After last year’s budget crisis disallowed new student admission in the spring, California State Universities, excluding Cal Poly, will accept new students for the Winter and Spring 2011 terms, even though the budget has not yet finalized to sustain them.
According to a press release issued by CSU, this comes after budget cuts last year that “forced … employee furloughs and workforce reductions, enrollment cuts and increased student fees.”
James Maraviglia, associate vice provost for marketing and enrollment development, said Cal Poly is one of the only CSUs to not accept new students mid-year up to the year 2000, when the SDSU also “followed suit.”
“It has only been recently, mainly through the budget cuts, that the other campuses became impacted, to what extent varies greatly,” Maraviglia said. “All but Cal Poly though still allowed for large numbers of off quarter admissions until last year.”
Though other CSUs like SDSU will be accepting new students, Cal Poly still has doubts with the budget not being finalized and budget problems tracing back to long before last year’s budget crisis, according to Maraviglia
“Cal Poly has been impacted since the late ‘80s (by budget problems), and, thus, it has managed its impaction for years through a fall-only new student enrollment cycle,” Maraviglia said. “At this point in time, we are awaiting fall census data to determine if we will allow for a one-time spring new student allocation.”By denying new students spring admissions, many students who would apply for spring instead applied for fall, which the press release said caused “a record number of applications and unprecedented demand for admission for Fall 2010.”
In addition, some Cal Poly students have resignations from last year’s furloughs and limited class sizes. Courtney Wen, a communications studies junior, felt the money should go to more classes.
“Communications classes are always full,” Wen said. “We can let more people in, (but the money should go to more classes).”
Sheena Wu, a business administration sophomore, felt allowing students that apply without a secure budget instated misrepresents their chances of getting in.
“That’s like giving false hope,” Wu said. “They should pay the teachers with that money.”
CSUs started sending out acceptance letters Sept. 27 after extending the deadline from Aug. 31 to Sept. 27 due to the budget not yet being secured.
Sohikish said she remains positive about the opportunity for new students.
“Our university is looking forward to new students in the spring.”
If the budget is passed, this will be the first time the CSU restored state funding since 2005. It will put $305 million toward replenishing a “one-time” cut as well as $60.6 million for increasing enrollment.
Martin Sohikish, student admissions representative for the San Diego State Office of Admissions, said through Federal Stimulus funds, CSUs will accept a limited amount of students.
“Federal stimulus funds were awarded to the California State University system (which) allows (SDSU) to enroll approximately 1,700 new upper-division transfer students this coming spring,” Sohikish said. “This one-time final round of State Fiscal Stabilization Fund dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will allocate $106 million to the CSU to be divided among the 23 campuses.
Sohikish said that SDSU’s allocation is approximately $8.7 million