CUESTONIAN Volume 46, Issue 1 The Student Voice of Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, California September 16, 2009

INSIDE THIS EDITION

Opinion & Editorialp.2

Featuresp.5

Sports p.8

Visit us online atcuestonian.cuesta.edu

Featuresp.3

Fiscal crisis hits Cuesta

By Allison MarinStaff Writer

Students and staff alike are suffering from budget cuts.

Many students are com-plaining about their cancelled classes, their inability to find classes to fill the dropped classes place and their inability to add the classes they need.

On top of that, tuition fees and parking fees have also gone up, making it difficult for stu-dents to afford their education. This is creating a continuous fight for education. To keep up with the rising costs of tuition, some students are finding it difficult to buy their textbooks.

Peter Van Ryn, a fifth se-mester student, said he spent $450 on three class books alone. To compensate for this, students are having to find extra work.

Students looking for jobs can go to Career Connections

Students rush to replace cut classes

where they can get help creat-ing a resumé and find jobs. For federal work study students on campus jobs are available, although they are not as avail-able as they have been in the past due to budget cuts.

Career Connections can also help non-work study stu-dents on their website where they have one- hundred plus jobs available.

Students searching for as-sistance in finding a course of action to deal with classes being cut can turn to academic counselors. “We understand [student] frustration” said Janet Florez, a counselor at the San Luis Obispo campus. “We help find classes, but there are no

more desks.” The counselors are understanding and helpful, despite the fact that they are very busy with the extra work they are facing.

The frustration of students can be heard echoing through-out the student body. Jose Velez, a third semester student, explained how frustrating it was when his calculus class was dropped. “My work schedule was set, and now I have to take other classes.” He went to talk to section planners to see what other sections were open and felt that they didn’t care. “It doesn’t affect [them],” he said.

Josh Beaumont, an eighth semester student, explained his difficulties in transferring after

he graduated from Cuesta last spring. Because of the budget cuts, Beaumont, a Deaf Studies and Sign Language student, could not transfer to Cal State Northridge as planned because spring admission was cancelled.

Now Beaumont is working two jobs and taking five classes at Cuesta to pass the time as he waits to apply to Northridge.

"I lost two of the three classes I was enrolled in," said Drew Verdi, a fourth semester student. He was supposed to graduate in December, but without those units he couldn't. "Everywhere I went, I was one of 20 students begging for add codes," Verdi said. After rush-ing 12 classes in two days, he was able to pick up the neces-sary units.

For job information go to the Career Connection's website: www.cuesta.edu/cam-pus/connections

"We understand [student] frustration ... but there are no more desks."

— Janet Florez, Cuesta counselor

By Nick PowellCopy Editor

Cuesta’s administration is struggling to maintain a qual-ity college amidst financial cri-sis. Recent cuts from the state budget forced the college to lay off two employees, slash hours from 22 more, and cancel 138 class sections.

“Given the level of cuts, it’s really not possible to avoid a negative impact on the quality of our institution,” said col-lege President David Pelham. He said that there will be less flexibility and diversity in class scheduling coupled with longer lines at offices and that “the campus won’t look as nice as it has in the past.”

"The school’s operating budget is set directly by the state, with additional funds allocated based on the num-

ber of Full Time Equivalent Students ," sa id Stepha n Gunsaulus, director of market-ing and communications. This year’s operating budget is $1.6 million less than last year’s, and despite an ’08-’09 enrollment of roughly 10,000 FTES, the state will fund only 9,177 for this year.

“Basically, they’ve found two ways to take money from us,” said Gunsaulus.

On September 4, the Board of Trustees met to discuss and vote on several resolutions that would balance the budget.

Nine full time employees were slated for layoffs going into the meeting, but most were saved by utilizing an emergency $308,000 escrow account. The board agreed to keep seven of the threatened employees on the condition that they remain eligible for salary cuts in the

future. However, the secretary of youth programs and the bookstore’s technology support specialist were eliminated. The board said that those programs were consistently losing money.

Other resolutions reduced the salaries of the vice presi-dents by 5 percent (the presi-dent volunteered his 5 percent reduction last summer), and imposed 10 unpaid furlough days on all managers, supervi-sors, and deans. But it was the technicians, assistants and sec-retaries that were hit hardest.

“We don’t like the cross-roads we’re in,” said Board President Patrick Mullen. “These are gut wrenching de-cisions, but they’re the reality of our situation.”

The cuts varied from person to person, but 22 were affected.

By Lisa SpencerStaff Writer

Unusual laws of San Luis Obispo include, stenches, bench-es, and bunnies, oh my! For stu-dents, new and old, it’s always wise to refresh knowledge of lo-cal law, even the seemingly hu-morous SLO codes.

Upon researching, it was discovered that Cuesta College doesn’t have any unusual re-strictions. Enforcements such as no bicycles, skateboards, scooters, or roller blades on inner campus are common else-where. “Generally, [the codes] are for the safety of everyone else,” says Ron Schram, campus police sergeant.

These transportation laws mirror the ones in SLO City. Municipal code 10.76.010 bans skateboarding and roller blad-ing in most parts of downtown. However, SLO city also bans bunnies. Yes, bunnies.

The code publishing website s t a t e s , “No person sha l l keep upon any premises in the city any poultry or rabbits with-in 50 feet of any dwelling.” Schram says that to make an issue become law, “there’s usually more than one incident that’s impacting an individual’s, ‘quality of life’ so to speak.”

Beware: Bugs Bunny and his accomplice, the Easter bun-ny are reportedly on the loose!

Hide your rabbitsSLO also exercises the re-

cently passed code, no “sitting, laying, or remaining” on any public bench for more than one hour. Watch the clock; relax-ing too long can become an upsetting $100 fine.

County code 7.40.030 pro-hibits library stench. Identified as, “having body odor con-stituting a nuisance to other persons." Lack of hygiene could get a reader kicked out and sent to the showers. Unlike codes previously mentioned, some laws are affecting more than one SLO resident. In May, SLO passed a social host ordinance, saying that if minors are found drinking at parties, the host will be held responsible and fined with $350 on the first offense.

In-N-Out Burger, the popu-lar restaurant franchise is un-able to develop in SLO because of the city's long time ban against drive-throughs. Design Guildline 3.4 prohibits them

in town. It’s a controver-sial argument a n d m a n y residents have questioned it for years. If t hat wa sn’t enough, SLO a lso prohib-its franchise

architecture, which is what makes In-N-Out Burger so well recognized.

But hey, what do you expect from the first city in the world to ban indoor smoking at all public places? Making new laws is what we think we do best.Please see Fiscal, page 6

John Fetcho addresses theCuesta Board of Trustees

at a meeting that cut jobs, hours and pay from staff.

Creig P. Sherburne/Cuestonian

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