Recession Requires Sacrifice; Be Mindful

By Bekah Oester

            Has a professor ever announced in one of your classes that the next class was cancelled for whatever reason? For most of us, the answer is yes, and usually, we welcome the break to relax or get things done. One day last week, this happened to me twice. Two professors announced that the next class would be cancelled due to a furlough. Because of the recession, budgets are being cut left and right. How an institution deals with those cuts has an intense effect on people. College Park had to cut several jobs. Bowie State decided not to follow suit, but instead, make mandatory furloughs for staff members. A furlough is a day that an employee takes off without pay. When most employees do this, it saves money, and ultimately other jobs that may have been cut. Yes, it stinks to go without pay for a day, but it is much better than going without pay permanently like those from other institutions who are now unemployed.

            Here's the issue, though. In my second class, when the professor announced the cancellation and explained the furlough concept to students, some started whining and protesting. "We paid for this class time, are they going to bring our tuition down for this?" Really, BSU? Really? The staff is losing money, and you're asking for it? All I have to say is, grow up. If class had been cancelled with no explanation, nobody would have made such complaints. You can't have your cake and it, too.  Let me remind the student body of a few things: our tuition is significantly cheaper than that of our USM counterparts. In addition, tuition is frozen. We are very fortunate. In addition, had BSU decided to cut jobs, we could very well be without classes we need to graduate. The second saving money comes up, the students want more money. We need to be responsible and considerate as well. If the furloughs are keeping BSU in business, how are we helping by whining and demanding money because we went without a class? We all like the occasional day off, and it's not like it's keeping us from graduating.

I've noticed that students here like to protest over every little thing. Some things are worth it, but most aren't. Every time something money-related comes up, students pitch a fit. Well students, the recession affects everybody, us included. Our professors have to sacrifice some pay to keep everyone employed. We need to make sacrifices as well. Paying tuition however is not a sacrifice. It's a part of life.  We need to be understanding and appreciate that we still have our classes and can still afford to be in school. The economy is keeping some students from doing so. We'll be ready to work when jobs become available again. Others will not be so fortunate.  Times are tough for everyone, so be mindful of not-so-ideal situations and show some consideration.