Editor:

On Jan. 27, the Chronicle’s lead story was headlined, “Budget Cuts Could Mean the End for a College at U.” If this laying of an academic program upon the cutting board is meant to send a shock-inducing message of desperation to the state budget managers, fine. Everybody knows Utah education has to fight for everything it can get.

But if this threat is sincere and becomes enacted, then something is wrong. Priorities are misplaced. A university is first and foremost an academic institution. Surely there are unnecessary expenses going on here that should be curtailed before giving a college the ax. I can think of two right away. One of them requires the cooperation of students.

1. Animal vivisections. I don’t know how much the U does, but I’m told it’s enough. The University of Colorado recently eliminated its inhumane practice of live dog dissection, and is expected to save $17,000 this year by no longer paying for the animals, their shipment and care. As a conscientious student, I tell my administration that I would rather risk science growing stagnant than the ethical revulsion of supporting such a horrible practice.

2. All over campus, computer labs are posting signs outlining printing limitations. They can’t afford all the wasteful use of paper generated by reliance upon e-reserve. For those things not being formally submitted for class, most printers can print double-sided. Labs should post instructions on how to do this. Pull up the print menu; go to where it says ‘copies and pages’ and change it to ‘duplex’; then just check the box that says ‘print on both sides.’ That’s it, now the ‘U’ only has to buy two-thirds the paper it did before.

How much money do you think we’d save by accomplishing these two things?

David Johnson

Graduate Student, English