On September 18-19, the CSU Board of Trustees will vote over how the CSU system will handle a $250 million trigger cut if Proposition 30 fails this November. Below are several proposals:
As your ASI vice president of external affairs, it is my job to serve as a liaison between Fresno State and the California State Student Association and Board of Trustees. Please comment on the online article or email [email protected] with your suggestions. Any feedback regarding what the Board of Trustees should do if the trigger cut hits will be relayed to the student representatives on the Board of Trustees. Fresno State students have strong representation in this decision.
Increase tuition by five percent ($150) per semester (for full time undergraduates)
This option would “solve” roughly $58 million of the trigger cut in 2012-13 and roughly $116 million in 2013-14. None of this revenue would be set aside to fund financial aid, a decision made to help the tuition increase favor middle class families.
Increase tuition nine percent (around $1,000) for out-of-state students
This option assumes that the increase, effective Fall 2013, would produce about $13 million in additional revenue in 2013-14. Even with this increase, total nonresident charges would be substantially less than peer institutions around the country.
Cut enrollment by 1.5 percent (6000 students) and eliminate 750 jobs
The Board of Trustees Finance Committee believes it is impossible to reduce spending by $250 million without cutting enrollment and jobs. Lost jobs would be from faculty, staff and administrator positions.
Add third tier of tuition
Students would pay an additional per-unit charge for course loads that are above 16 units. This will dissuade students from taking more than what is required to finish a degree in four years, and only charge more from those who are receiving more from the CSU
Synergies and Shared Services
Eliminate administrative programs and duties on individual campuses and pass that function along to be handled by the CSU system-wide. Exact cost savings estimates are unavailable. Savings depend on which programs are transferred to system-wide management.
Discontinuance of Academic and Athletic Programs
The system-wide academic leadership recognizes the need to begin a systematic and consultative process of eliminating programs that are of low demand, and/or unnecessarily duplicative across campuses in a given region. Savings depend on which programs are eliminated.
Reduce Faculty Salary
A reduction of 2.5 percent has been proposed. This is estimated to save $71 million every academic year. This would require bargaining with employee unions.
Faculty assigned time and sabbaticals
System-wide, about $12.5 million is spent to backfill for faculty members on sabbaticals. A far larger amount of funds are spent on backfilling faculty for time assigned to non-teaching activities in lieu of a portion of the normal teaching workload. This includes research and scholarly activities, but also things like serving on campus committees. In the event of a $250 million cut, the Board of Trustees Finance Committee believes further prioritization of workload would be feasible and necessary.
Sean Kiernan
Vice President of External Affairs
Associated Students, Inc.
R. Asami • Sep 19, 2012 at 4:45 pm
I agree with students (in this case R. Hansen) when they state that the CSU needs to make cuts from the top. But how would prop. 30 failing do anything to fix that situation? If prop. 30 fails it will mean very drastic cuts to our campus budget, and all CSU budgets. $250 million will be cut from the CSU, with Fresno State absorbing $20 million of that. Even if President Welty gave up his salary and housing allowance we couldn’t come close to closing a cut if that magnitude. An extra cut to the CSU is just that, a new cut.
Students should support prop. 30 because it effects us directly. First of all, if it passes, this years tuition hike would be rescinded, and students would get $498 refund checks from this semester’s tuition. If it fails we are GUARANTEED a tuition hike of 5% starting next year. Funding for prop. 30 comes from an income tax hike on individuals making $250,000 or more a year, and a modest increase in sales tax (a quarter on every hundred dollars). I doubt many students will be effected by either the income tax hike or the sales tax hike (unless they plan on buying some big ticket item this year). It is clearly in the interest of every student to vote yes on prop. 30. For students it’s the difference between a check and a bill.
Want to fact check? Read this article:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0919-cal-state-fees-2-20120919,0,5650848.story
Edmer Archila • Sep 14, 2012 at 1:27 pm
Even if voters pass Prop 30, it is highly unlikely that any campuses “covered” under this proposition would get the money promised by this proposition. Especially when you have someone like Jerry Brown running the state.
Any revenue generated from this tax will land into the state’s general fund. This means that no matter what tax you pass, all monies stop at the state and are deposited into the general fund. Then, the assembly and senate decide what to do with it. (Hint: all the money the state collects from this tax may not end up in Fresno State or any other school “covered” under this tax proposition)
Case in point, under the administration of Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger, they “borrowed” a grand total of $3 Million dollars from the 9/11 Memorial License Plate to solve the never-ending budget crisis. Only $20,000 of the $15 Million collected were actually dispersed in the form of scholarships.
So with that as an example, if this proposition passes, how can we be sure that the money collected actually goes to what it promises? And if the state decides to raid over this tax for their budget problems (like they always do), then what is Fresno State, like many universities, to do?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47920330/ns/us_news-life/t/calif-used-scholarship-funds-close-budget-gap/#.UFNmX6TyaGM
BFleming • Sep 11, 2012 at 6:17 pm
Since when does serving in a nonpartisan role disallow one from engaging in any political activity outside of it? ASI members serve students within their roles, it doesn’t mean they cant have an opinion outside of asi.
Ty Swolin • Sep 11, 2012 at 12:07 am
If Mr. Kiernan’s job is to represent the interests of Fresno State students to legislative bodies, then why was he at the Paul Ryan protest with a sign that called Mitt Romney a corporate scumbag? That seems a bit ridiculous for someone in a nonpartisan role to be doing. I’m all for honest discussion, and I understand that not everyone supports Mitt Romney, but anyone who starts off a conversation with that sort of ideologically based extreme is clearly only interested in listening to their own voice. It’s a shame that not all of our ASI leaders have the capability of serving students in a professional manner outside of their offices.
Ty Swolin
Rasmus Hansen • Sep 10, 2012 at 2:08 pm
All cuts in the CSU system should begin at the very top. When I say cuts, I am referring to just that. Positions, Perks and Salary. FSC is extremely top heavy not just in work load but in travel expenses, support help and of course salary. Before one dime is passed onto the students a panel should convene to address the concerns mentioned.