This year, cuts to the UNC-System budget have forced N.C. State to reduce spending by 5 percent, or more than $24.1 million. Some of the programs suffering the greatest cuts include the College of Engineering, the College of Sciences, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Veterinary Medicine and NCSU Libraries.
We were most surprised by the more than $1.3 million cuts to NCSU Libraries. Vice provost and director of libraries Susan Nutter said her department was only expecting cuts between $577,000 and $962,000. Nutter said the library system is usually classified as an academic unit. However, for the first time, NCSU Libraries was designated as an administrative unit, making it more prone to budget cuts.
The budget reduction has caused NCSU Libraries to eliminate positions and reduce journal subscriptions. The library system is now looking to implement one of the following changes in order to allocate the remaining library cuts:
- reducing hours for either D.H. Hill or James B. Hunt Library for 2015
- closing the libraries on Saturdays
- completely closing a branch library
The Technician editorial board could not come to a consensus, which leads us to believe this is indicative of the student body. We’re curious: Which of the proposed changes are you in favor of implementing?
To voice your opinion, send a letter to the editor at technician-viewpoint@ncsu.edu. Read the Opinion page daily to see what your fellow students have to say.
