Gov. Frank O'Bannon's proposed budget reductions could leave Ball State about $17 million short in state funding.
The potential cuts comprise about 13 percent of Ball State's budget and could put the university behind on their technology payments and reduce by half the budget for building maintenance. They could also affect tuition costs, potential pay raises and future programs.
"Those are all major concerns," said Jeff Linder, the associate vice president of governmental relations. "It's a very serious problem. You pull out that kind of money, you reduce the number of things you could do."
After its last legislative session, the state allotted Ball State $130,244,204. The cuts could reduce that by $10 million reduce building repair funds by $3.8 million and withhold the $2.9 million budget for technology fund between July 1, 2001 and June 30, 2002.
Nothing is definitive, however, and Ball State has about a month to convince the House Ways and Means Committee and, ultimately, the General Assembly that cuts are not necessary.
President Blaine Brownell has already spoken with the Ways and Means committee, which will do most of the work on the proposal. On Dec. 19, the committee visited Ball State as part of a seven-meeting series to garner opinions on the fiscal matters.
"So, I can't express to you strongly enough how seriously those cuts would be felt by our students, by the faculty and by the larger university community, and how much they would impede our ability to serve the state," Brownell said.
Regardless of what happens, Linder said Ball State would not raise tuition in the middle of year like other schools have done, and most effects would not be felt until Fall Semester 2002.
Linder said it is possible there will be no cuts, but it is not probable.
"That can be done," he said. "And that's what we want to see done."
However, Rep. Tiny Adams, D-Muncie, said higher education funding does not need to be sacrificed. Adams, a member of the Ways and Means committee, has a plan that he said would eliminate cuts. He proposes that the Assembly ease restrictions on dockside gambling and use electronic pull tabs, another form of gambling, at horse racing to increase revenue.
"It's a choice tax to be used," Adams said.
O'Bannon has also asked to raise the cigarette tax by 50 cents a pack to make up for lost revenue.
All of these issues will be decided in what Adams said will be the most ambitious short session in which he has been involved. He has been in the legislature for six years.
"I've got to give the governor credit to do this in a short session," he said.
Adams said he has talked to other members of the House Ways and Means Committee, and he said he thinks other members want changes to O'Bannon's proposals.
"Bottom line is they want some changes," he said.
Indiana's other universities are not being spared from cuts. According to Linder, the proposal eliminates the same percentage from each university's budget.
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