The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees met on Jan. 25 and 26 for the first time since Governor Jerry Brown took office and proposed the $500 million cut in funding.
Besides discussing how the CSU system will be affected by the cuts, the Board of Trustees also approved the salary of Cal Poly’s new President Jeffrey Armstrong, received the annual audit of the CSU system’s finances, reviewed the class action lawsuit against the CSU and evaluated the Early Start program.
Alice Sunshine, the communications director for the California Faculty Association (CFA) sent out a media advisory to those linked to CSU schools in order to inform people about what is going on with the board.
“The CSU Board of Trustees holds meetings every other month but this one seemed extremely important after all of the changes that have been made throughout the state,” Sunshine said.
One of the biggest changes is the decrease in budget for the CSU system. Due to budget cuts, the board reviewed and confirmed a decision to increase regular tuition at every CSU.
Besides this tuition increase affecting all students at the 23 campuses, Erik Fallis, media relations specialist for the CSU, said the proposed education doctorate tuition fee increase of 10 percent was also confirmed.
“The education doctorate tuition was raised by the same percentage as last year,” Fallis said.
He also said the board discussed internal audits and auxiliaries as it does at every meeting.
“The Board of Trustees discusses these audits as part of the internal control that we have here and they are posted publicly,” Fallis said.
Part of the agenda that specifically affected Cal Poly was the confirmation of President Armstrong’s $350,000 salary.
This number is quite a hefty salary for a time when money is tight for the CSU’s, Sunshine said.
“They say they have to pay more money to keep the best talent, but faculty should say, ‘What about paying money for the best faculty?’” she said.
However, with Armstrong’s salary confirmed, he will make much more money than many of the professors on Cal Poly’s campus.
Another topic of discussion at the Board of Trustees meeting was a class action lawsuit against the CSU. The plaintiffs are charging that the CSU violated students’ rights by raising their fees after they had already paid for the school term, according to a press release from the CFA.
Kim Chin, a nutrition junior, said although this class action lawsuit does not affect Cal Poly, it is still an important topic for the Board of Trustees to discuss because it affects so many other students at the other campuses.
This discussion, however, was during a closed session so the public does not have access to what was discussed in regards to the case.
“I feel, like since this affected so many people, we should be able to hear what they have to say, but I guess the legal issues override that,” Chin said.
Despite the desire for students to know how the board plans to act during litigation, no conclusions have been made public about the issue.
“Legal discussions are normally behind closed doors, but there will be more information to come as it progresses,” Fallis said.
One of the other topics on the agenda was an update on the Early Start program offered by the CSU.
The Early Start program begins the remediation process before undergraduates enter the university, according to a CSU press release.
Beginning in summer 2012, students who need remediation in math and English will have to demonstrate they have begun remediation process before enrolling at a CSU campus, according to the press release. They must do this by either taking an extra math or writing class during high school or by taking an online class or a remedial class at a community college.
The Board of Trustees will continue to meet every other month to discuss issues involving the CSU system as they arise.