Fresno State President John Welty said, "Given the fact that expenditures like utilities have gone up dramatically, it is very, very difficult."
President John Welty said he is not eliminating classes or initiating layoffs to meet a shrinking budget. The state cut $31-million dollars from the CSU system. In response Welty froze all vacant faculty and staff positions.
Welty said, "The world economy is in turmoil at this point. I think it is very difficult to predict what '09-'10 academic year may bring. We are starting look at alternatives and options."
Cameron Hilaire is a Fresno State Senior. He noticed every year ... Tuition increases. With Welty's cuts... Hilaire hopes students won't have to pay more to balance budgets, because getting an education is already expensive.
Cameron Hilaire said, "When things rise, especially for a student because we're so use to having a certain base salary ... Minimum wage is only around eight dollars ... That's not going far when you have rent. I'm paying four hundred dollars."
Programs across the school will see a three percent budget reduction. Professor and Union President Lisa Weston said targeting education is a bad idea during an economic crisis.
Fresno State Professor Lisa Weston said, "Every dollar that is invested in education pays back over four dollars into the California economy. Well, if you're problem you don't have the revenue maybe you need to plant a few seeds to grow some revenue."
At this point ... President Welty does not plan to increase fees during this school year.
Fresno State is already anticipating more cuts in the future. By all indications the state government will ask universities to further reduce spending as the recession continues.
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