June 29, 2010 Q&A

Questions and Answers

Archived from: June 29, 2010

Budget

Q. Where does the CSU/SDSU budget stand today?
A. The Governor's budget has proposed a restoration of $305 million to backfill a "one-time" cut from the CSU's 2009-2010 budget and also includes $60.6 million to fund enrollment expansion across the system. The Governor’s revised budget now becomes subject to legislative review and action. The difficult funding choices facing legislators and the governor will be resolved over what may well be an extended period of time. The State Assembly is considering a proposal that would provide additional state appropriation to the CSU in an amount equivalent to a five percent increase in the State University Fee.

At SDSU, our policy requires that we have an approved budget in place by July 1 of each year; thus the President’s Budget Advisory Committee (PBAC) met on May 13. Continuing our conservative budget approach and consistent with planning assumptions directed by the Chancellor’s Office, PBAC recommended to President Weber a budget for 2010/11 that is essentially flat i.e., no change in state appropriation.

Furloughs and Layoffs

Q. Will there be furloughs in the 2010-11 school year? 
A. The 2009-10 CSU Furlough Program will end for all CSU faculty and staff effective June 30, 2010 (the end of the June pay period). The furlough program was enacted this fiscal year as part of the CSU’s effort to mitigate a $564 million cut to its current budget. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed 2010-11 state budget restores a $305 million one-time cut in the CSU’s current budget and includes an additional $60.6 million in funding for the CSU’s enrollment growth. If the governor’s proposed budget is adopted by the legislature, the CSU should not have to implement furloughs for 2010-11(Furloughs of represented employees must be negotiated and approved by their unions). The state budget is currently undergoing legislative review and has yet to be approved.

Q. Does this mean there will be no layoffs? 
A. At SDSU there are no plans to eliminate tenured or tenure-track faculty. The contracts of some temporary staff may or may not be renewed because of individual department budgets on a department by department basis. In addition, contracts of temporary lecturers may or may not be renewed depending on department need and course enrollment demand.

Fee Increase

Q. Will there be another increase in state university fees this year? 
A. In response to the recent legislative budget proposal from the State Assembly, the California State University Board of Trustees voted on June 18 to raise the State University Fee by five percent for undergraduates and graduate professional programs. Trustees also increased fees for doctoral education students by 10 percent. For full-time undergraduates, that translates into a $204 annual increase, and brings the total State University Fee to $4,230 beginning fall 2010. With the 5 percent or $204 annual increase in undergraduate fees, the CSU will continue to have the lowest fee rate among comparable institutions.

Effective for fall 2010, full-time fees will increase by $204 for undergraduate students, $234 for credential program participants and $252 for graduate students. At SDSU, registration fees for full-time undergraduate students will rise from the current $4,992 to $5,206 per year. For more information about the fee increase, please visit the CSU website. For up-to-date information about SDSU student fees visit Student Account Services.

Q. Will every student be impacted? 
A. More than 187,000 CSU students will pay no fee increase due to increases in the State University Grants, federal grants, CSU fee waivers and expanded federal tax credits. Additionally, the CSU is the largest recipient of federal Pell Awards for students. On average, factoring in financial aid, families who make $70,000 or less will not pay any undergraduate fees. Financial aid and federal tax credits will also be available for many other students, including those with family incomes of up to $180,000.

Q. Will there be any more fee increases in the near future? 
A. The board has left open the option of revisiting fee levels at its November meeting if the state does not fully fund the proposed budget.

Fall Schedule

Q. Why are there fewer course sections available?
A. Providing students with the courses they need to graduate is one of SDSU’s highest budget priorities. However, budget cuts have required that the campus provide fewer course sections and options available. In some cases, class sizes may also be increased. SDSU reduced its enrollment this academic year to align demand for course sections with available resources. If the Governor's budget proposal is adopted by the Legislature, or if the Legislature recommends an acutal increase in the CSU budget beyond the amount equivalent to a five percent increase, SDSU may be able to fund additional course sections and/or reduce class sizes correspondingly.

Q. Will there be additional changes to the class schedule before fall?
A. Changes are routinely made to the class schedule based on enrollment. That is, the current fall class schedule is not the final class schedule. However, we do not anticipate major changes to the fall class schedule.

Q. What other changes should students be aware of as a result of the budget cuts?
A. Due to budget reductions, some courses will be offered less frequently; so students should plan carefully so they can stay on track for graduation. They need to follow their MAP (major academic plans) and, if they have questions, talk with their advisor.

In addition, because of limited course offerings and in order to protect all students’ ability to get the classes they need to graduate, SDSU will again restrict the number of units in which students are allowed to register during the formal registration process. Undergraduate and graduate students will only be able to register for 17 units until the first day of classes (August 30, 2010). Undergraduates in a major that recommends 18 units in any term, will still be allowed to register for 18 units.

Enrollment

Q. Is SDSU accepting applications for spring 2011 enrollees?
A. No. At this time, SDSU will not be accepting applications for spring 2011 enrollees. This applies to both graduate and undergraduate admissions. Should the CSU receive additional state funding to increase enrollment, SDSU may consider having a spring 2011 application cycle but it would likely only apply to upper-division transfer and graduate admissions.

Because SDSU has already been operating as an impacted campus, we have not accepted spring undergraduate applications since 2007, and we had already notified community colleges that spring transfer admissions would not be accepted due to the budget. 

Q. If the budget is restored, will all SDSU majors continue to be impacted?
A. At this time, SDSU has no plans to reverse impaction of its majors. For more information about the changes to SDSU’s admissions policy visit the Enrollment Information website.