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SUMMARY OF MAJOR CHANGES IN THE CALIFORNIA BUDGET PERTAINING TO HIGHER EDUCATION

California State Student Association (CSSA) Office of Government Relations

The Governor released two May budget summaries, one if the measures pass, one if they fail. The official “May Revise” will be released on Thursday, May 28th.

California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) and California Post-Secondary Education Commission (CPEC) -The budget proposes to reorganize, consolidate and capitalize on State Assets. In relation to Higher Education this will include the consolidation of the California Postsecondary Education Commission and the Student Aid Commission. The consolidation of the two commissions will impact student representation on the CSAC’s Loan Advisory Councils, Financial Aid Advisory Committee and CPEC. (Source: California. Dept. of Finance.2009. 2009-10 May Revision General Fund Proposal: Reorganization, Consolidations and Capitalizing on State Assets. Sacramento, California. Dept. of Finance)

Cal Grant Program (total cut $87.2 million)- The Governors proposal eliminates new awards for the Competitive Cal Grant program ($52.9 million), Freezes income eligibility ($7 million), reduces awards for students attending private institutions from $9, 708 to $8,322 ($11 million), and partially decoupling award levels from UC and CSU fee increases ($16.6 million). (Source: California. Dept. of Finance.2009. 2009-10 May Revision General Fund Proposal: Program Savings. Sacramento, California. Dept. of Finance)

Funding for the University of California and for the California State University - The May revise would reduce both segments by $510 million each in the current year. The proposal states that the amount is anticipated to be offset with State Fiscal Stabilization Fund allocations based on the formulas prescribed in federal law, of which $537 million ($268.5 million each) was allocated in April. (Source: California. Dept. of Finance.2009. 2009-10 May Revision General Fund Proposal: Major New Proposals. Sacramento, California. Dept. of Finance)

Statement from the CSU Chancellor – The California budget deficit will “…result in a $410 million reduction to the CSU’s budget according to the governor’s May 14 revision of the state budget. These deep cuts will require us to consider drastic actions such as further enrollment reductions, layoffs, additional student fee increases and the potential closure of campuses. Even if the ballot measures pass, the CSU will likely face a $292 million budget reduction for the 2009-10 fiscal year.”

IN THE EVENT THAT PROPOSITIONS 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D AND 1E FAIL ON MAY 19TH, THE GOVERNOR PROPOSES ADDITIONAL CUTS.

Summary of cuts in relation to Higher Education:

$49.9 million – Eliminate UC and CSU Outreach - This move would eliminate $31.3 million for academic preparation and education programs at UC and 18.6 million for the CSU. (Source: California. Dept. of Finance.2009. 2009-10 May Revision General Fund Proposal: May Revision Contingency Proposals – Program Savings. Sacramento, California. Dept. of Finance)

$150 million- Unallocated Reduction to UC and CSU. This move would reduce funding by $100 million for the CSU and by $50 million for the UC. (Source: California. Dept. of Finance.2009. 2009-10 May Revision General Fund Proposal: May Revision Contingency Proposals – Program Savings. Sacramento, California. Dept. of Finance)

To review the entire 2009-10 May Revision General Fund Proposals go to: www.dof.ca.gov

May Mayhem was a HUGE success for ASI! The Student Government Office went all out and transformed our facility into a Bat Cave <—–no kidding!

OKAY – so perhaps our Bat Cave was a little cheesy…that didn’t stop hundreds of students from knocking on our doors for some delicious popcorn!

 

 

Last Thursday we also announced our ASI Elections results for the 2009-2010 (WOW!) year! Congratulations go to the following people:

ASI President- Kelly Griggs

Board of Directors

College of Liberal Arts: Lauren Babek; Danielle Tucker, Tricia Rosas, Joe Ciesinski

College of Engineering: Matt Teresi, Kaitlin Spak, Cammie Schlemer, Lindsey Davison, Tanner Bennett

College of Science and Math: Katie Berger, Nick Dindio, Jessica Patton, Josh Lazarus

College of Agriculture: Ben Scott, Jacobn Samuel, Kelsey Rugani, Kody Kester, Wes Carlson

College of Architecture: Lindsey Newman, Tyler Hartrich, Ryan Santillan

Orfalea College of Business: Jesse Schwartz, Solomon Reda, Megan Cleary, Jamie Callahan

A HUGE “thanks” goes out to Kelley Wigton (Chair) and the rest of the Elections Committee for executing such a fantastic process!

On Tuesday, May 19th, California will hold a special election with six measures on the ballot; Propositions 1A-F

1A – State Budget. Changes California Budget Process. Limits State spending. Increases “rainy day” budget stabilization fund.

