Never say never

Fortunately, it appears that the vet school will be only division of Tufts to receive a severe budget cut. Still, it seems risky to assume that other Tufts programs will remain completely unaffected. After all, when the state cut its funding for the vet school, the money that was taken away was essentially already in Tufts' hands. While it may only be a remote possibility, there is no reason to believe that the research opportunities and other programs at Tufts are completely safe from cuts in federal funding.

Tufts-affiliated organizations are certainly at risk. Few undergraduates may have heard of the Center for Applied Child Development, but most child development majors are familiar with its work. Funding reductions for this program, for example, would certainly be felt by many in the Tufts community.

Tufts prides itself on its ability to offer research opportunities to its undergraduates, and these are the opportunities that seem to be in the most potential danger. While a reduction in research opportunities may not make a noticeable difference to students at first, it will certainly be felt by faculty and will eventually impact the campus as a whole.

The federal government's push to reduce costs at colleges and universities may have more impact at Tufts, which needless to say has a small endowment compared to its peer schools, than at other similar colleges and universities. While it seems very unlikely that government funding would be cut entirely, the University must be prepared to verify what Dean Bouchard called "the real cost of doing research." A major reduction in the number of research opportunities would be an incredible loss to both the undergraduate and graduate communities.

The moral of the story: Tufts needs to be ready. Dean Bouchard has assured the Daily that the University has planned for all types of budget cuts. Still, a simple glance at the endowment figures and the knowledge of what happened to the vet school should act as a clear message to the Administration that additional precautions may be necessary.