College budget cutbacks go outside the box

When students and professors return to budget-slashing colleges this fall, they might notice things missing, such as limitless piles of food on their plates, land-line phones and trash pickup.

At Penn State University, "all you can eat" meals have been slimmed down to "all you care to eat," and two fewer dining halls offer them, spokeswoman Annemarie Mountz says. The marketing change is to encourage gastronomic restraint.

It may be hard to swallow, but budget-cutting is the new normal at the nation's 6,700-plus post-secondary schools.

Creative cuts don't save much money, but they symbolize deep overall cuts. With funding down and enrollment up, state support per student hit a 25-year low last year, says Paul Lingenfelter, president of State Higher Education Executive Officers. "The current year will be lower yet."

Among the more creative college cutbacks:

•Dumping trash pickup. Profs at University of Colorado-Boulder have to take their trash with them when they leave. "It was not all that popular a decision," says spokesman Bronson Hilliard.

•Cutting phone lines. At Texas Tech in Lubbock, English profs have had office lines cut. "I'm on a department phone now, but I use my cellphone 99% of the time," President Guy Bailey says.

•No more free printing. At Montgomery College in Rockville, Md., free printing for students is out, spokeswoman Elizabeth Homan says.

•Selling school vehicles.University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has sold its fleet of vans for field trips and athletic events. Students must now use a rental agency the school contracted, says David Gessner, assistant chancellor for budget and finance. "There's been some bumps in the road."

•Draining the pool. Eastern Oregon University has drained its indoor pool. "It cost too much to maintain," provost Steve Adkison says. It will be covered and used by a more budget-friendly sport: track and field.