Photo courtesy of arts-sciences.und.edu

Budget cuts continue to roll out as UND strives to reach a balanced budget.

The public opinion on how these cuts are being handled varies from person to person, although out of 40 people surveyed by the Dakota Student on campus, more than 70 percent of people shared a negative outlook on how the process is being handled.

“This is not an efficient system, and it’s disappointing when you see programs that are cut through no fault of their own,” Bert Breslin, an  employee at Ray Richard’s golf course which UND is discontinuing management of due to budgetary concerns.

A recurring sentiment shared by many of the students surveyed was a feeling of powerlessness. Many criticized the lack of input the administration is seeking in regards to which programs are canceled.

“You’d think they would allow the students and taxpayers who are paying for this institution to make these decisions, or at least have some say in it,” a second year UND student commented. “These administrators see the institution as a series of numbers on a paper, and not a collective of people who have everything to lose.”

There are also many people who also see these cuts as necessary, retaining their faith in the decision making process.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to cut programs, but I would like to think that the administration exhausted all other options before making their decisions,” Andy Kittel, a senior in the aviation department said about the process is being handled.

“Baseball is expensive. It sucks that it has to go, but it’s expensive so it makes sense,” Dylan Robley, a freshman at UND said.

This sentiment is in the minority though, and it is not only shared by current students of UND, but also alumni.

“I just came to visit and it is really disappointing to see all of these cuts happening,” Jack Witt, a former UND student, said. “It sucks. These programs were around before the oil surplus and now they’re gone. It begs the question: what are they being replaced with?”

There have been several multi-million dollar renovations taking place over the past few years and there are even more scheduled to happen in the near future. Many people shared Witt’s sentiment that academics are not taking priority over aesthetics, citing the new Wilkerson renovation and master planning process as examples.

People were particularly confused by the decision to cut Studio One. Several communications students cited it as a major drawing point for their department and the school as a whole.

Many from the fallen programs have made their voices heard through social media, including former Studio One anchors Brady Kappes and Morgan Goulding.

“I love this university and trust its decisions, but ending this program will make it hard for me to sleep at night,” Goulding wrote,.“I know many of my colleagues have the same feelings of heartbreak. Please help me in this fight to #‎savestudioone to give future students of this great university the same life changing experience I received.”

As of now, students can do is keep a close eye on the emails and news releases being sent out by the school to find out what will happen next and attend the forum tomorrow being held by Interim President Ed Schafer at 1:00 p.m. in the Memorial Union.

David Satre is the news editor for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]