Nicholls administrators are preparing to face state appropriation cuts totaling more than $700,000 as of Tuesday’s portion of the state special legislative session.House Bill 156, which concerns reducing appropriations to help Louisiana handle its impending financial challenges, has been amended several times with several different severities to higher education institutions. On Saturday, the cuts for higher education were approximately 10 percent; Sunday, all higher education cuts were removed. The cut has been at three percent since Monday.

University President Stephen Hulbert said he does not expect any further updates in regard to the budget cuts to be shared with the institutions this week. It could be until after the Thanksgiving holiday before Nicholls finds out if the current cut will be more than three percent.

“Any substantial cuts will be very painful,” Linda Peltier, University budget officer, said. “A three percent cut is somewhat painful. But a 10 percent cut would be devastating.”

Hulbert said he hopes for nothing larger than a three percent cut this session, but Nicholls will then have to wait for the session beginning in January and the next Revenue Estimating Conference to determine the state’s true financial conditions and whether further University budget reductions will result.

The University has already made plans to cut funds through salary savings from not filling vacancies, by reducing overtime pay in exchange for compensation hours, by reducing nonacademic supply budgets by 25 percent and by only permitting travel for accreditation, athletic and recruiting purposes. Nicholls has been holding vacant faculty and staff positions open since July 1.

“I’ve been trying my best to not affect academic programs and to not be required to furlough individuals from actual positions,” Hulbert said. “That does not mean we are not taking a look at academic programs around campus. Academic affairs has been asked to take a very serious look at those low-producing academic programs.”

In other attempts to save costs, thermostats are being raised four degrees for cooling and lowered four degrees for heating. Employees have also been advised to turn off unnecessary room lights and shut down computer systems at the end of the day. Nicholls may also reduce project s equipment, funds for new spring scholarships and student wages.

“It may well be that students this spring may be cut in the number of hours they can work, or we may not fill any vacant student positions,” Hulbert said. “All of this will depend upon whether we’re dealing with a three percent, five percent or higher budget cut.”

Adding to the budget crunch, Nicholls deferred revenues from tuition and fees of visiting students until now and is owed money by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that Hulbert “is not 100 percent sure if and when we’re going to see repayment.”

State institutions are funded partly by state appropriations and partly by tuition and fees. Michael Delaune, director of University Relations, said he doubts tuition will be raised because of the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students.

“It is politically unattractive for the legislature to allow institutions to raise tuition because it raises TOPS’ cost,” Delaune said. “However, it is not out of the realm of possibility that fees be raised.”

However, the energy surcharge fee has increased from $3 per credit hour to $5 per credit hour, up to 12 hours, to help Nicholls maintain a balanced budget for its energy consumption. Hulbert said no additional fees or fee increases have been approved, but could be possible.

“Before fall 2006 a fee will come up, or discussion of tuition will come up,” Hulbert said. “There’s no way these institutions can face the budget reductions they’re having and not address tuition increases.”

In hopes of increasing revenues, Nicholls is also in the midst of an enrollment campaign since it doesn’t know what its enrollment will be in the spring or fall of next year because of admissions standards, visiting students and the effects of the recent hurricanes. This semester alone Nicholls lost almost 500 students through resignations.

“Our enrollment picture is quite uncertain at this point in time, so it is necessary for us to manage this institution in a very conservative financial manner to insure we meet a balanced budget,” Hulbert said.