2008 Woodie Awards
Student programs to be cut
DEFICIT: With barely any money left in the reserve, the Auxiliary Services Board faces budget crisis
By: Evan Ortega
Issue date: 9/15/05 Section: News
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Thousands of students will see such campus programs as athletics and fine arts reduced as a result of an estimated 22 percent budget cut from the Auxiliary Services Board.
As a result of years of deficit spending, Auxiliary Services is at the point where it can no longer increase its annual budget by removing money from the reserve fund, now valued at around $132,000 down hundreds of thousands of dollars from 2001.
"I can tell you that from the income we expect to generate this year, we cannot set up the same budget from last year," Miriam Ifill, Auxiliary Services bookkeeper said "We would have to cut close to twenty two percent to break even."
Every program on campus has the potential to see cuts. Programs at risk include athletics, fine arts, the Union newspaper, Puente Project, Project Success, the honors program, Early Start and the nationally recognized forensics team.
"The budget cuts are going to be very tough on the program. We haven't had a budget increase in years. I think in the last maybe ten to fifteen years, we've had less than ten percent (cut) entirely so were already making do with less," forensics coach Francesca Bishop said.
One of the potential problems of the cuts is that they could affect the Full Time Equivalent Status of students, which is the amount of full-time students attending EC.
If that number goes down due to a lack of quality programs, the state might reduce funding to the college, Harold Tyler, director of student development, said.
Friday, hearings were held by the Auxiliary Services Board to meet with program leaders to understand the impact that the cuts would have on their programs and how damaging they might be.
"We are still going to have our programs, but it's going to be drastic," Tyler said. "The object is to maintain our same level of services with fewer dollars and fewer personnel. Everyone goes through these kinds of cycles and it's different times with different groups," he said.
As a result of years of deficit spending, Auxiliary Services is at the point where it can no longer increase its annual budget by removing money from the reserve fund, now valued at around $132,000 down hundreds of thousands of dollars from 2001.
"I can tell you that from the income we expect to generate this year, we cannot set up the same budget from last year," Miriam Ifill, Auxiliary Services bookkeeper said "We would have to cut close to twenty two percent to break even."
Every program on campus has the potential to see cuts. Programs at risk include athletics, fine arts, the Union newspaper, Puente Project, Project Success, the honors program, Early Start and the nationally recognized forensics team.
"The budget cuts are going to be very tough on the program. We haven't had a budget increase in years. I think in the last maybe ten to fifteen years, we've had less than ten percent (cut) entirely so were already making do with less," forensics coach Francesca Bishop said.
One of the potential problems of the cuts is that they could affect the Full Time Equivalent Status of students, which is the amount of full-time students attending EC.
If that number goes down due to a lack of quality programs, the state might reduce funding to the college, Harold Tyler, director of student development, said.
Friday, hearings were held by the Auxiliary Services Board to meet with program leaders to understand the impact that the cuts would have on their programs and how damaging they might be.
"We are still going to have our programs, but it's going to be drastic," Tyler said. "The object is to maintain our same level of services with fewer dollars and fewer personnel. Everyone goes through these kinds of cycles and it's different times with different groups," he said.