As Vermont State University enacts a series of cost-cutting measures, members of the school’s student government said Monday that their voices are not being heard. During a press conference at the Statehouse, students implored school officials to give them a seat at the table and allow them greater input as budget cuts are being made. “Rescind these decisions, reevaluate what is best for your student body, request student feedback, meet us and allow student voices to be heard,” said Zachary Durr, treasurer of the student government association at the university’s Castleton campus. In recent months, university leaders have begun to implement deep cuts to address a $22 million structural deficit. It offered buyouts to dozens of faculty members and eliminated 33 administrative and staff positions. The moves come soon after Northern Vermont University, Castleton University and Vermont Technical College merged into the newly christened Vermont State University.
