By Ashley Luu
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Published: March 22, 2010

Daily Titan Staff Writers

Students concerned with budget cuts and policy changes within the Cal State University system voiced their opinions at the Pizza with the Presidents open forum at the Becker Amphitheatre held March 18.

Panelists included: President Milton A. Gordon, Associate Vice President of Financial Services Brian Jenkins, Vice President for Student Affairs Robert Palmer, Vice President for University Advancement Pamela Hillman, CSU Vice Chancellor Emeritus Jack Smart, Associated Students Inc. (ASI) President Juli Santos and ASI Vice President Joseph Lopez.

President Gordon said that enrollment must be reduced by 40,000 students within the 23 campuses over the next two years because “that is the amount of students that the state of California is not paying for.”

The CSU has taken a budget cut of almost $600 million this year, where Cal State Fullerton’s share was cut by nearly $40 million, Jenkins said.

“We are going into the next fiscal year with a completely balanced budget. We don’t have any structural deficit, unlike our sister campuses,” Jenkins said.

Many students asked about statements made in the “Strategic Planning Summary” that was released March 9.

Rodrigo Calderon, a representative for the College of the Arts, spoke on behalf of the students about their worry and concern about the potential budget cuts within their departments.

“I hear it all the time. I hear it from my constituents. They don’t like being referred to as ‘esoteric.’ They don’t like that their majors are being called, ‘merely desirable,’ ” Calderon said.

President Gordon offered reassurance by stating that everyone supports the arts, and it is always our theater season that is the leading community draw for the CSUF campus.

“I think it (Strategic Planning Summary) was there to provoke discussion. We’re not going to lose them (arts, liberal arts) just because we’re in this temporary budget situation,” Hillman said.

Jackie Bebawi, history major, demanded that the administration value education and the meaning of education for students. She said that she did not appreciate being listed as, “clients, consumers and human capital,” in the document.

“I think we were waiting for someone to do something and no one did anything and finally, it went too far. We had to speak up for the re-humanization of society and the university,” Bebawi added.

According to Hillman, the Strategic Planning Summary was a product of a strategic planning group that included many people from areas on and off campus that did not necessarily represent a particular constituency.

“(It) is inclusive of all opinions. So take all that information and act on it in a collective way, rather than on an individual statement,” Hillman added.

The key issue is that California has forgotten to re-invest in higher education, which forces colleges to put caps on enrollment, Santos said.

“This is a call for all of us that we need to have one united message in re-investing in higher education … As long as people are on board with working together … once we do that, I think we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Santos said.

Melyssa Dela Cruz, psychology major, said that she wanted everyone to work together and focus on the same goals.

“I know that working with everyone on campus is more effective than working alone. Personally, I know that we need to openly communicate and unite under one idea,” Cruz said.

ASI Chief Communications Officer Andrew Lopez said that everyone attended the forum to voice their concerns.

“From what I understand, we are the only campus that does that. If we do not address problems then nothing will happen,” Lopez added.

Palmer suggested that students find ways to communicate and collaborate in order to continue dialogue.

“We’ll be looking at ways in which we can facilitate a formal structure and the grass root movement that evidently, is a part of a culture that’s growing here,” Palmer said.