VCU students are worried that their graduation time will be affected by the cutting of classes because of the new budget cuts.
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A VCU college student sits outside and smokes a cigarette with paint stained hands. He is an art student, but has nothing to show for it, he has no supplies.
Ian James Reid, a junior paint and printing making major, is feeling the affects of the budgets cuts brought upon VCU this year, which will have to cut $10.1 million by June 2009.
“Because of the cuts we couldn’t get figure models for one of our classes, which was a pretty big disappointment because that is a major component of drawing and painting,” said Reid.
Some students also feel that the cutting of classes is for other reason.
“I think they spend too much on the campus a not enough on education,” said Stephan Truhart, a sophomore accounting major.
But many students feel that the new budget cuts will hurt their scheduling for next year and extend the time that they are in school . Victoria Wloshinski, a freshman undeclared major, said that she noticed some classes weren’t being offered as much, while some weren’t being offered at all. The shorter list of classes to take at VCU concerns her.
“If they cut something back, and I have to take it at a certain time. Then it’s going to push me back,” said Wloshinski.
That’s not the only worry for international student and english literature major Eliane Barensaller who felt that VCU gave preference over the American students when it came to classes. Barensaller, who is enrolled at a university in
“Because of budget cuts I didn’t get in to any of the classes I needed for back home,” said Barensaller.
Although Barensaller didn’t get into all of the classes she needed, she doesn’t feel that it will hurt her chances of graduating on time.
“I just have to work harder when I get home,” said Barensaller.
Academic advisor Ashlyn Howell noted that there have been fewer sections of classes because departments making some of their own cuts. Howell also said that VCU can not offer as many general education classes this semester as it did last semester.
“Some of the bigger classes they have made bigger and just had one section,” said Howell.
But when it comes to graduation, Howell doesn’t see class cutting hurting students chances of graduating in the long run. She explains that students have enough time to take all the classes they need and she hasn’t seen any of the upper classmen panic about it this semester.
“Departments are being pretty flexible because they understand what is going on,” said Howell.
