Lost in the midst of worries over layoffs, the elimination of staff positions and increased class sizes are the smaller programs which will be affected by the University’s proposed budget cuts.
One such program is the Ohio State Forensics Speech and Debate Team, which ranked second in the nation in debate and tenth in speech last year.
If the University imposed 7 percent budget reduction for the Office of Student Affairs is approved Friday, the forensics team, which has 17 members and three coaches, may see its $40,000 budget reduced dramatically.
“We completely understand the financial position of the university,” said David Orensten, a third-year law student and one of the team’s coaches. “We want to come up with a feasible budget.”
The team, which offers students the opportunity to compete in events such as extemporaneous speaking, poetry and persuasion, spends the majority of its budget money traveling to tournaments two to three times a month.
Yet, because of the small number of students affected, Student Affairs believes the forensics team budget must be cut and hopes the team will be able to subsidize itself with private funding.
“Of course I don’t like the idea of having less money for the organization, but I don’t think the school really has any choice,” said former team member Meredith Jones, a junior in human development and family science. “It’s not anybody’s fault.”
Jones said being a member of the team helped her in many ways. It gave her experience in public speaking and helped her learn how to research topics better.
“There are so many benefits,” said Jones.
“We want to have our forensics team here; we have a great history and pride,” said Tracy Stuck of Student Activities. She added that if the cuts are approved the team will explore alternative options to subsidize its budget, such as fees for team members and private fund raising.
“We’re going to have to sit down and be creative,” said Stuck.
