As the possibility of a college merger becomes increasingly discussed throughout campus, many SF State students are finding that attending a university is more of a struggle than ever.
With the University considering proposals to restructure the current eight colleges to a six-plus-one structure as a way to combat the $32 million deficit facing SF State, some students believe that the reorganization will create chaos and make it more difficult for students to graduate.
“They keep making us jump through more and more hoops,” said political science major Kristina Lee, who recently transferred from Sacramento State. “I’m concerned because I just got the hang of the way things work around here. When you restructure, there’s a good deal of uncertainty. There needs to be a certain level of stability to keep things running, but they keep piling more on us.”
Under Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed 2011-2012 budget, $500 million would be cut from the California State University system. Several students believe that the administration is not handling the crisis effectively because they are unwilling to invest in education.
“I don’t quite understand why this kind of stuff is happening when we have an administration that makes so much money but won’t give it up for education,” said geography major Jessica Ahmadia.
The merger is expected to save the University $1 million. To some, this change is too drastic when considering the cost.
“It seems pretty extreme to only save us $1 million,” Ahmadia said. “They’re cutting our resources to save so little money.”
While several students declined to provide statements because they said they were not informed enough on the subject, others believe the issue is not one for the students to decide, but rather a matter to be considered by the University.
“It’s a University issue,” said Travis Northup, Associated Students’ vice president of external affairs. “We should let them deal with it and come to the best agreement possible.”
Others are also concerned about the way particular programs are going to be affected, if professors will be fired, and if programs deemed “redundant” will be cut. While these prospects make some students uneasy, many understand the burden that deans who will be taking on new programs face.
“I hear they are already considering cutting departments,” Ahmadia said. “I don’t blame them. They have their own college to worry about, and now they’re getting more departments shoved on them.”
