For the last couple of months, one of the topics that have been constantly on the minds of students has been budget cuts. It’s been hard to turn anywhere and not see or hear about how budget cuts are affecting the Stanford community. Programs, majors, and group funding have been cut. Staff have been laid off.
But there is hope; through uncertainty comes opportunity. We believe that the first step towards progress begins with education and awareness. What is really going on with the budget cuts? What process do administrators engage in when making budget decisions. What are the guiding principles behind how administrators choose what and what not to cut?
In order to increase the flow of information to students and to encourage constructive dialogue, we’re holding a Town Hall on Wednesday, May 27th, from 5:00p – 6:30p in Old Union 200. Vice Provosts Tim Warner (Budget and Auxiliaries Management), Greg Boardman (Student Affairs), and John Bravman (Undergraduate Education) will all be giving presentations on the current state of the budget and its effects on specific areas in student life. After students have been informed of these developments, we will then open up the floor for questions and discussion.
We strongly encourage you to attend and learn about how budget cuts will be affecting our university this and next year so that you can be better informed, and so that you can part of the solution. It’s going to take the efforts and creativity of everyone to continue to push this university forward in a positive way. We hope you take up the challenge; make the first step and come next week.
Come join us,
David Gobaud and Jay de la Torre
assuexec0910 at lists.stanford.edu