8:30am on Fri. 7, faculty, staff and students of Southwest Minnesota State University packed into the CH 201 lecture hall to discuss the $3.2 million dollar deficit.

The room was tense.

“With a tuition freeze, enrollment/retention not meeting expectations, and contract settlements among other factors, we knew a deficit was more than likely on the horizon,” Joshua Anderson said, President of the Student Association.

The student senate had been made aware of the current budget situation on Jan. 30.

The news trickled down to the rest of the SMSU student body.

Rumors had floated around the campus about possible cuts to academics. Music and theater majors were particularly anxious. They had every right to be. Education institutions were notorious for making cuts to the fine arts first.

SMSU President Connie Gores stepped up to the podium and welcomed everyone for attending. She appeared ready to tackle the issue with a firm, but approachable hand.

“Dealing with difficult situations has never stopped this institution in the past,” Gores said.

When asked questions, Gores gave standard, generalized answers. It was either following procedure, the information everyone wanted was on the “T Drive” or “M Drive,” or she was not able to give an exact dollar amount.

But shoulders relaxed a bit with one answer.

“Every area will be examined for cost savings,” Gores said.

Several fine arts students looked mildly surprised. Perhaps the blows to music and the fine arts would not be as harsh as they were lead to believe. But until cuts are seen first hand, the fine arts remain leery of the future of their department.

It’ll be a while before any concrete answers are put into motion. As of now, it’s a waiting game.

“While [the Student Association] have made ourselves available and are open to conversation, the simple truth is that nothing has changed since the day we were informed about the deficit,” Anderson said.