After being shortchanged $23 million in state funding and with an uncertain economy, Wendler says he is trying to cushion the University in case of further cutbacks.

But if no additional cuts are made, then the extra money will go toward some aspect of Southern at 150 that is yet to be determined.

We like the idea of taking a good look at SIU and deciding what we can do better, as the preliminary Southern at 150 plan outlines. But without specifics on how this money is to be cut and where it will be going, department heads have little direction to follow.

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Chancellor Wendler needs to come up with a mechanism to decide where these cuts will be made.

We think, as much as we dread the phrase, that a task force, or something similar, is needed – a cross-disciplinary group of individuals who can look at the big picture and determine where the University can afford to make the cuts. The qualifications:individuals other than deans and department heads, although they should be consulted and involved; people knowledgeable of our peer institutions and how their departments run; people who can take a step back and see where consolidations of majors could be made, without the mental image of the spouses and children affected by these decisions.

It is unfair to expect small departments, with their own individual needs and requirements, to slash the same percent of their budget as larger, wealthier departments.

Wendler’s idea to combine similar majors or cut unproductive student services does not assist the cutting process.

While there are areas that could be consolidated and areas of low enrollment, no department head is going to raise their hand and say, “My department is weak. Please tear it apart.” Human nature tells us people are not going to lay their department or faculty members on the chopping block. They are going to take from any other area first.

We need somebody making bigger decisions than cutting copying costs.

Furthermore, the point of Southern at 150 is to make University improvements. The money gathered for Southern at 150 will go toward various projects and be distributed to departments as the committee sees fit.

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Current budget cuts affect every department equally, but when Southern at 150 comes to fruition and it is time to redistribute the cash, refunds won’t go back across the board. This is simply a political move to make it seem like everyone will reap the benefits in the end – why not call it what it is?

Why take the money now and in five years give it back with the instruction to hire another high-quality faculty member and update technology? Why wait five years to make improvements that could begin now with the money being taken?

If the state cuts funding again, these budge cuts become a necessary evil. But if the money is going towards an unspecified part of Southern at 150, does the demand really warrant the supply?

We think any cuts should come from areas where the entire University can afford it, and somebody needs to step up and make those decisions.