• Increases “rainy day” fund from 5% to 12.5% of the General Fund
• A portion of the “rainy day” fund would be dedicated to saving for economic downturns, the rest goes to education, debt reduction, infrastructure, and for potential state emergencies
• Will produce higher state tax revenue of roughly $16 billion
• Refocus on repaying debt as opposed to expanding State programs
• Prevents law makers from over spending tax revenues; forces saving

1B – Education Funding. Payment Plan

• Requires supplemental payments to school districts and community colleges to address recent budget cuts
• Payments may be used for classroom instruction, textbooks, and other local educational programs
• Could potentially save or cost State billions of dollars
• Allows extra education spending to cover spending caps in Prop 1A

1C – Lottery Modernization Act

• Improves marketing, management, and payouts of California State Lottery
• Protects Education funding provided by Lottery revenues
• Takes $5 billion from future lottery profits to pay for CA budget crisis
• Prevents State from cutting programs, but increases debt

1D – Protect Children’s Services Funding. Helps Balance State Budget

• Provides $600 million to protect Children’s programs during rough economic times
• Redirects existing tobacco tax money to fund health services for children, services for foster children, at risk youth, and children with disabilities
• Helps balance state budget
• Emphasis on Children under 5
• State General Fund savings of $608 million and $268 for two years after

1E – Mental Health Services Funding. Temporary Reallocation. Helps Balance State Budget

• Amends Mental Health Services Act of 2004 to transfer funds (for two years) to pay for mental health services for children
• Provides around $225 million in flexible funding for mental health programs
• Saves the State General Fund $230 million
• Currently, $2.5 billion [of the Mental Health Services Act] is unspent. This is an effort to distribute those funds

1F – Elected Officials Salaries. Prevents Pay Increases During Budget Deficit Years

• Prevents elected officials (including the Governor) from receiving pay raises during years of State deficit
• Directs the Director of Finance to determine whether the State is in a deficit year
• Minor State savings
• Authored by Maldonado (R-Santa Maria)
• Applies little pressure to law-makers, though good intent

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!

www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov

State-wide involvement is more important than ever! As of yesterday, I caught word that the Trustees are discussing a 20% fee increase – talk about breaking the Compact! (for more information on the Governor’s Compact with the CSU and UC systems, click here). We, as a University, are in an unfortunate state of uncertainty; because of this, Cal Poly has taken measures to ensure that the integrity of our academic offerings are protected during times of State instability.

When the CSU came together in the 1950’s it was hailed as the greatest education system in the nation, resting on the ideals of “Accessibility, Affordability, and Quality.” This was the first truly state funded system, one that many states attempted to duplicate. The successes of the CSU continued through the early 70s, maintaining a 90/10 ratio in regards to state subsidization. Today, the state covers about 68% of the cost of education for students at Cal Poly. This figure is still surprisingly strong considering the national average, 48%. Noticing this national trend, the University (with the help of the then ASI President) worked to establish the College Based Fee in order to provide the academic colleges a certain level of continuity.

In 2002, the CSU Trustees offered immense support for a student led initiative to financially protect the individual colleges within Cal Poly during times of state-wide fiscal uncertainty. The minutes from that 2002 meeting even reflect a desire on behalf of the Trustees to see similar measures taken at our sister campuses. Cal Poly has successfully used those fees derived from the CBF to not only strengthen the structure of the six academic colleges, but but has also allowed students the autonomy to democratically shape the direction of the University.

However, we must not allow ourselves to rely solely on the contributions of our students. Cal Poly, along with every University within the CSU and UC systems must lobby for alternative funding measures. This year, Student Government has made several efforts to position ourselves as leaders in state legislative activism.

Last quarter a group of Student Government leaders travelled to Sacramento multiple times in order to build stronger relationships with our local legislators and to become more educated on the multiple higher education bills on the table in both the Assembly and the House. Cal Poly has been following several bills pertaining to higher education structure, budget, financial aid, as well as a few regarding the K-12 system (Check out this link to read Torrico’s Bill AB 656).

There is no one way to solve the budget crisis for higher education. At the very least, we need to educate ourselves on the issues, the history, and the efforts being made at both the State and grassroots levels to rebuild the “education line item.” To find out more about how the State distributes funds, visit the CA State Budget website. This is the perfect time to contact your local Legislators! As always, feel free to come by the Student Government office to find out more about how you can get involved at the University, local and state level.

