In an attempt to close New York state’s budget gaps, Gov. David Paterson released a budget proposal last month that could result in the closure of 41 of the state’s parks and 14 of its historical sites, according to the Ithaca Journal.

In an effort to cut back on the proverbial Big Red tape, the University recently created an Initiatives Coordination Office. Provost Kent Fuchs announced the creation of the ICO on Dec. 16. As one of the newest Reimagining Cornell initiatives, the ICO seeks to maintain and augment efficiency in the face of the ongoing economic recession.

Recent budget cuts by the College of Arts and Sciences could cause up to one-third of the Theatre, Film and Dance departments’ non-tenured faculty to be laid off, according to Leslie Morris, head of public relations for the Schwartz Center.

The desire to collect all of the University’s studio-based programs into a “gathering point” for design within Cornell is an ambitious but concise goal. The College of Art, Architecture and Planning Task Force Report explores the potential to become a new and entirely unique type of design college — a school of Architecture, Art and Design — and provided numerous examples of how to achieve such a transformation. The administration can start with an imaginative use of the building it fought for over a decade to construct, Milstein Hall.

Correction Appended

In the wake of substantial budget cuts for Cornell’s libraries, the University signed a deal this past weekend to sell a 95,000 volume duplicative collection in Uris Library to Tsinghua University in Beijing, according to Anne Kenney, University librarian for the Carl A. Kroch Library.

Cornell has been collaborating with Tsinghua on research projects, faculty exchanges and student work and study options for the past decade. In 2004, former Cornell President Jeffrey Lehman '77 visited Tsinghua to initiate a “strategic partnership,” which laid the groundwork for future cooperation in the fields of engineering and physical sciences, according to the Cornell website.

Correction appended.

Last Thursday, the Student Assembly rejected Cornell Cinema’s appeal of a 22-percent cut in their byline funding over the next two academic years. This decision, which will seriously compromise one of our University’s most important cultural institutions, was a triumph of bureaucratic ineptitude and willful narrow-mindedness.

Sunday will be a long day for the rowing teams — rowers will wake up before dawn, load into buses, drive four hours to the Princeton Chase race in Princeton, N.J., race, then load the buses and head home. Previous visits to the Princeton Chase included an overnight stay at a hotel in Princeton, but economic conditions necessitate reductions in varsity team travel, among many other areas.

The traditional Swedish lawn game of kubb, complimentary apples and cookies, and Swedish music on the Arts Quad yesterday helped spark dialogue among faculty and students regarding the Dutch and Swedish programs, which are slated for termination by the end of this academic year.

As students headed home for Fall Break last Thursday night, the University boasted some good news: By centralizing the process of buying goods and services, Cornell could save up to $40 million annually. We are pleased that the administration has found the means to cut $40 million from the procurement budget, but the University must take further steps to maintain that these cuts do not affect academic spending.