University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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The legislature said how much. The University said where. The faculty, staff and students called the action unfair. Frustrations were channeled into protests. When students returned for the fall semester, they faced some big changes in their everyday academic lives. Many classes were larger and had fewer or no teaching assistants, lines at Adds and Drops and in the Financial Aid Office were considerably longer because of reduced staff and library hours were drastically reduced. The cause: legislative cuts in the 1986-87 budget for higher education. Gov. Mark White requested a hiring freeze in July that prevented many of- fices at the University from filling vacated positions. Office clerks in the Financial Aid Office were doing extra work because of the staff shortage. Those delays and long lines also were caused by a greater number of students seeking financial aid. The second week in September, students found the hours in each of the system ' s libraries had been cut dramatically. Until that time, both the Peter T. Flawn Academic Center and the Perry-Castaneda Library offered students the latest study hours. But after the reduction in operating hours, both libraries closed at midnight. The cutback in hours was to accom- modate a smaller staff in the General Libraries Office. Michael Whellan, president of the Liberal Arts Council, organized a study-in. On Sept. 8, about 400 students sat in front of the PCL to pro- test and ask legislators to be careful when cutting higher education funding. Students studied in that library until 10:30 p.m. then moveoL outside the library and continued their studying by flashlight and candlelight. The Liberal Arts Council wanted to send the message by peaceful demonstration without breaking the law as in past demonstrations. On Sept. 23rd, students organized on the West Mall at noon and marched to the Capitol to protest budget cuts pro- posed during legislative special sessions. Some carried signs reading Cut Texas Schools, Cut Texas Future and Short Term Solutions, Long Term Disaster. John Furstenworth, engineering sophomore, said, I ' m unhappy with all the budget cuts. I participated today to make my statement. A bit of relief came Nov. 3 when the hiring freeze was partially lifted. Hours in several library units of the General Libraries were extended to near the regular hours. The Peter T. Flawn Academic Center again was open until 2 a.m. on weekdays. For the most part, it seemed that cut- backs in most areas of the University would be temporary. Many in the ad- ministration said cuts that most closely affected the students would be restored to near-normal levels and that threaten- ed cuts of classes and staff would not be implemented. The University ad- ministration tried to trim budgets carefully so that the most important elements of the University quality professors and a diverse offering ol classes could be maintained. by Bridget Metzger A BRIGHT IDEA: Students work by flashlight at the study-in Sept. 8 in front of the PCL. More than 400 hundred students gathered ta protest against the cutback in library hours. 22

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ie fooHhid allf-l llmay warned, D f K and I was just W hob in UK ' es Book Store and otto died into ' J.mS.gmon TICK TOCK: The detail of the Tower clock is on- ly visible from the observation deck. BIRD ' S h h VIEW: The UT Tower has stood by as Austin stretched to its city limits. The city evolved from merely the state capilol to a center for big business and home of the largest University in the state. Sights 21

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tfo protests. 5 would be reww r.; ' lA CAPITOL PROTEST: Students assemble on the West Mall Sept 2.1 before marching to the Capitol to protest cuts in the budget for higher education. Brian Adamcik Exhausted 23