VCU Community Reacts to Economic Stimulus Bill

Students and faculty express optimism, doubt over congressional plan to stimulate U.S. economy.

By Paul B. O'Brien

Details of the economic stimulus bill being debated in Congress are drawing attention from students and faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The bill, which goes to vote in the Senate on Tuesday, has $827 billion earmarked for a combination of consumer incentives, massive cuts in spending and tax breaks.

“It is still a little early for us to know how we may be affected by a stimulus,” said the Associate Director of VCU’s Student Accounting Department Danielle Mitchell. “If it is not passed, we will almost certainly feel more negative effects than we have since our budget was cut.”

The cuts Mitchell referred to have already been implemented in VCU’s budget. Cuts of 5 percent for fiscal year 2009 are slated to be followed by an additional 15 percent in 2010 on orders from Governor Tim Kaine’s office.

Mitchell added that “we won’t know anything about the fall 2009 and spring 2010 budget until May.”

“I think the stimulus package is needed,” said Professor Kenneth Daniels of VCU’s Department of Finance Insurance and Real Estate. “There has been a general decline in economic activity in this country and it is necessary to jump start the economy.

“While there is a lot of waste in this bill, there are also good things in it including money for roads and schools,” Daniels added. “We also need to be very careful about what we do. Long-term, there is a danger of overspending and causing problems for the next generation.”

Others seemed ambivalent about the details of the congressional plan. “It might have an impact, but we’ll need to wait until the two sides work everything out before we can be sure,” said Tempestt Sheppard, a sophomore and graphic design major.

Hannah Pettit, a junior and English major, said she is “torn between wanting to support it because of all our problems and how it will affect the federal deficit.”

Pettit, who works part time at VCU's Technology Services Help Desk, added that she thinks VCU would benefit: "If the budget is expanded again, we can provide more student technology services."

Some students question the direction that this massive spending plan is leading the country.

“If this country really believes in capitalism, then we shouldn’t be giving all these companies so much money,” said Danielle Spencer, a senior and creative advertising major. “I understand that companies may fall and cause us a lot of economic dislocation, however, what they’re doing is definitely not capitalism.”

Alex Ghazarian, a program support technician for VCU’s office of Records and Registration, questioned the use of stimulus money already handed out. “I was thinking they should have given a stimulus payment to Circuit City," he said.

“If they had saved Circuit City, how many Richmond jobs would have been protected? Four thousand? More?”