With the possibility of tuition increases creeping closer and closer, conserving energy for the University may result in more money in student pockets.

Fifth-year senior and middle childhood education major Dustin Sabo has adopted a program called Friday Night Lights to help save the University money. Having sat on the idea for an entire year, Sabo adopted his own version of Penn State University’s Friday Night Lights Out program and since Oct. 2, 2009, his program has saved the University $7381.06.

With the exception of holidays, Sabo and his group of volunteers meet every Friday at 6:30 p.m. outside of the Union theater. From there, the volunteers break up into smaller groups. They go from building to building including classrooms, hallways and restrooms and turn off or shut down lights, computers and any other electronics that may have been left running for the weekend.

Although a seemingly long and tedious practice, the entire operation takes only about an hour to complete. By taking 60 minutes out of their Friday night to conserve energy last semester and having saved the University over $7,000, Sabo and his volunteers have high hopes for the spring.

“Because we will be able to work every weekend, except for holidays, I am hoping we can top last semester’s figure and help the University save closer to $10,000,” Sabo said. “With these estimates, I am hoping to save the University anywhere between $14,000 and $17,000 during the 2009-2010 academic year.”

The Friday Night Lights program has aided the University in saving on operating costs that otherwise would have been incurred, said Sherideen Stroll, University chief financial officer, through e-mail.

Fiscal year 2011 is expected to bring in more than $163 million of budget cuts for higher education schools in the state of Ohio, Stroll said. Of the $163 million in state cuts, the University is estimated to experience a budget loss of $8.3 million, which could result in any number of changes within the University.

“We have been anticipating these reductions and working to reduce our expenditures over the past number of months,” Stoll said. “Each department and division has been working on determining their operational cost reductions for some time and this work will continue throughout the spring semester as we begin the process of creating the budgets for next year.”

With the economy in its current state and time running out until budget cuts occur Stoll said that students can help soften this impending blow.

“There are some expenses that will rise regardless of what students do, such as the cost of employee health insurance,” said Stoll. “But the Friday Night Lights program among others are examples of what students can do to help keep the costs of operating a large university from rising unnecessarily.”

Volunteers for the Friday Night Lights program are always welcome. Anyone interested in participating can simply show up on Friday outside of the Union theater at 6:30 p.m. Students can also e-mail Sabo directly at [email protected] or contact Nicholas Hennessy, University sustainability coordinator, at [email protected].

Any aspiring volunteers will be able to qualify for community service hours which will be logged each week and at the end of the semester. Sabo said Hennessy will sign and confirm them if a University faculty member signature is needed.

Hennessy is the unofficial advisor for the program. He is in charge of doing the math work in terms of calculating the amount of energy saved through the efforts of the volunteers. He said he is proud of the work Sabo and his volunteers have done.

“Never underestimate the power of individual contribution and leadership,” Hennessy said. “These students are making a tangible difference in energy savings by taking action rather than just sitting around. I think that’s fantastic. It’s what students learn here at BGSU: How to be a leader, make things happen, and get something done by applying that leadership.”