Budget Cuts at CSULB

This blog will be covering the California budget cuts on education. I will be following new policies concerning the budget cut, the impact these policies are having on the CSULB campus, and what the student community is doing in reaction to the budget cuts.

CSULB is at a crossroads

A panel of five faculty members at Cal State Long Beach agreed that the campus is in a crisis, as they discussed California’s budget cuts on higher education at the Solidarity Symposium last Tuesday. This crisis can be a turning point for the university, said professor of American Indian Studies Troy Johnson, as it provides the opportunity for a positive change.
“We are at a cross roads,” said professor of Chicano and Latino Studies Jose Moreno. “Are we a packing plant, or are we a place of hope for the practice of freedom.” Moreno went on to say that there are pockets of hope but we must continue to strive to be both idealists and practitioners of freedom. This has become more difficult under the stresses of the budget cuts - which Clarissa Rojas, professor of Chicano and Latino studies, said are an unprecedented attack on the university.
This privatization of the university has narrowed access to marginalized groups, consequently stifling diversity and collaboration in thought, ideas, and activities on campus. The panel pointed out the disparity between the demographics of the campus and the representation marginalized groups receive, emphasizing that representation is more than just numbers. Johnson used the words of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to illustrate this point, “We share physical proximity without spiritual affinity.” We must engage in a constructive dialogue, urged the panel, forming a true synergy among the campus community.
The crisis that Cal State Long Beach faces, offers the potential for possibility and change, but the change will not come without sacrifices explained Moreno, “You can only promote change if you are willing to risk something.”

Photo courtesy of the Daily49er

Students March For Education

More than a thousand protesters gathered on the Cal State Long Beach campus Thursday afternoon in support of the Day of Action to Defend Education movement.
“It is an amazing sight,” said senior student Shawna Francisco. “This is the biggest protest I have ever seen on this campus.” Students, faculty, and staff gathered on upper campus at noon in an effort to combat the recent budget cuts, which have raised tuition rates at the UCs and CSUs by over 30 percent and stagnated the CSUs acceptance rate. Protesters came armed with signs, megaphones, noise makers and a fighting spirit to help make their point; the stranglehold of the budget cuts on the students of Cal State Long Beach needs to stop.
“No one is going to give you anything,” shouted a student from the stage at upper campus. “You have to take it!” The crowd erupted in cheers of affirmation as the speaker left the podium.
The rally felt more like a music festival as people boogied to the southern zydeco groove of Bennie and the Swampgators. The assembly garnered a sense of solidarity and community to a usually disconnected campus. “People don’t feel connected on campus,” said Francisco. “So it was really nice to see students come together for a common cause.”
When the music came to an end, the march started. Protesters funneled down the stairs outside the Student Union, snaking their way to Brotman Hall in a line four people wide. The walls of passing buildings echoed the chant, “The people united will never be divided,” as students shouted the phrase in unison. The exodus culminated at the fountain in front of Brotman Hall, as staff members kept a watchful eye on the rally from their second story offices. Multiple speakers ignited the crowd from the fountain’s ledge,reminding students that this is going to be a continuous fight.
President F. King Alexander was said to be in Washington, D.C lobbying for the CSULB community.

CSULB's Budget Outlook Announced

CSULB will continue with its original planning assumptions for the 2010-11 school year.

The Governor's January budget proposal was not as grim for the CSU system as was expected, though it brings about many uncertainties to the campus budget problem. The plan proposes some restoration funding for the CSU, restoring $305 million of the $571 million that was reduced in 2009-2010. There could also be a possible $60.6 million restoration, which relies on additional federal funding. This proposal is not guaranteed as it still has to go through legislature, where it could face some adversity. The plan proposes significant cuts in health and welfare which may not survive the legislative process, and with it being an election year, much of the state Legislature may not want to stick their necks out to clean up the education budget. If these proposals survive, they will help to alleviate budget cuts and enrollment reduction but the budget problem will be far from over.

With these uncertainties in mind, CSULB will continue with its original planning assumptions for 2010-11. One strategy to help manage the budget will be a reduction in enrollment. This will reduce available class sections which will increase the problems with high-demand courses. Even in the most negative budget scenario, fall admissions at CSULB can remain at the same level as the prior year but the campus is planning to be closed to transfers for the spring 2011 semester. The bottom line is that enrollment at CSULB will decline year to year even in the most positive scenario.

The campus is working with many contingencies as the budget will not likely be finalized until September or October. CSULB is dealing with many unknowns, but one thing is certain, even with the help of Schwarzenegger's proposal it will still face budget cuts for the 2010-11 school year.