Budget
proposal may halt future fee hikes
By Mario Burciaga
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
With
the California State University system
at the cradle of a statewide budget crisis,
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger honored the
Higher Education Compact by submitting
a $215 million budget proposal for all
CSUs.
If passed by the legislature, the new budget proposal, presented Jan. 10, will
eliminate increased student fees for the 2006-2007 school year.
Janet Parker, associate vice president for Budget and Human Resource Management,
said the student fee increase, planned for the upcoming fall semester, was
an 8 percent increase for undergraduate students and 10 percent increase for
graduate students.
“ We are trying to recover from budget cuts for the last three years,” Parker
said. “It is important that students support the governor’s budget
proposal for the university to continue to provide quality education.”
Parker said that, if passed, the proposal would supplement CSULB with $17 million,
which is about 7 percent of the $215 million for all CSUs. This will increase
CSULB’s budget to $303 million for the 2006-2007 school year, up from
$286 million last year.
She added that, with further review, it is possible that the $17 million would
be divided into six major categories: $7 million for faculty and employee compensation;
$4 million for operational support; $2 million for mandatory cost increase;
$2 million for new faculty positions; $1 million for financial aid; and $1
million for library deferred maintenance and the nursing program.
“ It is very encouraging that the state is acknowledging the need for additional
nurses and I’m sure that the money will be wisely used in inhabiting more
nurses and nurse educators because it is exactly what is needed nowadays,” said
Loucine M. Huckabay, department chair, director and professor of the nursing
department.
The nursing program is growing which is why $1 million will be allocated to
that department, but nursing is not the only department that is growing.
The administration at CSULB has decided to financially supplement $7 million
for faculty and employee compensation, as well as $2 million for new faculty
positions, mainly because of the plan to increase enrollment.
Parker said there will be a 2.5 percent increase in total enrollment for fall
2006 which will be an extra 900 full-time equivalent students adding almost
30,000 full-time equivalent students or about 35,000 total headcount.
President F. King Alexander said some of the money will go toward enrollment
growth because it will bring in revenue and help maintain the ratio.
Proceedings are in preliminary stages and most actions can be considered premature.
Alexander said the proposal is very favorable and that more information regarding
the budget proposal will be available February.
“ I would be very satisfied if I was a student and I would show support
by writing to your legislators and having your voice heard,” Alexander
said.”“Apathy is the worst disease students can have.”
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