Storm relief could be on its way

With the western areas of North Carolina still recovering after last fall’s damaging hurricane season, the N.C. Senate unanimously passed a $214.5 million aid package last week to continue recovery efforts in those areas.

This aid was a $123.5 million addition to the relief money that already was allocated. The flooding from those storms was responsible for 11 deaths, 140 destroyed homes and 16,200 damaged homes.

As a part of the earlier relief effort, the N.C. General Assembly asked state agencies — including universities — in November to return 0.75 percent of their budgets.

“We were given a number very early in the year, so every campus at that time set aside funds to be reverted,” said Jeff Davies, UNC-system vice president for finance.

Where the funds came from was an option left open to the individual schools.

“It varies from campus to campus,” Davies said.

“Each chancellor made a decision based on what would least affect that school.”

UNC-Chapel Hill had about $2.85 million taken from its budget. “We took it from everywhere,” said Provost Robert Shelton.

“I sent it out in proportion to everyone’s state budget, so it was an across-the-board cut," Shelton said. "For example, whatever the budget of the College of Arts and Science was, they had to give back three-quarters of a percent of that.”

Though no University program was singled out for budget cuts, it’s always difficult to give back funds, Shelton said.

George Wooten, vice chancellor for administration and finance at Western Carolina University, said the $349,000 cut from its budget was taken from lapsed salaries and fringe benefits — dollars that had accrued over time.

“We didn’t have any programs detrimentally affected, but the money could have been used for new scientific equipment, research or other such programs,” he said.

N.C. State University cut about $2.7 million from funds allocated to fall semester programs, said Charles Leffler, vice chancellor for finance and business.

It is hard to assess the total harm of the cuts because officials cannot know what the money would have been used for, he added.

The budget cuts were handed down early in the academic year, giving the 16 campuses the opportunity to anticipate the loss and minimize its effects.

“I think that the deans and vice chancellors were able to absorb this cut without any permanent damage to programs,” Shelton said.

UNC-CH adapted to the cuts by delaying purchases and hiring to fill vacant positions until after this fiscal year, he added.

Leffler said there were similar missed employment opportunities at N.C. State.

“Those were funds that could have been used to supplement competitive salary offers,” he said.

Although no school was devastated by this budget cut, all are glad that it is a nonrecurring one.

“Over the last 12 to 15 years, when you take into account our enrollment growth, the budget has been reduced, so we have less money per student per year,” Leffler said.

Shelton said it is hard to be upset about money going toward hurricane relief, even if it does throw the University’s budget off balance.

“We’ve had budget cuts in easily nine of the last 10 years. When you add those cuts on top of everything else that’s happened, then you have a real pain.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.