Newspeak Volume 17, Issue 5, February 14, 1989 the Tudes Nts of Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester Polytechnic Institute DigitalCommons@WPI Newspeak All Issues Newspeak 2-14-1989 Newspeak Volume 17, Issue 5, February 14, 1989 The tudeS nts of Worcester Polytechnic Institute Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/newspeak Recommended Citation The tudeS nts of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, "Newspeak Volume 17, Issue 5, February 14, 1989" (1989). Newspeak All Issues. Book 457. http://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/newspeak/457 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Newspeak at DigitalCommons@WPI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Newspeak All Issues by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WPI. WPI $1,000,000 short To: Deans, Department Heads, The problem began as we based ests there won’t be a lot of savings These w ill account for $400,000; least disruptive manner and we seek Faculty Committee Chairs, and Vice our budget for 1988-89 on the number unless we plan for them now. This the remaining $600,000 are not so your involvement and cooperation in Presidents of full tuition equivalent undergradu problem compounds for the 1989-90 easy. achieving the necessary budget bal From: Jon C. Strauss ate students in 1986-87 - 2556. Unfor budget now being planned because Given our volume of hiring, we ance for 1988-89 and the future. Subject: 1988-89 Operations and tunately, the count of 2538 students this year’s revenue budget has been believe that if we exercise strict con It is tempting to consider covering 1989-90 Budget actually enrolled in the fall of 1987 used as the base for that planning. trols on temporary and replacement this projected deficit from the endow reassured us into accepting the 1986- Fortunately, we have more time and hiring we should be able to save some ment which some would argue we’ve As a budget director and financial 87 revenue numbers as the base for more degrees of freedom to deal with $150,000 by June 30. In addition, we been saving for just such a rainy day. officer, I often wrote letters in the past 1988-89 without ever correcting for those problems. are budgeted to spend some Unfortunately, deficits are not condu like this one at about this time of the what ultimately proved to be a full I have met with the senior officers $4,500,000 for materials, supplies, cive to fundraising; the final year of year commenting on budgetary prob tuition equivalent enrollment for of the Institute and we believe that by and travel for the remainder of the our immensely successful Campaign lems and asking for help in their solu 1987-88 of 2497. Fall tuition reve working together we can solve this year. A voluntary cutback averaging for Excellence is not the time to be tion. W h ile those letters were not fun nues don’t really stabilize until some projected $1 million problem in the 10% over our various departments reporting a deficit. to write, this one is much more d iffi time in December and the Fall 1988 five months remaining in 1988-89. and programs, administrative and W ell, this isn’t the last we’re cult. As president, I seem to have a actual enrollment of 2531 didn’t look There are three relatively painless academic, w ill yield the $450,000 going to say on this subject and my much greater stake in the outcome of too bad compared to the 2538 of 1987, positive factors: necessary to balance our budget this message is not as complete as I would the various programs and activities so we didn’t discover until last week 1. It now appears that the interest year. Areas for particular emphasis like. I do believe, however, that it is covered by our budget and hence that our undergraduate tuition reve income on working capital will ex include printing, travel, and entertain important that you know of this prob share more of your frustrations at nue for this year w ill be far below ceed budget by $50,000. ment. On the surface this sounds easy; lem now while we still have time to having to contemplate cutbacks. Inde budget. When combined with some 2. If the summer school does as it isn’t! effect a solution. I am confident that pendent o f our joint discomfort with optimistic budgeting for graduate tui well as last year, performance will In the next weeks, Don Zwiep, the by working together we can meet this this issue, however, we have discov tion, we’re now estimating the regular exceed budget by $100,000. deans and vice presidents, and I w ill financial challenge. ered a major problem in our budget for year tuition revenue for 1988-89 to be 3. It should be possible to record be developing procedures to imple Thanks for your help and under this year that will also affect our on the order of $1 million less than $250,000 more as unrestricted giving ment the suggested hiring and spend standing. budget planning for next year. Conse budget. While our expenses are not than the $1,118,000 currently budg ing restraints. W e invite your sugges quently, I write to seek your assis exceeding budget, past history sug- eted. tions for how to accomplish this in the Jon tance in its solution. The Student Newspaper of Worcester Polytechnic Institute Volume 17, Number 5 Tiiesday, February 14,1989 Where has the money gone? million dollars less than budget.” This until the last week in January to dis budget; are these areas performing school should have known its revenue by Chris Barcus does not mean that W P I is currently in cover this problem, and has the school better than expected, or is this an by no later than October first. The News Editor and debt for one million dollars, but that made it standard policy to base its example of creative financing? lack of revenue therefore would have Jeffrey S. Goldmeer if we spend according to the present budget on the number of students at One area which will be affected by been apparent if the current situation Associate Editor budget, we will be. W P I, which is not necessarily the this crisis is the hiring of new faculty was caused because of this mathe [Note: This article is a commen In an interview with President number of tuition paying students? members. Over the last several years, matical error. If we assume, based on tary based on an interview with Strauss late last week, he stated that So how does the school actually deter the student distribution has shifted the above, that the insufficiency has President Strauss and the memo the budget shortfall is due to the fact mine its annual budget? from a majority in electrical engineer occurred since the end of B term, to above.] that the school was counting the On examination of the President’s ing, to a majority in mechanical engi account for the one million dollar number of students enrolled, instead memo one w ill discover three items neering. This shift has been accompa loss, 160 students at $6000 per semes Last week, President Jon Strauss of the number of tuition paying stu which w ill exceed the amount of nied by shifts in smaller departments, ter would had to have left during announced in a letter to Deans, De dents. In addition, in his memoran budgeted revenue. Between the first including biotechnology. These break. In addition, the ‘average’ stu partment Heads, Faculty Committee dum, the President states that this two items on his list, $ 150,000 can be shifts require that the number of fac dent does not pay full tuition, so the Chairs, and Vice Presidents, that discovery did not occur until last applied to the deficit. W hy was this ulty members in these departments number of students leaving would W Pl’s “ regular year tuition revenue week; the last week in January. extra income not included in the increase to deal with the number stu have to be greater than 160. As we can for 1988-89 w ill be on the order of one One must now ask, why did it take dents needing advisors, and MQPs. all see, 160 students have not left. So, What will happen in two and three where has all the money gone? years, when these students need an The most interesting point on this MQP, and there are not enough quali entire discussion has yet to be brought Mega Fest ’89 - lots of fun fied faculty advisors? out. During our interview with Presi Let us examine a hypothetical dent Strauss, he stated that this memo randum was never meant to be hidden by Eric Rasmussen ment, but they had to cancel at the last effects samples of any of the com situation. The President’s memo from students, and yet, the memo was Newspeak Staff moment. puter types present. One especially states that “ fall tuition revenues do At MegaFest were many types of nice Amiga system was hooked up not really stabilize until sometime in not sent to students. So, we must ask, You may remember seeing signs a computers, from Apple II’s, to with a Digital Audio Tapedeck, which December...” In the real wor'"’ the when were students to be notified? week ago for an event titled MegaFest Macintoshes, to Amigas, to PCs , to provided the Amiga with high quality ’89. In case you didn’t read them, they ATs, and even one computer designed samples as well as being a v^ry nice announced W P I’s second student run and built, from the homemade C PU piece of equipment in its own right.

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