CSU allocates one-time simulus funds

 The California State University has announced that it will allocate more than $50 million in one-time funds specifically to provide 8,100 course sections statewide and to retain additional lecturers for the fall semester of 2010, as designated by CSU Chancellor Charles Reed. 

At SSU this will mean an additional $1.25 million, which Provost Eduardo Ochoa estimates will result in 195 course sections for next semester that would otherwise have been unavailable.  

"What this means for students is that there should be enough classes scheduled to meet the needs of all enrolled students in 2010-11, while keeping class sizes and student-faculty ratios consistent with high academic quality," said Ochoa. 

The CSU received $76.5 million in federal stimulus money for the fiscal year of 2009-10. One third of this amount was originally disbursed to the 23 campuses based on the usual shares. SSU's share was 2.35 percent, granting the university $600,000 to help ease the cuts of the current academic year.  The rest of these funds were held back to cover the cost of possible mid-year cuts and a potentially adverse lawsuit outcome related to the last fee hikes, said Ochoa.

"The lawsuit claims that students in some campuses were not properly notified of the upcoming fee increase and hence are entitled to a rebate of the fee hike," said Ochoa. "There were no mid-year cuts, and it is now clear that the lawsuit will take longer to resolve itself than the deadline for disbursing the stimulus dollars, hence the distribution to the campuses of the remaining two-thirds."

Although the stimulus funds are strictly a one-time event, they will affect both the fall and spring semester of the upcoming academic year. 

"The chancellor has directed the campuses to devote 100 percent of the funds to additional class sections in Fall 2010," said Ochoa. "However, this influx will allow us to also have a larger schedule of classes in Spring 2011."

 The certain availability of these funds will allow SSU to schedule more classes without having to wait for the state budget for 2011-12 to pass in July or later.  Additionally, there is a possibility that some funds may carry over to enhance the 2011-12 budget. After that time, enrollment growth will likely resume and bring additional funding back to the CSU, said Ochoa. 

"It obviously will improve the student experience in 2010-11, but it is only a one-year reprieve," said Ochoa. "For lasting relief, we will have to see what the continuing budget allocation for the CSU turns out to be."

The funds were intended to help the CSU meet its payroll. In turn, the CSU can use money from the state and student fees initially set aside for payroll to provide the needed classes for the upcoming semester. 

SSU's Students for a Quality Education sees the release of these stimulus funds as the result of hours of effort by their group and the California Faculty Association.

"This is money that was meant for last semester and the current semester," said SQE leader Kia Kolderup-Lane. "It wasn't until we made it loud and clear how we felt about the CSU's budget situation that they released the funds.  Otherwise, they would still be sitting on that money."

There is a possibility that students will be less likely to participate in SQE activities because the remainder of the stimulus money was released at this time, said Kolderup-Lane. 

Her group is concerned that the campus community may feel less urgency if it seems that more money has become available for courses. 

"There is no doubt that this is a victory," said Kolderup-Lane. "But in order to keep having victories, we need to continue to stand up together. We need students to come out and make it clear to those in charge that the current state of education is not okay, and that they need to change the way they deal with higher education."

SQE and the CFA have selected March 4 as a statewide day of action for higher education.  Community colleges, the University of California and the CSU will hold demonstrations and some groups will march together to the capitol building in Sacramento.