South Carolina college students returning to classes this semester will begin to feel the pinch from numerous rounds of state budget cuts, including cuts to technology systems and services, reports the Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C. The state has slashed the budgets of its colleges and universities twice, for a total of 9 percent, since the new fiscal year began on July 1. And those cuts followed a steady decline in state support from the previous year. University leaders said last year that they made cuts in areas that didn’t affect students in the classroom. But some now say that the cumulative effect of the cuts is rippling campus-wide. Students at the state’s largest schools might encounter larger classes and fewer course offerings, which make it more difficult for them to enroll in the classes they want, school leaders said. The University of South Carolina finds itself with 250 fewer faculty and staff than last academic year. The university also has delayed replacing equipment, deferred maintenance on facilities, and postponed important software and data management upgrades. “Naturally, changes such as these affect our students, as well as faculty and staff,” said Vice President for Finance and Planning Ted Moore…
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