Increased class sizes, higher tuition and shorter library hours are just a few negative changes students may see in the coming months as the global economic meltdown affects University.

Just as families and businesses have had to tighten their belts with the coming of hard financial times, the University will also have to review its budget and make cuts to compensate for a predicted 10 percent state budget shortfall. 

There is no question that the University system, like all government entities, should sacrifice as the state confronts this money crisis.

However, the General Assembly and University sytem leaders’ lack of foresight to prepare for situations like this are as much to blame for the lowered quality of education students will receive as a result of proposed budget cuts as any other scapegoats presented to take the heat. 

Though the true severity of the economic downturn may not have been known at the close of business for the General Assembly last August, surely there was no question that hard times were on the horizon. Yet, in classic political fashion, the powers at be chose to ignore coming problems in order to keep politcal promises in an election year. 

Students will be forced to pay for the legislature’s incompetence. Newly elected governor, Bev Perdue has just ordered an overall 7 percent cut of all state agencies’ budgets. This means that the University must relinquish more than $30 million it was originally promised by the General Assembly. 

Our University has been preparing for these cuts and has been proactively seeking ways to trim the budget, increase efficiency and eliminate waste to make this process as painless as possible. Yet in many cases, these “trimming” efforts are not enough, and students will inevitably suffer directly from these cuts. Again, while the anticipation and efforts are applaudable, why can’t efforts streamline our budgets be an ongoing process?  Recession isn’t the only time to improve cost-effectiveness and common-sense budgeting.  

It is inexcusable that our elected officials refuse to put the people of first. Broken promises come as a result of political patronage often in politics, yet in times like these, their effects are amplified and we will all suffer for it. 

Smart budgeting at the state and university level should always be a top priority. Not just when dire economic circumstances leave us with no other choice.