With the recent budget cuts impacting most of the community colleges in California, state universities have been suffering as well.
Proposition 30, the measure on the ballot in the upcoming November election could also add to the funding deficit if it doesn’t pass. Because of that, all California State University campuses are required to hold the admission decisions until the end of the final application deadline on Nov. 30.
According to the application notification email that California State University San Jose sent out to everybody who has applied, enrollment capacity is influenced by the amount of state funding that is available.
“If Proposition 30 passes, our budget allocation for 2013-14 should remain unchanged and we anticipate that we can start sending admissions notices in mid-November,” said Vivian Franco, director of Admissions, Records, and Evaluations at CSU Fresno. “However, if the Proposition does not pass we anticipate a budget reduction for 2013-14, therefore, we expect less space to accommodate new students.”
According to the press release on the CSU website, the Cal State Board of Trustees adopted a new budget of contingency measures on Sept. 19. The budget that will go into effect in January, 2013, if Proposition 30 fails, includes a $250 million ‘trigger’ budget cut and an additional increase in tuition fees to $249 a semester.
The press release also states that, “University officials estimate that the outcome of Proposition 30 will determine whether or not 20,000 additional students will be admitted next fall, translating into 165,000 course “seats”, 5,500 course sections and 1,500 faculty and staff jobs”.
According to Franco, CSU Fresno will also have to reject all freshmen applicants who are high school graduates from outside of Fresno area.
“We are an “impacted” campus, which means we don’t have enough space to accommodate all students who apply,” said Franco. “When we have limited space, we admit students from local area schools, but admission of high school graduates from outside our local area will depend on available funding.”
According to Fresno City College Transfer center coordinator Leticia Canales, approximately 1,200 students transfer to a four-year universities every year. About 1,000 of them go to CSU campuses. If more budget cuts go into effect, a lot of students’ education will have to be postponed.
“I’d say it’s not right,” said Spencer Strid, geography major FCC student who is planning to transfer to CSU Fresno in Fall 2013. “We should have money for it but somehow our government money go somewhere else like other than education. We should be able to accept more students each year instead of less and have cutbacks.”
To make sure students have better chances in getting accepted, Canales suggests that they need to be well-prepared in their academic program by having completed all of their major and general education courses so they are ready to take upper-division course work.
“So, if you are still lacking — chances are they will not be admitting students that still have units that they still need to finish,” said Canales.
