USM’s financial practices are a conundrum. We have no money and then we have even less money, yet the University continues to spend. In the past year the University has completed the top three floors of the library, begun installing wireless internet, finished the bioscience wing, built a parking garage, broke ground for the expansion of the John Mitchell Center, spent millions of dollars designing a new logo, purchased new vehicles for the police department and begun construction on yet another multimillion dollar facility, The Abromson Center.
I realize spending must continue despite fiscal difficulties. The University is a business, and spending is necessary to keep its machine running, yet I am unconvinced that all the spending the University has done this year has been responsible.
Most of the projects mentioned above have been funded either partially or fully with grant or bond money. President Pattenaude and his staff have been very effective in fundraising. The proof is in the many projects either completed, in process or just beginning.
There are also initiatives that are not funded by grants. As of Feb. 9 the police department was short staffed and unable to fill positions, yet just a few weeks ago there was a request made and passed for two new police cruisers. Cruisers that were deemed necessary by Student Life but are considered debateable from a Facilities Management perspective. Either way it seems fairly clear that the less expensive, more fuel efficient Chevy Impalas would’ve sufficed over the more expensive Crown Victorias.
The logo is another interesting issue. The logo took two years to develop. A consulting firm was hired and a lot of money was dumped into deciding that those three unequal pillars represented the essence of this institution. Never mind the implementation, which included ordering new business cards and stationary and also changing over the website which stole many hours of labor. The money for that wasn’t given by a grant. It was funded by land the University owns in Gorham and leases to wireless companies T-Mobile and AT&T. What else could that money have been used for?
The trend seems to be that we’re willing to spend money on equipment and materials but not on people. One of the first steps the UMaine system took in November when they discovered Baldacci would be cutting budgets was to introduce a hiring freeze. That meant many necessary positions were left unfilled because of previous turnover, retirement or otherwise. That may have been the most immediate money saving strategy but it crunched and continues to crunch departments. The College of Arts and Sciences alone was forced to cut 80 sections for the year. Students were redistributed to alternate classes but not necessarily the ones they needed or wanted.
Why not evaluate individual campuses and go from there? Why not postpone installation of wireless internet which incurs extra cost for unfunded portions of the project? The Provost is requesting departments to merge in a money saving effort, yet wireless internet is being installed on campus and only half the tab is being picked up by a grant. So in this time of tightening purse strings we’re cutting holes in the bottom for preferred initiatives.
Institutions in difficult financial times must prioritize their needs and it seems that USM is no different.
Christy McKinnon can be contacted at [email protected]