, chair of the
Faculty Affairs Committee,
the College has paid the
full cost of employees’
health insurance in the past,
and both full- and part-time
faculty have been covered
under Meredith's plan.
Oatsvall said the cuts
came as a surprise for
many employees. "The
budget process is confiden
tial so no employees, other
than those on the budget
committee, knew what cuts
would be made," Oatsvall
said. "We had been told
that medical insurance
costs were rising dramati
cally, and we knew that last
year there was a lai^e extra
amount for medical insur
ance, which the College
absorbed."
Although employees as a
whole were left out of the
budgeting process, Oatsvall
did note that the process
this year was "much more
inclusive" than in years
past. This was the fu^t year
that one representative each
from the Acuity, staff and
students was allowed to sit
on the committee.
According to College
President Maureen
Hartford, the cuts were
necessary because of some
new expenses that must be
paid for next year.
"The budget for 2003-04
is actually larger than the
budget for 2002-03, so
what we are working on is
not exactly budget cutting,
but radier budget realloca
tion," Harford said. "The
extra costs include the debt
payment on the new build
ing, a major increase in
health insurance, an
increase in fmancial aid,
the new academic adminis
trative structure, some
addition to library acquisi
tions, and a few already-
approved faculty or staff
positions."
Hartford said much of the
money the College has
received recently has been
designated for projects such
as the consliuction of the
Science and Mathematics
Building and the renova
tions of the Hunter and
Harris classroom buildings.
This money cannot be
transferred to cover other
areas of the budget.
Another problem area for
the College has been a
decrease in enrollment.
"We have had two smaller
freshman classes than we
platmed for, and although
next year's class looks as if
it will be laiger, we still
have those smaller classes
in the pipeline and a laige
number of students gradu
ating," Hartford said.
See Budget
Page 2
Trustees Meeting News Brief
CHRISTY
SADLER
Editor In Chief
In addition to the budg
et, the Board of Trustees
also voted on several
other issues during its
meeting on Friday.
According to Hartford,
major decisions made by
the Trustees include the
approval of a new aca
demic structure that will
create four new schools
within the Collie and
approval of the plans and
site for a new administra
tion building that will
house the Offices of
Admissions and
Institutional
Advancement. However,
Hartford said the Board
was not asked to move
forward on the construc
tion of the building yet.
Other decisions made
by the Trustees include
the appointment of a new
member and the approval
of faculty tenure candi
dates.
Issues that more direct
ly concern students
include the Trustees'
approvals of changes in
the College's anti-discrim
ination statement (see
article on page 2), the
decision to leave the
undergraduate -^^ent
alcohol policy unchanged,
and plans to renovate the
Faircloth residence hall.
Hartford said the funds
for this renovation will
come from a designated
gift to the College.
Tillman said this reno
vation to Faircloth will
include upgrades to the
roof, floors, paint and fur
niture. "I think all stu
dents would agree this is
a much-needed step in the
right direction of improv
ing campus life,” she said.
Hartford noted that
aldiough the undei^radu-
ate alcohol policy will not
change, the Trustees did
approve a proposal from
graduate students to be
allowed to have alcohol at
their off-campus events.
According to Hartford,
Meredith's full Board of
Trustees meets three times
See Trustees
Page4
On tiie inside:
Nondiscrimination policy
Meredltii basketball gets a
Want to iuiow what went on
amendment approved.
big win and receives its
at tlie Student Services
second NCAA tournament bid.
Forum? Rnd out
Page 2
Pages
Page 5