California State University Students Short Changed by Cuts

As a portion of an overall strategy to address the unprecedented $584 million dollar funding reduction called for by Gov. Schwarzenegger, the CSU has imposed a two-day per month furlough for all employees, including management and executives.

Faculty furlough days within the CSU system are having a severe adverse effect on the overall educational experience of college students across California. A furlough is a mandated period of time off without pay. Furlough’s are different from salary reductions in the fact that they are temporary and do not effect the employment status, health benefits and retirement for CSU employees.

Furloughs ultimately restrict teaching time of the professors in the CSU system. The people who are giving their all to insure a bright future for our world, our country and our state are not being paid the appropriate amount of respect for which they most surely deserve.

Students paying to receive an education from the CSU system are receiving less access, while paying much more in tuition fees than past years. Effective as of fall 2009, full-time fees were increased by $672.00 for undergraduate students. This increase is in addition to the $306.00 fee increase for full time undergraduate students adopted in May 2009.

Fee increases for the more than 7,000 students at Sonoma State are expected to generate close to $5 million dollars, which would ultimately cover nearly one third of the $15.8 million dollar shortfall. It seems to me that furlough is not the answer to the budgetary crisis the CSU system is experiencing. While furloughs are designed to ultimately save money, in reality they seem to save little, as employee benefits, equipment costs and maintenance remain the same.

Students are suffering in more ways than one. Rising tuition fees are an issue. However, students of the CSU system, such as myself, are faced with the same workload, given fewer days of course instruction, as well as professor guidance, to complete what is “expected” of them. Semesters to come are already laden with ways to cut costs. All of which bring a greater harm to the future of CSU students, and ultimately the state of California.

UC and CSU campuses are attempting to justify tuition increases by saying that one third of the total increase will go to financial aid. However, many students, who do not qualify for financial aid, are still in great need of assistance. In all reality, the financial situation California and our Governor is currently in, it seems, is just that — a financial situation. Poor decisions have been made and those who are quite financially vulnerable are indeed paying the price.

Lauren Faulkner is a Sonoma State University Undergraduate student majoring in Art History.