Lunchtime for students and faculty of the College of Architecture was all about Pizza Hut and the salary sweep.

Members of the college viewed a projection of the budget, as faculty answered student questions and quelled concerns.

The college is looking for ways to get its money back after Oct. 16, when more than $10,000 in differential tuition was transferred from the college to the university.

“”We’re going to have a budget cut,”” said Jan Cervelli, dean of the college. “”So (the university) is looking for opportunities, and now they’re gathering up the money to deal with the budget cut.””

Cervelli said she regularly meets with students once a month, but the topic of this month’s meeting held more interest than usual among college members.

“”I wanted students to understand where we are,”” she said.

As students nibbled on pizza slices, David Shirk, the senior business manager for the college, took the stage and broke down the college’s budget.

“”Because we’re one of the smaller colleges, our overall dollar amount … was small,”” he said. “”But when you look at a percentage, I would say we are probably one of the highest percentages (in the salary sweep).””

The money taken was around 18 percent of the college’s budget, money that was supposed to go to equipment for shops, pay for part-time faculty, lecture series, staff and computers, Cervelli said.

“”General tuition funds go everywhere, but differential tuition is supposed to be here,”” said Andy Malanowski, president of the UA chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students.

“”We’re paying … $600 a year (per student) on top of our tuition. … But to have that suddenly taken away is a problem,”” he said. “”It’s great to have that money available to us, but to have that money disappear in less than 24 hours is an outrage to students.””

At the luncheon, students asked for details about the sweep and how it affected other colleges and classes that would be available in the coming semesters.

Cervelli also shared how the college is in a hiring freeze and certain elective courses may be eliminated.

“”She keeps the student body informed,”” Malanowski said. “”It was best to hear everything from (the dean) first.””

After the meeting, the pizza, just like the college’s discretionary account, was gone, as more than 30 students left informed as to what the college is doing to get their money back and what they can do to help.

“”The student interest in this college is terrific, and that is why I walk them through,”” Cervelli said. “”I show them the budget; I show them everything because they are part of the decision making at this college.””