The merged journalism-communication school, already smarting from six years of cuts, must ax another $133,000 before this month ends. Before the merger, the school of journalism and communication have each absorbed annual budget cuts since 1991, a report from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences shows.In a long-term plan designed by the college in 1994, the two programs were forced to become a single school and operate on what the college calls “a smaller funding base.” They officially merged last summer.Associate Professor of Communication Rohan Samarajiva said the college has cut 30 percent to 40 percent of the two units’ combined budgets since the early 1990s. Deep cuts are due to end within the next two years, he said.The cuts have important implications for students, he said. For example, less money means antiquated or broken equipment is not replaced, classes are closed or not offered, retiring faculty members are not replaced, and staff are overworked, he said.Since 1990, the number of journalism and communication faculty has dwindled from 46 to 30, said associate professor of Journalism David Richter. Departing professors have not been replaced.Students are the real victims of the budget-cutting frenzy, Richter said. “Gee’s big goal has been to make this a research university,” he said. “Undergraduate education is shortchanged here.”OSU rewards research and publication at the expense of educating undergraduates, Richter said. “Teaching and service is underemphasized. It doesn’t count toward tenure and promotion or merit raises,” he said.Communication Graduate Secretary Liz Carlson said the budget cuts also hurt graduate students: “I think it really affects their morale. It affects recruitment of excellent students.”Richter said journalism and communication have been punished more severely than other departments in the college, despite the money that journalism brings in to the university.For instance, he said, figures show that the Lantern turns over $200,000 in profits each year to the university’s general fund.Associate dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Don Haurin responded that the college has reduced programs at varying rates since the early 1990s when less funding came from the state.Some departments are in debt and are still repaying what they owe OSU, he said. Other departments are growing, he said.For example, the political science department saw a number of faculty who left but whose positions remained open.Recently, he said, the department has begun to re-hire to fill those positions.