Trisha Boone

Reporter

The state of Mississippi is cutting budgets across the because of a $200 million deficit, and The W is no exception.

“The later in the fiscal year you make cuts, you have fewer choices. The good news is – or the bad news is – over the last decade, with the recession, we’ve become pretty good at figuring out how to manage through these kinds of dilemmas. The last thing we want to do is impact academics or student services,” said Dr. Jim Borsig, president of the W.

“What we are going to do is not fill some vacant positions and save that money. We may defer some projects that we have scheduled on campus, which will be in Information Technology,” he said. “We will defer that cost to the next fiscal year. The planning will continue, but we won’t be spending any money on it until after July 1.”

The W is being asked to make a 1.5 percent cut, which means about $328,000 will have to be cut from its current operating budget.

The budget cuts are affecting student financial aid as well. Without the revenue needed for state aid, programs such as MTAG, MESG and HELP are on hold. This decision has left some students without their scholarship money and unsure if they can afford their academic futures.

“I really don’t know if I can pay it out of my own money right now. I really wouldn’t want to put it on a credit card. I haven’t had student debt before, so I’m thinking I will have to take out a small loan to pay it off,” said Olivia Trammel, a senior and business management major.

In the face of these concerns, Borsig assured students and families that these matters have never been long-lived and that The W will be there to assist students. He remained optimistic that the state legislature will be able to come up with a solution to the shortfall.