Campus leaders said they don’t specifically know what should be done to help the state’s budget situation, but most agreed cutting from higher education

Cameron Secord

was not the answer.

Cameron Secord, vice president of the Student Government Association, said though the organization has discussed other ways to bring in revenue to the state, they are refraining from targeting specific areas.

“Honestly, I know we’ve talked about other revenue sources, and the governor’s budget has proposed a tax on insurance companies, but I know that if we go after certain things they’ll come back after us,” he said.

But Alfred Richardson, president of the Black Affairs Council, said he’s worried about how the budget cuts will affect the diversity-related majors on campus.

“When I first heard the cuts, my thoughts were on the idea of firing teachers and then cutting majors,” he said. “When you are cutting departments, you are already talking about cutting programs that have low funding such as African-American Studies and Women’s Studies. These are programs that help make learning more diversified.”

Richardson said areas other than education need to be taken into consideration when deciding budget cuts.

Secord said stimulus money originally budgeted for next fiscal year will be reassigned to this year to help the budget situation.

Secord, who is also an education major, said he was devastated by the budget cuts, especially at a time when teachers are being laid off.

“I thought that when it came down to it, it would hinder the ability for people to get their degrees, but also inhibit the ability of the state to develop,” he said.

Like Secord, Courtney Williams, president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, said she disagrees with the cuts because she is an education major.

“To see something that discouraging when you’re looking to be a teacher is sad,” she said.

But Kristin Moreaux, chairwoman of the College Republicans, said cuts have to be made.

“In the Georgia Constitution, there is a balanced budget amendment,” she said. “If revenue isn’t coming in from Georgia taxpayers, then you have to cut from somewhere.”

She said though she realizes the severity of the budget situation, she knows not everyone will have job security.

“Some people are going to have to lose their jobs,” she said. “That’s just the reality of the situation.”