For
the past 10 years the CSU system has suffered chronic
under-funding. This year, because of the state
economic crisis, the budget cuts are draconian, $584
million, the worst ever in decades. The CSU
administration is attempting to manage these cuts by
dramatically increasing student fees and by furloughing
almost all University employees, including faculty, staff,
and administrators. A furlough means mandatory un-paid days
off for employees; there are 18 of these this year for
faculty.For students this means that on some days the campus
will be closed. The library will have shorter hours
and many campus support services will be decreased or
eliminated. It will, for example, be more difficult to get
signatures to meet deadlines. Some classes you need may have
been cut from the class schedule or are full.
The
days when I’m forced to cancel class because of the
furloughs will be marked on the syllabi below. These
days off are not holidays; they are a very concrete example
of how budget cuts have consequences.