CELEBRATING 20 1 0
1910
YEARS
volume CI number 45
inside
the official student newspaper at the university of alberta
www.thegatewayonline.ca
tuesday, april 5, 2011
Faculties to face two per cent cuts Universityexpects a $4.9-milliondeficit for 20112012 year, faculties to assess where to make cuts April Hudson News Writer
Slow and Steady wins the race Jeff Stead steps up as the interim head coach for the Gridiron Golden Bears with aims to bring a new swagger to the team. SPORTS, Page 13
Summer viewin’
The Gateway looks forward to the summer’s biggest film busts and blockbusters. a&E, Page 11
Due to a zero per cent increase in funding from the provincial government, faculties at the U of A will be forced to slash spending in the 20112012 academic year. The zero per cent increase effectively translates to a decrease in the forecasted operating budget. The cuts mean making no allowance for increasing costs, and forcing the individual faculties to pick up the resulting two per cent decrease with their own funds. In anticipation of this cut, Provost and Vice President (Academic) Carl Amrhein had asked the deans of each faculty to re-do their faculty budgets by April 1 to accommodate the two per cent decrease. “The bottom line is that while the university’s budget will not decrease, it will also not increase fast enough to keep pace with the cost of doing business,” Amrhein said. “What it means will be different for each dean.” While some deans will have other sources of money to draw from to cover the two per cent, the ones who don’t will have to come up with their own methods of cutting costs. “Worst case scenario [is that the] deans do less things, which may mean fewer courses, fewer pieces of equipment, or fewer professors,” Amrhein said. Dean of Arts Leslie Cormack said that cutting course sections will be the first step in preparing for the decrease.
“That is going to mean fewer spaces for students,” Cormack explained. “We’re trying our hardest to move things around so high-enrolment classes continue and the lower-enrolment classes are the ones that get cancelled.” Although Cormack was uncertain whether the decrease will mean a loss of jobs or not, the faculty will no longer be replacing members who have retired and will also be re-arranging its offices and cutting support staff in an effort to minimize costs. “My hope is that we can do this by closing vacancies, primarily,” Cormack said. At the beginning of the next academic year, the faculties will have a better idea of how much money they have to work with. “If the two per cent cut was too much, we might get the extra money back,” said Cormack. If the cut is not enough, the deficit will have to be carried through to the 2012-2013 year, a possibility that is made more difficult because of last year’s cuts. The approved university budget includes an estimated shortfall of $4.9 million, equal to 0.5 per cent of the budget, but Amrhein said it was not something to be concerned about. “If on March 30, 2012, the 0.5 per cent deficit remains, then it has to be paid for with next year’s budget,” Amrhein said. “But I’m not worried about half a percent. The reason we produce a budget in a slight deficit is so more things are possible.” Please see budget Page 3
Aaron Yeo
FOOL’S GOLD Artists such as A Skillz headlined the first annual Act a Fool show April 1. For video of the event, look online at www.thegatewayonline.ca.
U of A to provide funds for “eHarmony for research” Undergraduate Research Initiative will see new resources to connect students to researchers this fall term Simon Yackulic
Deputy News Editor
Hastman’s clueless campaign Simon Yackulic picks apart the Conservative candidate’s campaign in Edmonton-Strathcona for ignoring student voters. opinion, Page 8
The University of Alberta will be investing $200,000 into a new undergraduate research program for the upcoming school year. The program, dubbed the Undergraduate Research Initiative, will start up in the Students’ Union Building in September and will try to connect researchers, research opportunities, and interested undergraduates on campus. In addition, a new site that has been described as “eHarmony for research” will be brought online for the
university community this fall to connect students to research opportunities. Dean of Students Frank Robinson explained that the money could be distributed a number of ways, such as scholarships for students or in the form of conferences. An advisory board that will have student and faculty representation will distribute the money. “My goal is I want 100 per cent of that money to go to students, be it undergrads or graduate students,” Robinson said, mentioning that it could also help with an undergraduate research conference that the Students’ Union has been discussing. “It may
help with a conference for celebrating undergraduate research, or whatever it takes to raise awareness.” Part of the current CAPS office on the second floor of SUB will be repurposed to a space that Robinson said would be similar to what other institutions call an Office of Undergraduate Research. He hopes it will be more of a “live and vibrant” place than the “overly administrative” image he feels is created when people talk about an undergraduate research office. “You could have a prof from the Faculty of Science show up there and say that she’s going to be in the centre
from two to four on Thursday afternoon, and you can come by for coffee, so any students interested in that could come by. We’re providing opportunities for match-making,” Robinson said. “We don’t want to take over what faculties are doing, we want to make it easier for them to get better students, and easier for [faculty] and students to get together.” Students’ Union Vice President (Academic) James Eastham was happy with the university’s commitment, which he felt followed up on language in the Academic Plan. Please see research Page 3