Western graduate student Rachael Gravon looks through a microscope Monday in the Environmental Science building. Gravon is researching algae and eco-systems in northwest Washington. Her research is funded by grants. Western geology professor Bernie Housen is concerned about the loss of upper-division courses and research opportunities. // Photo by Katie Greene THE WESTERN FRONT

University administration will review the 2010-11 operating budget throughout the coming year and then offer it to the board for approval next June.

In addition, Paula Gilman, executive director of Western’s Planning and Budgeting Office, has been collecting feedback from the campus community concerning the current budget process to incorporate into an official budget process draft, slated for completion in fall.

Western President Bruce Shepard’s policy of transparency has guided Western’s bottom-up budget process, which has been subject to perpetual critique and revision by the entire campus community.

“It’s like the cliché of building an airplane while you are flying it,” Shepard said. “I strongly believe that you never get it right; there is a constant cycle of critique and improvement.”

Western geology professor Bernie Housen said he appreciates the transparency of the process, but has several complaints about budget stipulations that he said are detrimental to Western’s integrity.

Housen said he is bothered by the apparent priority placed on lower-level courses over upper-division courses. He said cuts in his department have been aimed at technical staff and teaching assistant support, which is needed to maintain the specialized upper-level courses.

“To many of our department’s faculty, the hallmark of our program is the set of in-depth, hands-on experiences we ensure our majors have in their 400-level courses,” Housen said. “Many of them utilize specialized equipment or lab facilities that, in turn, require adequate technical support. To our students, these ‘too small’ courses are often the most valuable part of their experience at Western.”

Shepard admits university administration is shifting resources from smaller to larger ones, but said this is to maintain seat capacity so people can get the courses they need to graduate.

“We were really worried that if people go home for the summer without their full schedule, they won’t come back,” Shepard said. “So at all levels, there was an effort to make sure that the classes were there.”

Shepard said there might be less variety among upper-level courses, but graduation times will not be affected. He said the courses people do pick will be taught by the same faculty and still be of the same high quality.

Housen said the importance of technical staff and upper-division courses was not well-considered during the review process. Still, he appreciates the ability to be involved on a greater level than before.

“I have to give the administration a lot of credit, because the process has been a lot more open than it would have been [under a different president],” Housen said. “I know people in other universities in Washington and other states, and they are way more in the dark.”

Presidential listening sessions were held in the fall of 2008 to begin establishing Western’s expectations and guidelines for a process characterized by campus-wide transparency.

An updated 2009-11 budget proposal was posted online for public review May 6, and was followed by a public forum on May 14 where community members could voice their concerns directly to Shepard.

“I would describe our open forum as a ‘love fest,’” Shepard said. “It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but people were really focused on the future.”

Shepard said other Washington universities have also had open budget forums, but some have gotten “pretty nasty” due to community members being left in the dark regarding which specific cuts were being made.

He said the reason for the positive attitude at Western’s May 14 public forum was due to the transparency of the whole process leading up to the event.

“I think the reason for transparency and openness is so people will own the result,” Shepard said. “If people own the result and feel like a part of the solution, they are going to contribute their best efforts.”

Western senior Hannah Higgins, the board's student representative, said the administration has done an admirable job of making cuts in the right areas. She said Washington State University has cut entire programs, such as German and the entire theatre department.

“Making the commitment to include all members of the university community is not easy,” Higgins said. “Sifting through hundreds of comments and suggestions and applying that information in budget development is no small task.”

Shepard said he has received mostly positive comments about the budget process, but is concerned about the lack of criticism.

“That bothers me a little bit,” Shepard said. “I like criticism. What is it that we need to be doing better?”

Gilman said she has been asking everyone from the campus community for input to help shape the university’s upcoming official budget process draft.

Shepard said the university administration is treating the current budget process as a sort of “dry run” to guide the development of the official draft.

 “We have asked [the admnistration] and we have gotten so little [feedback],” Gilman said. “I mention it constantly to everyone, but there are very few comments.”

Gilman said putting an actual draft out on the Web this fall should bring out more feedback.

“I think people work best with a draft on paper,” Shepard said. “I don’t care if it is polished. Actually, I prefer that it is not polished so that people will be able to comment and get engaged.”

Shepard said he has taken the absence of criticism as an indication of satisfaction so far.

“We are going to keep asking,” Shepard said. “I suspect that since we have been through a battle, there is a sense of fatigue. 'Who wants to talk about the budget anymore anyways?' But in the fall, people come back refreshed, and we will talk about it again.”

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