Impeccable Truth: Keep an open mind amid CSUF woes

Editorial: Students must be vigilant about budget

Budget cuts won't slow campus

Impeccable Truth: Keep an open mind amid CSUF woes

By Wes Tibbs

So you’ve decided to come to Fresno State? Maybe you’re a returning student continuing your education, having already attended Fresno State, are transferring from another school, or this is your first college stint since high school. I’m from the second of these sorts, I did my three years at my community college and came to Fresno two years ago with high and eager hopes to finish out my schooling here. Friends come up to visit me, and I often hear the sometimes-unanswerable question, “why?”

My first semester wasn’t bad, and actually left me with a great impression of the school. The campus is actually quite attractive, with the great lawns and so many trees that if you squint, you might think you’re in the woods, only with a heap of people, domesticated squirrels and Pepsi machines.

The year went smoothly, and I looked forward to returning to Fresno in Fall ‘02 but found I had returned to a campus under the control of PeopleSoft. It seemed nothing worked. I missed the old STAR registration system.

Soon enough, all hell broke loose! The next spring, no one seemed to know if they would get their financial aid, and what was true in the spring semester catalog was not necessarily true on the online version. Now they want to do away with the paper version altogether (bad idea in my mind), and rely totally on a Web site that I cannot say has always been receptive to my attempts to access.

It’s enough to cause a once very optimistic person to doubt the wisdom of choosing this school.

Well, this semester rolls around, and we are faced with the state budget putting the financial straights on the CSU, and the CSU, in turn, putting the straights on the individual colleges. Students absorb the hit, as well as departments and classes that don’t have the highest attendance numbers.

It is easy for us, the students on the lowest rung of the decision-making ladder, to pick up what isn’t tied down and throw it at the nearest administrator. Though it goes against what seems natural, I say we should hold off. When it comes down to it, the administration of Fresno State is doing what it can to keep the hit from lowering academic quality.

So when I get to feeling in that oft-forgotten optimistic mood I begin thinking why I’m glad I came to Fresno State. The campus is really in a good spot. If one so desires, they can go snow skiing and surfing in the same day. Fresno itself really has a good amount of things to do, is a good source of employment, and has quite a diverse population of folks from a million different viewpoints and backgrounds.

The school itself is a good place to be, the budget is hitting everyone, and students cannot rightly expect not to be hit too. Parking is terrible and will likely get worse when the Save Mart Center opens, but show me a college that has surplus parking.

As to fee increases, sure it hits us all where it hurts, and it will unfortunately force some to prolong their education, and might even make a degree unattainable for others. I suppose the only silver lining might be that even with the increases, Fresno State is surprisingly affordable compared to the programs and activities it offers.

Finally, from what I have perceived, the leaders of Associated Students this semester actually show genuine concern about the students, and have stepped in between the administration and the students to check the amount of financial, class cuts and parking burdens being dumped on the guy just trying to get through in four — or in my case, six years.

So this semester, as you are rolling through the parking lots of our campus, your car puffing a few more particulates into the Fresno atmosphere, try to keep a sense of optimism. But at the same time, remember that the students are what makes this a school, and though it is hard to find the time to do so, our concerns do count when we voice them to the leaders of the student body and the administration.

How do we do this? Letters, e-mails, and phone calls to Associated Students and the administration are a sure-fire way to make yourself heard. And, as always, letters to the editor and opinion columns are always welcome to The Collegian. Have a great semester, and I look forward to hearing from you.