Class sizes and teaching jobs aren't the only areas suffering from state-mandated budget cuts - building improvements and maintenance will also be slowed.

The division of Business Affairs, which oversees the non-academic departments of the university, like Facilities Management and the University of Arizona Police Department, has been asked to cut $1.4 million from its budget for this year.

But these cuts were not evenly distributed across the departments as they were for the colleges.

Instead, Joel Valdez, senior vice president for Business Affairs, evaluated each department individually and assigned the cuts based on these evaluations - a process he said made it impossible to keep everything that departments wanted.

"I'm trying to put a size 10 foot in a size seven shoe," Valdez said.

Of the 16 departments that make up Business Affairs, Facilities Management was asked to cut the largest amount - more than $1 million. But Valdez said it also had the largest budget to begin with, and that many of the departments he oversees only have a few employees.

Al Tarcola, director of Facilities Management, said that if the budget cuts extend beyond one or two years, his department may have a difficult time keeping up with maintenance.

"We are going to have to defer other things to keep up the buildings," he said.

University of Arizona President Peter Likins, among other university officials, has said he expects budget cuts to be significant next year - perhaps as much as $1 billion state-wide - but that they are anticipating an upswing in the economy by 2004, which would eliminate the need for budget cuts.

Despite the $1 million hit, the university was able to use funds in the form of "building renewal dollars" to get ahead on maintenance before budget cuts began to take effect, Tarcola said.

Building renewal dollars are state funds given to the university specifically for campus maintenance.

One area in particular where the UA was able to gain ground was in a state-of-the-art fire alarm system.

"We think we're tops in the country bar-none for fire alarms," Tarcola said.

Steve Holland, director of the Department of Risk Management, said he approves of the job Facilities Management is doing in maintaining the buildings.

"I don't think we have any buildings that are inherently dangerous," he said.

Holland also said Facilities Management is very good about dealing with problems as they arise, such as a broken rail or torn carpeting.

But some students said despite assurances that buildings are kept in good repair, they feel not all classrooms are adequately equipped.

"I had a class last semester in Chemistry 111, and the seats were in terrible condition," said undeclared freshman David Goltz. He added that the periodic table on the wall was falling down.

Other students said the desks in their classrooms are wobbly and the blackboards need to be replaced with whiteboards.