The California State Student Association will host its monthy meeting at Cal Poly this weekend, May 8th-10th. We are thrilled to welcome student leaders from all 23 campuses of the CSU to Cal Poly and look forward to continuing our state-wide, legislative efforts. For more information on CSSA check out their website at: www.csustudents.org

Has it really been a year? It seems like just the other day I was running around in “Angela Kramer for President” gear talking about ‘the movement’ to anyone who was kind enough to listen. Running for President isn’t as easy as it looks; candidates spend countless hours running from one end of campus to another handing out fliers, t-shirts, and answering the same questions over and over and over again. “Why do you want to be ASI President?” “Why should I vote for you?” “What’s your platform?”

Campaigning is emotionally exhausting, time-consuming, and just plain hard. It truly forces presidential hopefuls to push their limitations and comfort zones and step into a world of new ideas, passion, conflict, and dissent. However, the hurdles are nothing compared to the amount of fun one has during her or his term! I may be a bit too optimistic, but it is my opinion that most people who run for a position like this are truly committed to bettering Cal Poly on behalf of students and they are completely deserving of your time and curiosity.

There are three candidates running for President this year, Kelly Griggs, Jon McElroy, and Jacob Alvarez. Check them out on Thursday at the candidate’s debate during UU Hour. Go ahead and ask them questions about College Based Fees, sustainability, diversity, Greek Life, and community relations – make them sweat a little!

Serving as ASI President has been and continues to be the most rewarding experience of my life, one that has challenged me more than ever thought possible. My successor is in for quite a ride and you have the chance to choose who will lead the charge!

Remember to log on to your Cal Poly portal on May 6^th and 7^th to cast your vote for President and Board of Directors. As always, feel free to drop by the office any time!

This Thursday, April 16th, kicks off ASI’s Earth Day Events! Meet us on Garden Street during Farmer’s Market to hear live music from Mel Klemin and Chase McBride. CP Next: Earth Day is in conjunction with the Open House club fair; Garden Street will be lined with student clubs dedicated to sustainability and green initiatives. We will also be distributing fair trade chocolate, reusable grocery bags, and energy efficient light bulbs!

Student Government is proud to present Matt Bogoshian, Deputy Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency and head of the EPA’s Legal Counsel. Join us on Wednesday, April 22nd at 10am in room UU220 to hear about Bogoshian’s major environmental victories over 7-Eleven, AT&T, and more!

Finally, ASI Events and Student Government are working together to bring you “Cal Poly Bike Night!” Get crazy and come join us for a nighttime bike ride around the Cal Poly campus to celebrate the joys of alternative transportation! Meet at the Recreation Center Plaza for a ride down Via Carta and around the Sports Complex then back to the Recreation Center Plaza. Stick around after the ride for free refreshments.

Meet in the Recreation Center Plaza at 8:00 p.m.

Theme: Superheroes!
When: Wednesday, April 22 at 8:00pm
Where: Recreation Center Plaza
Cost: Free!

President Warren Baker announced today that the Chancellor has requested that all University Presidents put any and all student fee increases or re-allocations on hold until stability is regained within the state budget, especially in regards to the California State University System. Because of this, the future of College Based Fees is still uncertain.

The following is a report written by the CSU Office of Advocacy and Institutional Relations: 

CSU Faces Additional $50 Million Hole in Budget Deficit

 Some of the California State University’s (CSU) current year fiscal stability was contingent on the state of California receiving at least $10 billion of the Federal Stimulus package dollars for general purposes. As of last week, it has been announced that this is not likely to happen and therefore the CSU will likely be faced with an additional $50 million cut for fiscal year 2009-10. 

The budget package enacted in February by the Legislature and the Governor included a requirement for the State Treasurer and the Director of the Department of Finance to make a determination, on or before April 1st, as to whether the state would receive at least $10 billion of federal funds by June 30, 2010 that would be available to offset state General Fund expenditures. A determination that this $10 billion would be reached would trigger two budget actions: (1) the State Controller would restore $948 million cut from specific programs (including $50 million from the CSU) and (2) the rate increase on personal income taxes would drop from 0.25 percent to 0.125 percent. Together, these actions would reduce the state’s General Fund balance by about $2.8 billion for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

The State Treasurer and the Finance Director last Friday announced their joint determination that the $10 billion threshold will not be reached. This determination means that the CSU will experience the $50 million “contingent” reduction in its 2009-10 budget. 

While this now means that campuses and the system will have to manage further cuts this does leave one less decision be resolved in the uncertainty of what CSU faces for 2009-10. Understandably if the Treasurer and Finance Director had reached the opposite conclusion and not moved forward with the trigger, the state’s General Fund condition would have worsened by $2.8 billion. This, combined with the Legislative Analyst’s recent report of an $8 billion revenue shortfall would have meant a need for the Legislature and Governor to find at least $10.8 billion of new revenues or spending reductions. Under such circumstances, a restoration of our $50 million probably would have been very short-lived for the CSU.

