College plans ahead

After facing major budget cuts in the 2009-10 academic year, employees of the college and district came together in the Knox Center on Aug. 12 to discuss the possibility of further reductions.

"The next year is going to be a difficult year," President McKinley Williams said. "I don't want to sugar-coat it."

Faculty, staff, managers and district administrators met on All College Day to focus on ways to limit spending in a time where the college has yet to adopt a budget.

The event is held at the beginning of each semester to review the past year and lay down plans for the next.

"It's a very, very challenging time for us," District Chancellor Helen Benjamin said. "I have confidence that we will get through this and come out whole in the end."

After laying off many employees of the district, the college hopes to cut spending by using other means such as having faculty and staff work more efficiently while using fewer resources.

"We will do more with less," Academic Senate President Richard Akers said.

Although this year's budget figures are unknown, the college had to cut down in the number of courses and student services offered, Williams said. He projected a $1.7 million cut for the next year.

Williams advised his colleagues to conserve energy and limit department expenses to necessary items.

"It's not going to be business as usual," he said. "We're going to have to work smarter, not harder."

As a result of slashed courses, many students waitlisted and attempted to enroll late in active sections only to be turned down.

"We have a student population that's difficult to deal with," Williams said. "We've done a lot of work over the years to make sure our students are served equally."

The challenge of serving students more efficiently and equally with a quality education while using fewer resources is nothing new to the college, Classified Senate Council President Mercy Pono said.

"We come out and do a damn good job," she said.

Along with faculty and staff, Associated Students Union President Joseph Camacho said he is working to decrease spending by 10 percent each semester. He said the ASU will also be combining certain events to lower spending and operational costs.

The event also shed light on some less chaotic news happening around the college. Attendees were shown a lengthy slideshows of what employees did over the summer.

New hires were introduced and Williams gave out awards to outstanding faculty and staff members for their dedication to the college.

The event ended around noon when attendees split into groups to attend department program reviews and division meetings to discuss their specific budgets and issues unique to each division.

Contact Sam Attal at sattal.advocate@gmail.com.