University of Virginia Library

Delegates Cut University Budget

by Mark Pirrung
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

An originally requested $49 million
University maintenance and operations
budget, cut to $38 million under
Governor Godwin, suffered an additional
$454,000 cut by the House of Delegates
in a vote Tuesday. The vote now goes to
the Senate.

The delegates asserted that the
University could raise an additional $1
million by increasing tuition and other
fund raising, thereby providing the
University a $38.5 million operations
budget for the coming biennium.

The capital outlay budget, originally
set at $23 million and entirely rejected by
the Godwin administration, fared no better at
the hands of Governor Holton.

The University will however receive
appropriations through the General Fund for
continued planning of the Physics building
only.

When President Edgar Shannon spoke before
the House Appropriations Committee in early
February, he presented the University's request
for the coming biennium.

Mr. Shannon had decided not to seek funds
to begin construction of proposed new facilities
at the University. In capital outlay funds the
President requested only funds for the
continued planning of five new buildings on the
grounds.

A statement issued by Paul Saunier, Director
of University Relations yesterday revealed the
relevance of these planning funds.

A state referendum on a constitutional
amendment permitting the Assembly to issue
bonds to finance its capital outlay programs,
which include University construction, reaches
the voters next November.

It is essential to the referendum's passage
that Virginians be able to see what the
University plans to build, Mr. Saunier said.

To proceed with planning, the University
will need approximately $600,000, a request
which was totally denied by the House of
Delegates Tuesday.

If this planning budget is not approved by
the State Senate and the bond amendment fails
in November, Mr. Saunier stated, "construction
of new academic facilities at the University
from 1972 to 1976 will come to a standstill."

During this period University enrollment is
expected to increase from 12,000 to 15,000
and if new facilities are not provided, "we may
have to make some unhappy changes in policy,
toward overcrowding, rejection of qualified
applicants, and loss of quality."

Construction of the new Law School
Building, medical education, and nursing,
education, and drama facilities will be
completed in the next two years and will not be
affected.

Mr. Saunier stressed that these new facilities
are already overdue, however, and planning for
the period beginning 1972 must continue if the
University is to be able to cope with new
enrollment and coeducation.