All UWT students will be granted a bachelor’s degree

With COVID-19 and a 4.3 million dollar budget deficit UWT will have to close down before Fall ‘22, granting all students a bachelor degree regardless of academic standing.

The COVID-19 pandemic created global restrictions and quarantines and as a result, economic deficits have compromised the university.

During the town hall meeting that took place in the William W. Phillip Hall on Feb. 10, it was noted that UWT finds itself in a $4.3 million budget deficit along with low enrollment numbers.

These low enrollment numbers and the budget deficit are playing a crucial role in the continuity of the university. As reported by the office of the registrar, in March 2020, UWT had an enrollment of 5,369 students for the Autumn quarter of 2020. With COVID-19 causing massive shutdowns of universities and businesses, that number has dropped down to 4,842, creating a 9.8% decrease in enrollment as of Winter 2022 compared to that of Autumn 2020.

The budget deficit has created funding problems for student safety. During the town hall meeting it was discussed that to meet demand No. 1, to provide students with better resources for on- campus safety, is simply not possible at this time. 

In regards to low enrollment on campus, students are able to partake in smaller class sizes and professors are able to dedicate more time to student needs. However, now the university finds itself in a conflict; how long until the university has to close down? Fall 2022.

With the closing of the university, students who are juniors and seniors will find themselves with an automatic bachelors degree for their area of study. While those starting; freshman and sophomores, will hold an honorary degree as they transfer to the University of Washington Seattle or Bothell campus to finish their studies. 

As many of you know it is April Fool’s and this article is almost completely false, although the university is currently facing a budget deficit and low enrollment, the university will not be closing nor will it be granting bachelor degrees to students as a result. 

Happy April Fool’s.