LETTER: Surplus budget not a problem

To the editor:

    Do you remember that episode of “The Office” where Oscar discovers a surplus in the budget and everyone argues to find a way to spend it before corporate gets to return it? Michael, being Michael, tries to scheme a way to keep the money for himself. Jim and Pam argue between chairs and a new copier. The whole office gets involved and hilarity ensues.

    Unfortunately, no one thought of a third option which was to return the unused money to a financially struggling corporate.

    The same excuse was made in justification for the outrageous amount paid to B.J. Novak for his performance. Organizers were quoted as saying that it would be “unfair” to students to not use the money because the money does not carry over into the next budget. This connotes the attitude that the money simply disappears when in fact it is returned to the general university fund to be used on other projects.

    Rather than spend tens of thousands of dollars on a performer that only a limited number of students can enjoy, why not simply return the money to a struggling university who is facing another round of budget cuts? I guess it’s not so funny when real life is involved. 

Brady DeHart