Classes to teach but no place to park
Where were Fresno State officers on Wednesday, Feb. 16? Why weren’t they directing traffic for the “Get Motivated” seminar, one of the most publicized events in Fresno’s recent history?
Where were the signs directing seminar attendees to the Save Mart Center parking lots? Why were attendees permitted to park illegally on campus while those with the legal right to park denied access?
Why weren’t entries to the campus blocked, permitting only Fresno State students, faculty, and staff to enter?
Why wasn’t the announcement “Traffic heavy near Save Mart Center” posted on the Fresno State website before 12:47 p.m. on Wednesday?
Did no one at Fresno State or the Save Mart Center foresee the traffic problems that would arise from an event featuring such high-profile people as Joe Montana, Colin Powell, and Rudolph Giuliani? My question is, “How could they not have?” Publicity for the “Get Motivated” seminar had flooded the airwaves for months.
The questions are numerous; the answers are few. Perhaps one word can summarize the disaster ”” MISMANAGEMENT!
Who were the victims of such mismanagement? The answer is simple: The university community. Students braved the elements only to learn their classes were canceled. Students commuting long distances faced traffic gridlock. Faculty and staff had no place to park amid the colossal debacle.
Mismanagement, indeed! Although the “Get Motivated” seminar was not sponsored by Fresno State, the university should have taken the initiative to ensure that the campus community would not endure hardship as a result of a non-university function.
”” Patricia LaRosa, Ph.D.
Craig School of Business
Budget cuts put cap on enrollment
I recently learned the university is cutting enrollment by over 2,000 students this upcoming fall. This is without a doubt the worst move the university can make in this economic crisis ”” it has tremendously negative long-term effects. This enrollment cut will result in over $20 million less for the university. The long-term results of this will be professor lay-offs, and even further enrollment cuts.
The university needs to increase enrollment, but additionally, increase the amount of online courses offered. Students, professors and university officials all know which G.E. classes could be offered as an online class without ruining the value of education from that course. Drama 62, Political Science 2, English 5A, and Math 45 are just a few of those courses. Transition classes like these into online classes of 400 or more students and transition other classes into the 200-student lecture halls. With increased enrollment comes increased money flow to the university from tuition and the State of California.
This extra money can help offset university financial obligations, as well as compensate professors for the increase of students in their classes. I wish the current ASI President would stand up for the students he is supposed to represent and stand up against these enrollment cuts to the university board. If there are more students to share the financial burden from this economic crisis, the extra burden will not be as much for each student, meaning smaller tuition increases.
”” Daniel J. Harrison
Political Science and Economics Major