It’s not exactly news that Ohio’s economic woes have spread to college campuses and triggered increasingly burdensome tuition increases. Nor is it news that Ohio State is looking for ways to trim its budget. However, some of the recent suggestions for how to do this disturbingly are void of pragmatism.

State Rep. Jim McGregor, R-Gahanna, is pushing to cap all state employees’ salaries – including those at OSU – at the governor’s current salary, $130,000, in order to help trim the budget. This is overly idealistic at best. McGregor dismissed concerns that OSU administrators would seek higher-paying jobs elsewhere by saying, “I really believe that most people go into leadership roles because they love the challenge of organizing. They love the challenge of serving. They love the challenge of making things work efficiently.”

Equally not practical is the suggestion made by Undergraduate Student Government President Aftab Pureval during his State of the University address to make major cuts to merit-based awards. Pureval said, “Too often, those who receive merit-based awards are those who need it the least. They are the ones from the top high schools, who had the opportunity to enroll in college prep courses and AP classes.” Such students would no longer see a direct correlation between their financial package and their proven commitment to academic success.

While a state school does have a responsibility to try and provide an economically accessible education to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, it also has a responsibility to provide them with a quality education. To sacrifice the latter for the former would be a disservice to OSU students, and to achieve the latter we must continue to recruit academically successful students and proven administrators who will support and strengthen the intellectual community at OSU. Consequently, we must continue to reward excellence through competitive salaries and scholarships.

Both McGregor and Pureval’s suggestions hinge on a something-for-nothing mentality. They express a simplistic and unrealistic faith in the idea that people will come to OSU simply because we would like them to. The reality is that academically competitive students, faculty members and administrators – like everyone else – are looking for the best deal they can get.

In the case of students, it is important to note that all college degrees are not created equal. Anyone who has been through the college application process knows that both the number of universities in this country and the extent to which they vary is staggering. The amount of time and money that must be invested into getting a college degree makes it imperative for students to feel confident that they will be better off when they graduate.

Because it is the largest university in the country, OSU constantly is battling the idea that a large public university cannot be a serious academic institution. We are neither a football team with a school attached nor a four-year conveyor belt that anyone can hop onto for four years and receive a token degree. OSU is an academic institution where students who demonstrate academic ambition are challenged and celebrated. Merit-based scholarships are a tangible way for our university to show its dedication to academic excellence.

Furthermore, other universities offer merit-based scholarships and pay their administrators well. While OSU could choose not to follow suit, this would be a lonely endeavor and it would be ludicrous to assume that, in these times of financial insecurity, administrators and honors students would not be enticed by better salaries and scholarships at other institutions.

While OSU must make budget cuts, capping administrator pay or eliminating merit-based scholarships will cost the university a lot more than it will save. The value of our degrees bears a direct correlation to OSU’s reputation. In order to ensure that the value of our degrees remains high, we must continue to attract first-rate administrators and students.

Laura Herbert is a sophomore in history and Spanish. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].