Downsizing in the corporate world is not unusual.

The big CEOs who look out onto the town from the picture windows in their offices control the who and how many rise to the top.

When inflation forces a penny of their lofty salaries to be sacrificed, they find ways to take a snip here or a tuck there from the men and women working the assembly.

Iowa State’s Student Security Program found out recently that even though it is not a part of the corporate world, it is not immune to downsizing and cutbacks.

If the Department of Residence plans go unchallenged, students involved in the Student Security Program could find themselves without jobs, and students could find themselves more apprehensive when walking back to the dorms.

The Department of Residence is proposing cutting the Student Security Program’s current budget of $165,000 to $100,000.

Changes in funding also will result in changes in the program’s structure.

Instead of two student security officers patrolling an area at once, the number will be cut down to one.

What happened to the buddy system?

The time student security officers patrol the residence halls also may be cut in half.

Director of Residence Randy Alexander maintains that student’s safety will not be sacrificed due to the cuts because after the Master Plan is complete, residence halls will have electronic access systems and the Department of Public Safety will play a larger role in residence hall security.

One thing that will be compromised by cutting the program’s funding is the valuable experience students receive from fulfilling these positions.

In many instances, students’ interests in becoming involved in social services and professional law enforcement positions is sparked by serving as a student security officer.

Current student security officers could be future DPS officers.

In drastically cutting the Student Security Program’s funding, the Department of Residence will be performing a serious injustice to the students.

It is not realistic for residence officials to deny that this funding cut will not negatively affect students.

Students living in the residence halls spend too much money to have to worry about watching their backs when walking to their rooms late at night from the parking lots.