Johnson State College plans to eliminate cable access in individual residence hall rooms beginning in fall 2015, a move that will save the college approximately $50,000 annually.

The decision was reached by the budget task force group, which is comprised of 8-10 faculty and staff members including JSC administration and professors throughout various disciplines.

“There’s a plan to keep cable in the shared spaces, so in the lounges and shared spaces of Arthur Hall as well as in a couple other key places where it already is, like in SHAPE and Stearns,” Dean of Students Dave Bergh said. “The last estimate I saw was just by eliminating it in individual rooms, again not in lounges, that we would save $50,000 a year, so it’s not nothing.”

Bergh said the college has been looking for places where it can cut expenditures without affecting academic resources. However, some students do find academic and personal value through cable television.

“I watch Animal Planet and the news,” said JSC senior Amanda Bolduc. “I feel like I’d be less informed because I do watch the news every morning. Even the commercials keep you up to date on what is happening outside of Johnson State College. I used to read the newspaper but that was taken away too. It’s less time consuming [than browsing the internet], you can turn the news on for 20 minutes and you have a couple of stories.”

Other students find the potential cut unfortunate, but of little impact to the community as a whole. “I feel like not that many people use it,” said JSC sophomore Ophelia Blair. “You can find literally anything on the internet if you Google it.”

Bergh said the budget task force has determined that students are using cable less and streaming more. Following conversations with the JSC Student Government Association, he acknowledge there are mixed opinions. “Some felt strongly that there is no need and others enjoy having it,” he said.

Bergh said these savings will be applied toward the total budget and expense reduction and the money would not be spent elsewhere. It is also unlikely to make a difference on individual student bills. “[We are] finding savings here rather than elsewhere such as position reductions. The hope is to avoid having to take steps like that, which are measures of last resort,” he said.

Castleton State College set the precedent within the VSC this fall, when it discontinued providing cable in individual residence hall rooms.

Bergh said that the CSC Student Government Association passed a resolution that urges the college to return cable access when the budget can afford it.

Bergh says that the budget task force group is open to hearing from students and urges them to talk with the JSC Student Government Association if they have an opinion on the matter.