The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

State budget cuts reduce public services

By By Lana Lagomarsini, News Correspondent

In the wake of a sizable budget cut in Massachusetts that resulted in less funding for statewide social services, some students are facing the economic reality more than others.
In October, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick proposed a budget cut for the state that would eliminate 1,000 jobs and help close the $1.4 billion revenue gap. The budget cuts mean the loss of public services such as the police force and the medical coverage programs. Students residing in Boston have the potential to be’ directly affected by the cuts, but many said they are remaining hopeful.
‘I’m living on campus and so far the outside world hasn’t been affecting me,’ said Filipe Vieira, a senior civil engineering major.
Vieira said he was generally calm about the budget cuts.
‘I guess we have to sacrifice [the state’s] jobs right now for the economy,’ Vieira said. ‘It’s a necessary evil.’
Massachusetts is not alone in its actions. States across America have had to revise their budgets in order to prepare for an economy in a recession.
Massachusetts has had the biggest let down in regard to income taxes, which were about $515 million less than expected for the past fiscal year. This, in addition to poor real estate sales and lowering stock market values, was a contributing factor to the reasoning for the cuts in government-related jobs, according’ to the governor’s website.
John Portz, a political science professor at Northeastern, said that if students and other residents of Massachusetts are not feeling the chokehold of the budget cuts, there is still time to feel the pressure.
‘What we’re talking about is not a one-time thing, it’s going to continue on at least until the most of the next year, so there could be definite impacts on the public safety departments,’ Portz said.
Patrick has also revealed many of the budget cuts will not only affect jobs, but other areas of state and public money. The state’s Rainy day fund, a reserve of cash the state has in case something disastrous happens, is being tapped into more and more to help close the deficit gap, according to local media reports. In addition, the Governor plans to raise taxes and limit aid to cities and towns throughout Massachusetts.
‘I appreciate the difficulty [Patrick] is in ‘hellip; personally I would give more consideration to the increase in the gas tax,’ Portz said.
Cecilia Johnson, a sophomore psychology major, said that although she has not felt the heat of budget cuts in Massachusetts, the effects of the nation’s economy can be felt in her hometown.
‘I had a job at home that I couldn’t keep because they could no longer give me hours [because of declining sales],’ Johnson said.
People have to face the realities of the recession, and the government should be and probably is looking into smarter ways that taxing can be used for help with the deficit, Portz said.
Although the state itself has been making cuts in public safety areas, Northeastern, as a private university, still has the ability to maintain its police force because the funding comes directly from students and grants given to the school. Those students living off campus or commuting, however, could potentially feel unsafe thanks to the depleting police force.
‘I’d like to think, particularly in public safety, that [state legislators] will adjust the allocation choices in a way to make sure it doesn’t compromise the safety of students or anyone else in the community,’ Portz said.
Portz said students, as well as the rest of the community, will have to become used to the new cuts in the budget and the effects they will have.
‘This is not going away ‘hellip; the governor has just put forward this plan for the next fiscal year, and it looks bleak,’ Portz said.

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