Spring semester 2004 is off to a wintry start, with record-breaking cold snaps making daily headlines. As we all cross our fingers and hope the jet stream shifts to start bringing air up from Cancun rather than down from Calgary, what can we look forward to in the next few months, other than Super Bowl XXXVIII?
1. Paying: Yep, you’ve all gotten your bills by now, so if you didn’t know before, you do now; fees went up again, $750 to be exact. That makes this year’s total increase $1,750, and costs have jumped about $2,500 since 2002. The good news, according to the Boston Globe, is that the UMass Board of Trustees is seriously considering a plan to keep costs from rising more than inflation, about 2%. If it’s approved, next year fees would only go up about $170 and tuition would remain the same.
2. Parking: Anyone who drives knows that parking is truly at a premium in the frenzied first weeks of classes, but this year you may want to trade your alarm clock for a rooster if you’re expecting a spot within sight of the campus. Burst pipes all over the garage have occasioned the cordoning off of large blocks of spaces as the resulting ice sheet makes them unparkable. In addition, parking fees have gone up from $5 a day to $6, and are slated to rise to $7 next year and an additional 5% every year thereafter. Now might be a good time to invest in a T pass or grab a few buddies and start up a carpool. With fewer spaces at a higher price, keep an eye on police log to see who won the 6am catfight for that coveted, right-by-the-elevators spot.
3. Postponement: The opening of the Campus Center, that would-be gem of UMB, has been pushed back yet again. The CURE report had recommended the opening be delayed to save money, and now difficulty obtaining an occupancy permit means it will remain closed for at least the first few weeks of classes. Offices all over campus were scheduled to be moved into the new building over winter break, but will remain, for now, all packed up in the same locations. Since large portions of the fourth floor of Wheatley were supposed to be relocated, this may cause problems for student groups and the Office of Student Life.
4. President: The search for a new president of UMass continues, and the entire process is surrounded by the kind of secrecy that would put Fat Tony associate Johnny Tight Lips to shame. The latest word, according to the system website, is that the committee is “winnowing the field” and “hopes to begin candidate interviews in mid January.” This may indicate an announcement during the semester, which promises, at the very least, to be interesting. In the meantime, we can hope for a president with the not inconsiderable fundraising power of ex-president William Bulger, but minus some of his less desirable compatriots.
5. Parting: Billy Bulger isn’t the only one retiring of late; some of our own professors are leaving the university. Last year, the Legislature passed a law creating an Early Retirement Incentive Program, which would extend to university employees, but would require most to retire by December 31, 2003. While there are no numbers as of yet regarding how many professors took advantage of this, Chancellor Gora reports, “We expect that the campus will net a savings of approximately $1.5 million from the early retirements.”
So the news is mixed, good, and bad. Hopefully warmer weather and a little sunshine will make the bad a little easier to take and the good seem better.