Budget Cuts

1) Its late and the only light on in the small one story ranch house with its cracking paint and sagging porch is the kitchen. A Husband and wife sit across the round wood table that was made a long time ago and needs to get replaced. There are two calculators sitting in front of each of them and papers and receipts scatted all over the table and a trash can filled with crumpled paper and rejected ideas. The looks on their faces are worried, and their brows are creased in concentration. They have been there all night and they will probably be there a lot longer with the amount of paper left on the table. They talk quiet almost in a wisper. They do not want to wake their eight year old son up who is sleeping in the next room.

"What are we going to do" the wife says to the husband

" I don't know, it will all be ok"

" I'm so sorry"

" Its not your fault, there's nothing you could have done"

This is the reality for many Penn state employ's layd off due to the recent budget cuts.

2) " Every one on campus is very careful on extraneous spending now, we are trying to be very careful with our money" -Office worker West wing

"I disapprove of the cut, I don't think that education is a good place to be taking money from" -office worker west wing

"They should cut the budgets for clubs that not a lot of people are interested in" -Freshman east halls

3) PSU has seen a $68 million decrease in state funding (Megan Rogers Collegian Staff Writer)

After the budget cuts were passed PSU raised tuition 4.9 percent for in state students and 3.5 percent for out of state students (July 15 2011, The Associated Press)

The budget cut could have been far worse. it was brought down to 19 percent from 52 percent. (July 15 2011, The Associated Press)

Penn State got rid of the Counseling Psychology Doctoral program because of budget cuts (Penn state college of education)

4) While researching I came across a very interesting opinion article It asked Penn state students how they think that Penn state should cover the proposed budget cuts. This was very interesting and I plan on asking similar questions to faculty and staff and a few students. I think it should be investigated more because it is an interesting side of the issue to see how people think it should be fixed.

I also want to go into more detail about if the people feel that the budget cuts were necessary and if they approve or disapprove of them. I think that would add an interesting view to my paper.