The budget cuts the University of Tennessee system faces are causing waves of backlash from students and staff alike. Folks here at UT are mad and rightfully so, as many programs such as those in the College of Arts and Sciences are under consideration for total elimination from the university’s coursework.

The question remains, “Just what can be done to save these programs?” It’s evident that the economy isn’t going to buck up and save the UT system anytime soon, so what are the options? Basically, the main ideas come down to UT cutting programs and/or raising tuition to cover the brunt of the economic hardships the university is facing.

But consider this thought: How about pooling all of those excess aid checks together and covering some of the cost that way? There is no way to track that money in students’ pockets nor prove it is spent on education, unless the university uses it to save our programs.

Many admitted UT students are not such academic standouts as UT administration might like to think. Here are the facts, as also detailed in a column last year. In the fall of 2007, UT admitted its most academically gifted class ever. One third of freshmen enrolled with a 4.0 grade point average or better and an average ACT score of 26. The U.S. News and World Report said, of all applicants, 99 percent are eligible for the HOPE Scholarship to begin with. As a result, there are way too many people eligible for such lucrative scholarship funds in the first place.

Here is a real scenario of a student who received excess financial aid in the spring 2008 semester. She met the requirements for the academic merit HOPE Scholarship. This covered $2,500 worth of her tuition for that term. The student qualified (by having above a 3.75 high school GPA and 29 ACT score) for the Volunteer Scholarship, valued at $1,500 per semester, which was also credited towards her tuition. Her tuition was $2,963, and she received a check for $1,037.

According to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, roughly 10,000 UT students received excess financial aid this year. If UT’s undergraduate population (approximately 22,000) is divided into four classes, it amounts to 5,500 students per class. Take one third of that (the most academically accomplished freshmen) and that amounts to about 1,833 students. Multiply 1,833 by $1,037, and it equals a grand total of $1,900,821 cash in excess aid. That is nearly $2 million in money handed out each semester to less than 20 percent of all students even receiving excess aid. Based off of the financial aid office’s statistics, that means about 8,200 other students are also receiving extra cash.

Not every student is receiving that much excess aid, but even if each of the 10,000 reaping the benefits were only receiving $500 per semester, that would amount to $5 million per semester and $10 million per academic year in cash money. That could easily put a dent in the budget cuts proposed.

Only 37 percent of that money used in excess aid comes from private donations who specify where that money goes, whereas the other 63 percent of money budgeted for scholarships comes directly from the state and student tuition and fees.

Though in-state tuition has risen minimally since the last academic year, the fact remains the same. The university can take that 63 percent of cash money and invest it in saving the classes, tenured professors and programs in general.

The University of Tennessee has described its initiative as “keeping the best and brightest students in-state.” While that is a great ideal to strive for, what kind of great students are going to consider UT if they can take the classes they want to take or graduate on time at other universities? Not everybody can afford to go out-of-state, but if the quality of UT’s education dwindles because of increased graduation time and decreased programs offered, the “best and brightest” will look elsewhere for a better and brighter education.

The HOPE Scholarship and other scholarships are great ideas if they are implemented the right way. Students who receive the excess aid earned that aid under the system, no question. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and unless those students are from a particularly low-income family, that excess aid money should be spent internally, and nobody should receive free cash for being academically on par with the rest of their peers.

Attracting smart students but having a mediocre university isn’t doing anything for UT’s reputation. Big Orange screwing its current students isn’t doing anything for UT’s reputation. Getting smart about money and the way it’s spent will, over time, increase UT’s attractiveness.

And save your Italian class.

— Oliver Casey is a junior in enterprise management. He can be reached at [email protected].