Gary Moskowitz
Glendale Community College is bracing for changes in 2003 that
officials say will inevitably drive students away.
Under the Gov. Gray Davis' proposed budget, released last week,
GCC and other state community colleges would have to hike tuition
from $11 per unit to $24, a decision that could drive away 100,000
students statewide, according to reports.
GCC also has cut 100 classes from its fall and spring semesters,
and only one summer session will be offered in 2003 instead of two.
"It's not a good time at all," Executive Vice President for
Administration Larry Serot said Wednesday. "We believe community
colleges are taking a real disproportionate cut."
The college already has cut $2 million and will have to cut at
least $1 million more in response to the governor's proposal. Adjunct
and part-time faculty hours have been reduced, and the college is
offering retirement incentive programs, but no layoffs have been
made.
A tuition hike would not bring additional money to GCC. Nearly
every dollar the college receives for tuition is collected by the
state, GCC President John Davitt said.
"This is the worst crisis we've ever had," Davitt said. "There is
more of an urgency this time than we've ever had before. We don't
know exactly how much to cut this year or next, so it makes it
impossible to plan."
Enrollment at GCC has risen about 15% over the past three to five
years, during which time tuition has remained between $11 and $13 per
unit. There were 17,551 students enrolled in fall 2002, 13,803 of
whom were part-time. The current winter session has 6,630 students
enrolled, all of whom are part-time.
Noriko Wataneuki, 29, pays $2,300 for tuition, parking, housing
and books for one semester.
"It's really sad," Wataneuki said. "I could probably afford higher
tuition, but it would make things more difficult. I am trying to save
money to transfer to a four-year college soon. We all want to learn
here, but this would limit our choices."
Nearly 40% of GCC's students are on some sort of financial aid.
"Surprisingly, we are not an affluent college, so increases in
tuition would hurt our students significantly," Serot said.
The governor's proposed budget calls for a 43% cut to such
programs as the Disabled Student and Extended Opportunities programs.
The college, by federal law, must continue to provide
disabled-student services, and continued funding would have to come
largely from the operating budget.
The Extended Opportunities Program, which recruits poor and
disadvantaged students for classes at the college, would be wiped out
by such a cut, Serot said.
"They are chasing away students most in need of our services," he
said.
Budget cuts forced the college to slash the operating hours of the
campus library this semester, so student government picked up some of
the tab to keep the library open longer during finals and weekends,
student government President Antonino Papti said.
"Changes are happening so quick," Papti said. "Many students don't
hear about things in time and they show up to register for a class
that has been canceled. My mother, who is also a student here, can't
graduate because they are not offering the class she needs."
Construction and modernization at the college will continue
despite state budget cuts, Davitt said. Funding for building projects
comes from the voter-passed Measure G bond, separate state funds and
state bonds.
