Thursday, December 9, 1993

FUNDING PROSPECTS:  The news in this morning's Toronto Star and elsewhere,
that the Ontario government intends to cut another $34 million from college
and university funding next year, isn't exactly news.  University heads
were told the same thing last month.  The cut is $24 million from universities
(meaning UW's share is a little under $2 million) and $10 million from
the colleges.  And the government's letter said the grants would be cut
by "at least" that much, meaning that more shoes could still drop.

There's also, still, uncertainty about tuition fee levels for next year.
Students are mostly hoping the increase will be small; university budget
planners would like to see it large, since fees are about the only source of
significant new revenue to help the universities pay their bills.

UW provost Jim Kalbfleisch says there's no way he can prepare even a tentative
budget to show to next week's meeting of the senate finance committee.  He
said this morning, however, that he'll come to the Wednesday meeting with 
the best available information on UW's expenses for 1994-95, and what little
is known about next year's revenue.

Kalbfleisch also said he understands there are wild and scary rumours going
around campus about pay cuts and layoffs next year.  None of the rumours can
possibly be true, he said, since there isn't enough information yet for any
budget plans to be made.  He's cautiously hopeful: if the $24 million is the
last cut the government imposes, and if tuition fees go up by the kind of
number that's been hinted (perhaps 7 to 10 per cent), the cutting UW has to
do for next year will not be horribly painful.

EXAMS BEGIN:  Today is the first day of fall term exams, which run through
December 22.  We won't say anything so fatuous as "Good luck," since success
on exams has very little to do with luck.  But perhaps it would be fair to
make one suggestion especially for first-year students: Be of good courage!
Your abilities got you this far and they won't fail you now.

STUDENT KILLED:  The man killed in a crash on the Conestoga Parkway in
Kitchener on Monday has been identified as King-Hoi Stephen Leung, a
second-year math student at UW.  The funeral is to be held Saturday at
10 a.m. at the Smith Funeral Home, 485 Benn Street, Burlington.

LIBRARY MICROFILMS: The microform collection in the Dana Porter Library 
will be inaccessible from December 17 to about January 10 because of work 
to remove asbestos from the ceiling of the first floor.  Those who know 
now that they will want to work with the microform collection during this 
period should talk to staff at the Reserves/Micro desk, on the first floor 
of the Dana Porter Library, so that the necessary arrangements can be made.

SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS:  A contribution from Manulife Financial, to assist
UW's "community and world service" program, will be announced at a reception
this afternoon (Davis Centre, 4 p.m.).  The program provides unpaid work
term options for co-op arts students at non-profit agencies ranging from
local churches to a refugee centre in Cairo.

Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs
credmond@watserv1    ext. 3004