The university has faced widespread scrutiny in recent years in regards to its budget due to lack of shared governance, layoffs, program cuts and more. Frustrations from students, faculty and staff have sparked protests and student-run movements, including OU Fun Facts and Save OUr Profs.
Despite those issues, Emily Mapes, a sophomore studying health, said she hadn’t given any thought to OU’s financial health when deciding to attend the university. As a transfer student from Ohio State University, Mapes said she’s heard negative comments from her friends regarding the budget but never anything specific.
Mapes also said she was unsure how knowledge of the budget would impact her day to day because she is a commuter student.
“I think a lot of students probably wouldn't care or know what to do with that information — like me, I wouldn't know what to do with it — but I feel like it should be more transparent or available,” Mapes said.
One person who said they could benefit from knowing more about the budget was Konrad Gerhart, a high school student from St. Louis, who visited OU on Saturday with his father, Nick Gerhart.
Konrad Gerhart said he hadn’t examined the budgets of other colleges he applied to, though Nick Gerhart said he started wondering about the budget during their tour of the university, including when he saw what he described as “dilapidated” university buildings.
Carly Leatherwood, a university spokesperson, said OU does not typically discuss different things associated with its budget as part of its student recruitment efforts. However, Leatherwood said the university is happy to discuss those topics with families who are interested.
“OHIO’s student-centered commitments — to academic excellence, to a high-quality student experience and to on-plan graduation that leads to successful outcomes, all at a competitive, affordable level of investment — are the same commitments that are driving major budget decisions at the university,” Leatherwood said in an email.
After their experience at OU, Nick and Konrad Gerhart said they’d both want to look into OU’s and other universities’ finances before deciding on a place to go to college.
Like Mapes and the Gerharts, Emily McClure, a junior studying psychology, also didn’t give much thought to OU’s budget when deciding to attend, though she wishes she would have.
One area where McClure has noticed problems with OU’s budget is in the residence halls, she said. When repairs have been needed in her residence hall room, or in the residence hall itself, those repairs have not been made.
In Adams Hall, where McClure lives, there have been recurring issues with the hall’s sprinkler system and fire alarms, she said.
Although other students have overlooked the university’s budget situation, Graham Knerr, a freshman studying civil engineering, said he considered it so he could make sure OU was putting adequate funds toward his major program. Even then, Knerr said, the budget wasn’t a huge factor in his decision to come to OU, something he thinks other students should mirror.
“I think it would help if (the university is) putting lots of money toward your major’s college, but I don't think it should be a deciding factor,” he said.