t h e o f f i c i a l s t u d e n t n e w s pa p e r o f t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f h o u s to n s i n c e 1 9 3 4
THE DAILY COUGAR
®
GET SOME DAILY
thedailycougar.com
99 LO 76 Wednesday HI
Nothing keeps a good Keenum down CAMPUS
Getting red-faced for Cougar Red Fridays initiative Starting this Friday, a $15 cougar flex card will be given to the first two students to arrive after 11 a.m. at the Fresh Foods Company with their face painted red. Students are asked to tweet a picture of their face and prize with the hashtag #UHRedFriday. This is part of the Cougar Red Friday initiative sponsored by the Office of University Relations. Students, faculty and staff can also participate by tweeting a picture of them in red with the answer to trivia questions posted on Twitter with the hashtag #UHRedFriday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Fridays. The first five people to answer correctly will win prizes. To learn more about Cougar Red Fridays go to http://www.uh.edu/ features/on-campus/red-friday/ index.php. — Cougar News Staff
UNIVERSITY
Campus to hold 5K run for research, cure of diseases UH’s Sugar Land branch will be hosting a “Be the One Run” starting at 7 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 5. Sponsored by the National Marrow Donor Registry, the race is open to citizens of all ages and includes a 5K run, a 1K run and a “Trot Trot” race for kids 5 and under. The event aims to help raise money for transplant research and will help to find a cure for diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma. Registration is still open for volunteers willing to participate. To join the effort, sign up at www.bethematchfoundation.org or during the event. — Cougar News Staff
CORRECTIONS The Fish Bowl cartoon on Monday was mistakenly credited to Brandon Hernandez instead of Thomas Hernandez.
August 31, 2011
Lil Wayne falls flat on fourth studio outing
Issue 7, Volume 77
UH put on fiscal diet Board of Regents announces 2012 budget, cuts jobs in operations, support organizations, campus facilities Ryan Rockett
THE DAILY COUGAR The UH Board of Regents approved a $1.36 billion budget in its quarterly meeting, which highlights a decrease in operating expenses, as the school system is forced to cope with state funding cuts for the 2012 fiscal year. The budget, which will take effect Sept. 1, will cut 345 jobs in operations, support organizations and campus facilities. Faculty salaries were also reduced. UH Associate Vice President and Vice Chancellor for Finance Tom Ehardt emphasized the impact the state budget has had compared to previous years. “Twenty years ago, state allocations accounted for about half of our operating budget,” Ehardt said. “In fiscal year 2012, it accounted for just 25 percent of the operating
budget.” A tuition increase announced in June also played a part in increasing the school’s revenue for the upcoming year, consisting of a 3.95 percent increase for 12 credit hour course loads, a 4.95 percent increase for students taking nine hours, and a 9 percent increase overall for professional students in optometry and pharmacy. To counter this, the budget will include a $9.9 million increase in financial aid, making it a total of $66 million. Regents sought to reduce the University’s operating expense costs per credit hour taken by students as well. The new budget reveals a 5 percent decrease in this area, from $510 per hour to $486. The elimination of over 300 jobs was achieved through layoffs, retirement and retraction of unfilled positions. The cuts claimed 23 faculty positions, 183 professional
REDUCTIONS
Reductions for state revenue decline
28% 46% 15%
Reductions as a result of state revenue decline totaled $30.7 million for the 2012 financial year. Departments took the biggest hit with a $14 million reduction, while research developments took the smallest hit with a $1 million reduction.
3% 8% FY2011 Reductions Reserve for Endowment Loss Research Development Funds Cuts Special Items Cuts Departmental Cuts Source: University of Houston Administration
and support staff positions, 28 positions in University Advancement and Information Technology and 11 maintenance positions. Despite the job cuts, the school still plans to add 52 faculty positions and 41 professional and support
staff positions with an additional $5 million added to what Regents list as “priority academic programs.” The goals stated in the budget were to protect instruction and BUDGET continues on page 2
If you were in charge of the budget, where would you make the cuts?
I’d say construction. I mean, if we have to cut something, I don’t think we should build more things. We should just stick with what we have. Victoria Stanley Business Sophomore
If anything, I’d cut how much they spend as far as advertising on football games. People know about them anyway, and since people have a good sense of school spirit they’ll attend by word of mouth.
Things like ‘The Statue of Four Lies.’ I know it’s kinda subjective, but a lot of the art here isn’t terribly aesthetically appealing. It doesn’t really decorate the campus well.
(Athletics). There are a lot of games. And they are a big deal, they are good for the University. But I think they are spending too much money on it.
Eric Otto
Shugufa Fatiha
Anne-Marie Sakho
Mathematics Junior
Nutrition Junior
Pre-pharmacy Junior
Landscaping. I think they waste too much water. Even if it’s raining, they’re still watering the grass. Hanh Nguyen Chemical Engineering Freshman