A web conference between the California State University system and student media on Friday allowed both parties to discuss shared concerns between all 23 universities.
Three CSU representatives shared information on the upcoming year’s budget, student fees and labor relations.
Storm, the CSU Assistant Vice Chancellor for Budget, kicked off the conference by delving into the details of both this year’s and 2016-17’s budgets.
Budgets for the CSU campuses have been in a precarious situation in recent years, but Storm highlighted the impact of Gov. Jerry Brown’s reallocation of funds to support higher education.
“The governor has been very mindful that the board has the responsibility to really make those tough, critical planning decisions,” Storm said.
Gov. Brown’s plan was originally implemented in 2013, and has already recuperated about 80 percent of the funds that were cut in the past, Storm said.
Storm said that one of the most important aspects of university budgeting is the ability for each individual campus to make specific decisions on where to move funds on an annual basis.
Storm predicted that the additional government funding will last through at least 2019, if not later.
Laurie Weidner, CSU assistant vice chancellor for Public Affairs, also addressed the ongoing faculty salary negotiations between the CSU system and the California Faculty Association.
Between September 8-9, the CSU offices in Long Beach moderated a forum between the Board of Trustees and faculty representatives on the topic of pay increase.
The CFA is requesting a 5 percent total increase on salaries, while the CSU system has only offered a 2 percent increase. CFA representatives argued that the current salaries being offered to professors and other faculty fall below the needed income to maintain a middle-class lifestyle.
The September meeting did not yield any concrete decisions, so both parties will return to the offices on Oct. 8 to lobby further and attempt to reach an agreement, Weidner said.
Kelsey Brewer, a CSU student trustee, raised discussion about the new $2 Student Involvement and Representation Fee in an attempt to rally support for the optional addition to student tuition.
According to the California State Student Association website, the SIRF fee goes directly towards supporting the CSSA in its attempts to become independent from the CSU system. The online mission statement also says that it dedicates efforts to ensuring that students in the system have a place in internal policy making, keeping the most affected voices heard.
Brewer said that without the fee, the input of student representatives could be at a very high risk.
As of now, the CSSA is a branch of the Chancellor’s Office. CSSA representatives want to sever such direct ties with the office so that any opinions that go against the CSU have more weight and potential to become reality.
The SIRF fee is not mandatory, with an opt-out available to all students, but Brewer noted the importance of making CSSA an independent entity to protect the integrity of student decisions.
