President Corrigan answers students questions regarding the budget -- November 14, 2008
Dear Students:
After receiving my recent budget message, a number of you replied with comments, questions, and suggestions. This message addresses the subjects that were raised most frequently. At next week’s CSU Board of Trustees meeting I expect to learn more about our budget and will write again to give you an update.
- What has happened since your first budget message that is making it necessary for the university to cut classes from the spring class schedule?
- Why are we spending money to build a library when we are cutting back on classes?
- Why don’t you make budget cuts in areas that don’t affect classes, such as groundskeeping, the shuttle buses, or other things?
- Why do we have to pay in advance, before we register for classes? What if I pay for a full-time schedule and only am able to get a part-time course load? Will I get a refund? How long will it take?
- Will the budget cuts affect financial aid?
- When will we know what classes will really be offered next spring?
- As a potential graduating senior for spring 2009 I am concerned about the availability of core classes I need to graduate. If some of these classes are cut, will there be any flexibility in the departments to make substitutions?
- Why are students on probation being disqualified from enrolling in spring semester?
- Why is the registration priority being lowered for second baccalaureate students?
- What is the university doing to advocate for funding for SF State and other CSUs? What can we as students do?
What has happened since your first budget message that is making it necessary for the university to cut classes from the spring class schedule?
When finally adopted, the 2008-09 state budget included $390 million in “cost saving assumptions” – cuts to be made by state agencies. SF State’s share was just under $1.9 million. As I told you, we have made that cut, using funds we had set aside for just such a contingency. Since then, however, the Governor has announced that the state’s deficit will be billions larger than previously forecast. He has told state agencies to expect mid-year cuts and has produced a proposal for new reductions, which the legislature is considering in the special session he has just convened. SF State’s share of the proposed CSU reduction would be nearly $4 million – more than twice our earlier cut. With half the fiscal year gone, we would have only one semester to deal with this. We need to determine the class schedule now, and given the extreme likelihood of this multi-million dollar cut, our only responsible course is to reduce expenditures in all areas of university life, including our largest single budget item, the class schedule. We can and should lobby our legislators and the Governor to restore funding for higher education (more about how to do that at the end of my message). But the reality is that the state budget is shrinking markedly and the CSU and SF State will feel the pinch.
Why are we spending money to build a library when we are cutting back on classes?
The money for the library remodel comes from a completely different source than our regular budget: a revenue lease bond approved by the Governor and legislature in 2002. We can only use those funds for the library project. If we stopped the project, we would gain nothing for classes, faculty, students, or any other aspect of university operations, the money would be redirected to another construction project in the state, and our campus would be without a seismically safe and adequate library.
Why don’t you make budget cuts in areas that don’t affect classes, such as groundskeeping, the shuttle buses, or other things?
We are cutting back across the university, but the dollars-and-cents reality is that Academic Affairs – faculty salaries and everything else required to bring you your classes -- accounts for almost 74 percent of the university’s budget. It is impossible to make the budget cuts required by the Governor and the legislature without having an impact on academic offerings. The shuttle buses, by the way, are not paid for with state General Funds. Like the library dollars, this is money that cannot be used for classes.
Why do we have to pay in advance, before we register for classes? What if I pay for a full-time schedule and only am able to get a part-time course load? Will I get a refund? How long will it take?
Paying fees before registering for classes is not new; it has been university practice for many years. It may seem different this year because the postponement of registration means that Early Priority Registration comes after fee payment, while last year EPR came first. Even so, students have always paid their fees before completing the registration process.
There’s no problem getting a refund if you have paid full-time fees but end up with a part-time class load. You can find information about the partial refund process at this site: http://www.sfsu.edu/~bursar/student/refund/unit_change_res.html You can submit your refund application online at this site: http://www.sfsu.edu/~bursar/forms/Forms.html
Getting your refund should take about 10 days.
Will the budget cuts affect financial aid?
No, the cuts have not changed financial aid eligibility or awards. Students who enroll in at least 12 units for spring 2009 will receive the same financial aid disbursement as in fall 2008. Financial aid is available for part-time enrollment with adjustments in some types and amounts of funds. If you have a class schedule with fewer than 12 units, please speak with a financial aid counselor. He or she can determine your revised award.
When will we know what classes will really be offered next spring?
The College deans and department chairs are working hard on this now, so that the spring 2009 class schedule can be available to you online by Wednesday, December 3.
As a potential graduating senior for spring 2009 I am concerned about the availability of core classes I need to graduate. If some of these classes are cut, will there be any flexibility in the departments to make substitutions?
Departments always have the option to make substitutions for major requirements, so a graduating senior who needs courses not being offered in spring 2009 should contact her/his major advisor.
Why are students on probation being disqualified from enrolling in spring semester?
CSU campuses are being asked to manage enrollments carefully because of the state’s inability to fund student demand fully. To avoid denying access to the university to qualified students and to allow students in good standing to get access to classes, campuses have been directed by the CSU not to allow the continued enrollment of individuals who are not meeting academic standards.
Why is the registration priority being lowered for second baccalaureate students?
Students pursuing their second BA or BS degree have been assigned a lower priority by the CSU Chancellor's Office. From a public policy perspective, the first priority of the State of California is to provide a state-funded college education to students who do not already have a bachelor's degree. When the economy of the state is healthy, the state universities are able to extend this privilege to include students seeking a second baccalaureate. But when the budget gets as tight as it is now, difficult choices must be made about which groups have priority access.
What is the university doing to advocate for funding for SF State and other CSUs? What can we as students do?
A timely and important question. Last spring and summer, CSU students, faculty, union representatives, administrators and supporters throughout California came together to urge the Governor to restore funds which he had cut from the CSU budget. Our efforts succeeded. Now, however, with a worsening state budget, he is proposing to cut this funding again. We need to come together once more to remind the governor and legislature how critical the CSU is not only to the future of hundreds of thousands of students, but to the future of our state.
Here at SF State, we have established a broadly representative group -- the Education Budget Advocacy Committee (EBAC) – to develop a unified strategy and effort. Student government, the Academic Senate, administrators, the faculty and staff unions and others are a part of this. Expect to hear much more from EBAC very soon. But you do not need to wait for that to do one very powerful thing: write our legislators. You can get information on how to do this, suggestions for messages and much more on the Alliance for the CSU Web site. The URL is: http://www.allianceforthecsu.org/
Robert A. Corrigan,
President San Francisco State University
