It’s frustrating when you are waitlisted for a class. It’s devastating when the class you need isn’t even available because it is cancelled before it makes it to the printed schedule of courses.
Class cancellation has become the unpleasant reality at Fresno City College, and the entire campus is feeling the effects. Due to the recent state budget cuts-that have taken a most excruciating toll on education across California-many classes, starting in the current fall semester, were removed from the schedule, resulting in a reduction of the amount of sections offered.
According to FCC president Dr. Cynthia Azari, the college’s budget was reduced by 2.5 percent for the 2009/10 academic year, or roughly $1.8 million less than what the operating budget was last year. With less money to support academic programs and pay salaries, FCC’s leaders had no other choice but to cut out anything that isn’t necessary, including a distressing number in a variety of course sections.
The reduced budget has forced FCC administration to decrease funding of many different programs and other needs on campus, including popular classes. In determining what classes are cancelled, Tony Cantu, Vice President of Instruction at FCC, explained that the process took a lot of negotiating as well as picking and choosing.
“The divisions looked at the number of sections of each course offered, whether the class was sequential for a major/certificate, Saturday classes, enrollment over the last four to five semesters, other classes available in the same general education area, online classes, etc.,” Cantu explained.
183 total sections were cancelled for the current fall semester. The list consisted mostly of classes such as College/Life Management with a whopping 31 sections eliminated, and Career Planning and Development, reduced by 12 sections.
In addition to these less essential classes (in terms of transfers and majors), many classes needed to gain an AA degree, finish GE requirements, or to satisfy CSU or US transfer requirements, were cut as well. Twelve sections of a variety of Physical Education classes were cut as well as eight sections of classes in the Foreign Languages department.
The Spring 2010 semester does not look any more promising.
“The spring budget is actually going to be worse than the current,” says Associated Student Government president, Sergey Saluschev. Additionally, Cantu confirmed that FCC is anticipating an additional mid-year reduction, which may shrink the total budget by another 1 percent by spring.
At the moment, 228 sections of classes offered in the spring of 2010 have been removed from the schedule and will not be offered. This list, although only 45 sections higher than the Fall 2009 cuts, is comprised of more vital classes in terms of transfers, GE, and AA requirements.
For example, cuts in Physical Education classes shot from 12 this semester to 23 additional sections being cut in the spring. This fall, only one science class (chemistry) was cut from the roster; in the spring semester, FCC students will certainly notice the 22 science classes that are not on the schedule of courses, including sections of Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, and Geography. 16 math sections are scheduled for cancellation, including three sections of Math101 and two sections of Math103 – sections that students desperately need in order to transfer or simply graduate.
“Classes were reduced across the board,” said Dr. Azari. “The bottom line w that there is not enough money in the budget to pay for all the classes that we have grown accustomed to offering.”
The next few years for FCC students, judging from the quantity and program of studies reduced, makes the future look very discouraging. “There will probably also be fewer sections offered in Summer [2010],” Cantu said, also adding that the fate of classes for the fall of 2010 and semesters thereafter all depend on the budget situation. “We will start with the current number of offerings and go from there,” Cantu said.
“Students are victim to the direct result of the budget,” Saluschev said. Even the ASG president himself felt the sting of the class reductions. Saluschev explained that although it was not an urgent or required class, he could relate to the frustration of other students when he found his Spanish 9 class section was no longer offered this semester because of the reduction.
It’s difficult enough for students to get the classes they need to fit the schedule that they, in most cases, cannot change. With such a heavy reduction of sections and a current student capacity of 101.2 percent, fitting in these much-needed classes will present a tough challenge to many FCC students.
“Students will need to take advantage of the registration timeline and register for classes as soon as they can,” Dr. Azari suggested.
Instructors are also affected by the cuts. When classes are taken away from the students, it also means work is taken away from the faculty who teach them. For some instructors, however, it is much more than just a class or section that is being taken from them.
Marcia Klinder-Badgley, known to some of her students as the “Rock goddess of FCC,” is one of many dedicated instructors who lost a class they love to teach. Klinder-Badgley, who lost her Wednesday night Music 17, History of Rock class, said it was much more than a ‘section reduction.’
“When I received the interoffice memorandum in my faculty mailbox stating the Wednesday section of Music 17 was cancelled for Spring 2010, I felt (and still feel) devastated.”
Klinder-Badgley explained that the History of Rock was more than just a class to her. She said she had proposed and originated the ideas for this unique class, pouring her own sweat and money into promoting the first offering of the class in Fall 2008. Klinder-Badgley said she simply loves what the class offers to the eager students who filled the recital hall each semester. Although there is still one section of this class being offered, Klinder-Badgley commented that because of the work she put into creating it, the Wednesday night class, which was the original section, was close to her heart.
“To watch someone’s face when they hear Janis Joplin for the first time in their lives, to share an original clip of the Rolling Stones and watch the reaction of the students, to prompt an always lively discussion about hip-hop-this is amazing,” she also said.
Because of her passion for the course, Klinder-Badgley said it was hard to accept the news of the reduction lightly.
“Reading that I am appreciated for my ‘invaluable service to the campus’ on a piece of 8 ½ by 11″ paper doesn’t take the bite out of this for me,” Klinder-Badgley said. Other instructors shared her disappointed outlook on the issue of their class cancellation.
But who can the students and the faculty blame for taking away their much needed, and much cared for, classes? In reality, everyone should be pointing not at the college administrators, but at the administrators of the state of California itself.
“The state has undertaken these budget cuts because, in reality, it’s what needs to be done,” said Saluschev, the ASG president. “College has become such a luxury to our society, with the illusive dream of easily becoming ‘college graduates.'”
The ‘illusive dream’ Saluschev spoke of is becoming more surreal with every decrease to the education budgets. Saluschev said FCC students and faculty all need to be asking some important questions. “Why has politics targeted education?” he asked. “Students should be asking these types of questions and attempting to make a difference. We need to be there and try to support it.”