The Liberal Arts Council is giving students a chance to both unwind and give feedback about the ongoing budget cuts in the College of Liberal Arts during the council’s Coffee Break today and Wednesday.
Students enrolled in the college can come for free Dominican Joe’s coffee and Tiff’s Treats at the Flawn Academic Center and the Perry-Casteñeda Library from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Students can also fill out a survey about their experience in the college and their opinions on changes to the foreign language program, registration and advising, and the role of the council itself.
“We’d like to gauge students’ opinions about what they think should be done about these budget cuts and inform [students] about them and the consequences, like faculty and class sections being cut,” said Megha Kansra, a Plan II, business honors and Spanish literature senior and member of the council. “But it’s still a coffee break, and it’s still about students getting together to destress and get to know the Liberal Arts Council.”
Authorities from the college were unavailable to comment on how they will use the surveys to influence their plans about the budget cuts.
Carl Thorne-Thomsen, Liberal Arts Council Vice President and an economics junior, said he hopes the surveys will be a mobilizing agent for students to raise their concerns and let the college know how budget cuts are affecting them.
“Once [the survey] is done, we’ll have something to take into the college and say, ‘This is real student opinion,’” Thorne-Thomsen said. “When the administration makes a decision, sometimes student voice and opinion really is important and sometimes it isn’t, so it’s tough to say how effective this will actually be.”
Government freshman Miranda Grummons said she is frustrated by what she has read about the recent changes within the college, especially with the potential change in foreign language requirements that would compress the current four-semester requirement into two semesters.
“I realize that it may be important for there to be change and possibly budget cuts,” Grummons said. “We can’t move forward without changing, but it shouldn’t be this drastic.
With the survey, hopefully we can somehow compromise to get what is truly best for the University instead of just mindless budget slashes.”
Grummons said she will be attending one of the Coffee Break sessions and hopes other students will do the same.
“I would not turn down free food, and any way to help make my school better is great,” she said.
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