While students were gearing up to return to campus, some found out they would have one fewer class to worry about.

Classes such as Wine and Beer Appreciation and Human Sexuality are no longer available to State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry students – and those already enrolled found out these changes last Wednesday.

State budget cuts of up to 10 percent are to blame, and SUNY-ESF placed restrictions on what it calls ‘accessory instruction courses’ that its students can take through a partnership with Syracuse University. The announcement was made in an Aug. 20 e-mail to students from Bruce C. Bongarten, SUNY-ESF’s provost and vice president for academic affairs.

The college is also not filling vacant faculty positions and has reduced budgets for all departments, he said.

‘I’ve used the word painful,’ Bongarten said. ‘It’s very painful for me to do, and we only do it because the other choices are worse.’

He added that the timing was poor, but SUNY-ESF didn’t hear about the budget cuts until after students had pre-registered for the fall semester.

All state agencies in New York have experienced budget cuts due to decreased tax revenue, according to an e-mail sent to students by David A. Sonnenfeld, professor and chair of Environmental Studies. The major cause is dwindling tax revenue from New York City’s financial sector, which accounts for about 20 percent of the state budget, he wrote.

‘While ESF is doing everything it can to minimize the effect of these budget cuts, including drawing from reserves, these cuts are having a serious impact nevertheless,’ Sonnenfeld said in the e-mail.

SUNY-ESF also restricted its students from taking SU’s dance and physical education courses this semester. These courses typically are open to all SUNY-ESF students and are subsidized by state funding.

‘We see Syracuse University as being a great partner, a great resource,’ Bongarten said. ‘It really adds to the education and social richness of our environment, and we want those students to take advantage of that opportunity. Any type of restriction on that is something I feel is extremely distasteful, and I can tell you that everyone here feels the same way.’

Bongarten and SUNY-ESF’s deans and department chairs comprises the Academic Council that responded to the budget cut.

‘We have tried to make sure that no student’s graduation is delayed,’ Bongarten said. ‘There are no restrictions on required courses, and we have tried to retain those things that are essential for a quality education.’

Freshmen are the least affected, according to Bongarten. Many SUNY-ESF upperclassmen planned to take the scuba diving physical education course through SU, which he said could be valuable for their fields of study.

An initial round of budget cuts in June prompted SUNY-ESF to teach a few required calculus and chemistry courses that had previously been taught by SU. The current budget cuts will likely be finalized at the end of September or early October, Bongarten said.

‘Some students are disappointed, but most have been understanding,’ Bongarten said, based on the feedback he has heard. ‘I don’t think anybody’s happy about it, but I do think the majority of students are understanding about the situation.’

SUNY-ESF is eager to take action to reduce the impact the budget cuts have on its students. The course restrictions won’t be permanent, Bongarten said, and more advance notice will be given to students about any restrictions in the spring semester.

‘One thing that we hope to do is to encourage SU students to take courses at ESF,’ Bongarten said.

The financial burden of accessory instruction could be alleviated if more SU students take SUNY-ESF courses, because SUNY-ESF pays the difference in course fees, he said.

The college will also look to build external funding to increase its endowment, though a tuition raise is not yet an option for SUNY-ESF. Tuition can only be raised by the state legislature, Bongarten said.

The SUNY central administration and board of trustees are advocating to the state legislature to reverse the budget cuts, according to Bongarten. SUNY-ESF President Cornelius B. Murphy, Jr., serves on a statewide presidents’ committee that is providing them information about the impact of the budget cuts.

‘I think we all realize that the state subsidies are not likely to increase,’ Bongarten said. ‘They’re more likely to decrease.’

No future cuts have been discussed, Bongarten said.

‘It’s actually something I don’t wish to contemplate.’

rsbalton@syr.edu

Published on August 25, 2008 at 12:00 pm