The University of Massachusetts Boston is facing $15 million of debt despite recent budget cuts, forcing the institution to cut 20 courses this summer.
No one is happy about the potential cuts coming to University of Massachusetts Boston.
Even though the university has managed to cut about $10 million, it's still not enough. The school is still facing another $15 million of debt, which means it must scale back and make some tough decisions, such as cutting 20 courses this summer.
"It means you can't take what you want to major in or it will take longer to graduate," said professor Marlene Kim, president of UMass Boston Faculty and Staff Union. "In my department of economics, they originally cancelled seven classes for the fall and two for the summer. We got three of the seven reinstated."
The proposed cuts come as the school just finished constructing a new classroom building and is working to complete new dorms for first year students.
"If you don't have the money, don't do it," student Gayane Pogosyan said of the new building construction. "We need these classes. People come here for those classes."
"If you’re an educational institution, you don’t cut classes," added Kim.
The university declined an on-camera interview, but issued a statement saying, "We are still in the process of finalizing our summer course offerings. We will continue to work toward providing a broad range of academic offerings that meet the needs of all of our students."
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The union plans on protesting at the board of trustees meeting on Wednesday morning. A final decision on what will be cut will be made sometime in the next week.