For more information on the $10 billion trigger, visit the Department of Finance’s webpage.

*This information is provided by CSU’s Office of Advocacy and Institutional Relations in Sacramento, CA. Please send any questions or submissions to Michele Perrault, or call (916) 445-5983. Previous Updates can be accessed through the Archive

 

 

 

Thursday, April 2, 2009
Chumash Auditorium

Have you thought about implementing your education and your passions into a career in the Education, Non-profit or Government sectors?

Come meet with recruiters and explore exciting job and internship opportunities at the first annual Education, Non-Profit and Government Job Fair on April 2, 2009! Whether you are searching for a full-time position or an internship, teaching candidates, students and alumni of all majors are encouraged to attend this fair due to the variety of options available. Bring employer-targeted copies of your resume. Professional dress is appropriate.

Preparation

Attend the Education, Government & Non-Profit Job Fair Preparation Event scheduled for Thursday, March 12, 2009 from 5pm – 7pm. Building 26 Room 104. Refreshments served.

AGENDA

Networking 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Be prepared to discuss your knowledge of specific employrs, and your qualifications for open positions. Employers will create interview schedules from contacts made during this time.

Interview 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Be prepared for a formal interview.

Who’s Coming?

Cal Poly students may view participating employers and current job openings via Mustang Jobs after March 12. This list is updated as employers register.

• To view this list go to the Mustang Jobs Login Page
• Once in Mustang Jobs click on the “Jobs” or Events” tab. If you RSVP through the “Events” tab, the employers you choose will have access to your resume online before the event.

BRING WITH YOU:

All students bring multiple copies of your resume and dress professionally! Teachers should additionally bring current credential documents, transcripts and portfolio.

Education, Government & Non Profit Job Fair FEATURES:

• Recruiters to answer your questions about their program/district and projected position openings
• On-site interviews. Some employers will create interview schedules for the afternoon from contacts made during the open forum session. Interviews will be held in Chumash.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS:

• Professional dress is appropriate
• Know what to expect and what to do
• If you still have questions. Attend Career Services Education, Government & Non Profit Job Fair Workshop. Topics covered will include brief overviews of teacher resumes, portfolios, job search resources for educators and the Education, Government & Non Profit Job Fair.
• Set up an appointment with your career counselor to review your resume. Call 756-2501 X4 to schedule.
• Develop a plan of action, which gives you confidence and sets you apart from the crowd.
• Prepare a short introduction about yourself and how your experience matches the needs of each district you plan to approach.
• Prepare to discuss your philosophies of education and classroom management – common interview topics
• Keep yourself and your materials neat and streamlined; don’t carry too much.
• Respect other people’s privacy as you approach the interview table. Allow them to complete their discussion before you interrupt.
• Establish eye contact, present a firm handshake, introduce yourself and explain why you are interested in speaking with a recruiter.
• Be confident. Take an active part in your interview
• Conduct yourself professionally at all times. Remember that you are on stage even as you stand in line or move about the interview area.

Parking: All campus visitors must obtain a parking permit – there is a small charge. Permits are available at the information kiosk at the Grand Avenue entrance of campus and in dispensers throughout parking lots.

This event is presented to you by Career Services and ASI Student Government. Contact Charlotte Rinaldi  (crinaldi@calpoly.edu) or Jacob Alvarez (jgalvare@calpoly.edu) with any questions or concerns – see you there!

EVENING BUS SERVICE CUTS QUICKLY BECOMING REALITY

Due to cuts in state funding, SLO Transit is forced with the decision of cutting their services during times when revenue is lowest.  This means the SLO Transit bus service may no longer be available after 6 p.m. on weekdays or on weekends! 

The lack of evening service has strong implications about the safety of those community members who have no vehicle, or can not afford to park on campus.  The consequences are dire.  Those who rely on this service will be left in the dark, literally.  Former bus riders will be forced to ride their bikes through narrow streets at night, or walk home through dark neighborhoods.

As grim as this outlook sounds, there is something that can be done! As a San Luis Obispo community member and student, you can make your voice heard.  Please click on the link below to take our survey.

Bus Service Reduction Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=HeNJ6EW9AuHKEyBpzI_2b3nQ_3d_3d

You may also voice your opinions by writing a letter to SLOCOG that will be read at their meeting on Wednesday, March 4, 2009.  Please submit letters to Matt Teresi, ASI Student Government Secretary of Student Affairs at mteresi@calpoly.edu.

For further information, or to become more involved in this cause, please do not hesitate to contact Angela Kramer, ASI President, ASIpresident@asi.calpoly.edu.