Due to a recent economic slump, Massachusetts has announced it will cut state funding for academic institutions. Many colleges in the Commonwealth, including Boston University, will receive less money from the state this year.
“There will be about a $400,000 reduction in the amount of state funds to Boston University,” University spokesman Kevin Carleton said.
However, Christine McGuire, director of the Office of Financial Assistance, said “$400,000 is not an exact figure and the actual amount is probably going to be lower.”
Although BU is a privately funded institution, it still receives state funding for scholarships, loans and work study, Carleton said.
“The chief impact of the cuts will be the amount of financial aid given out,” Carleton said. “This will be a fairly small impact because state funding is only a small part of financial aid packages.”
“President Westling has said that Boston University students will not suffer because of Massachusetts’s financial problems and that Boston University will make up for any losses,” McGuire said.
BU plans to fill this financial gap by using money from the general University budget, Carleton said. He said University money comes from a number of different sources, including parking fees, gifts and tuition. McGuire added that additional sources of money would also come from BU grant funds.
Many Massachusetts students that go to BU receive the Mass. Grant, including Trish Norris, a College of Communication freshman.
“I think it’s good that BU is taking this route because it’s unfair that the state has to do this to its students,” Norris said.
However, many of the students attending BU are from out of state. Since some of their tuition money will be going in to the general University budget, their money will be helping to compensate for the losses.
Diana Kim, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said the plan was a good idea.
“Even though it’s not necessarily fair for BU and its students to be making up for the federal funds, it’s a valid investment, because it’s helping to make fellow students’ education affordable,” Kim said.
Other schools in the area, including University of Massachusetts at Amherst, are also being affected by the budget cuts.
According to the UMass Office of the Bursar website, “As a result of the recently passed Massachusetts State budget, the University Board of Trustees has approved an increase in mandatory fees of $495 for the Spring 2002 semester.”
Even though the state budget cut may have played a role in the recent 4 percent tuition hike for the 2002-03 academic year, Carleton said it was only a small factor.
“The more important factor is national inflation has risen 3.4 percent and 4.9 percent in the greater Boston area,” Carleton said.
Since BU offers such things as competitive wages to faculty to compensate for the increased costs of living, a tuition increase is necessary, Carleton said. Although Boston University’s state funding will also be decreased, financial aid money should remain consistent with previous years.
