TURLOCK, Calif. — A procession of students and faculty carried a black coffin during a mock funeral at Stanislaus State last week.
Other participants held gray poster boards shaped like tombstones, with epitaphs that read “student basic needs” and “beloved teachers.”
No one actually died; rather, the ceremony was intended to mourn for 18 employees who were notified in late March that they will be laid off at the end of the semester. The faculty union on campus, known as the California Faculty Association, also received notice from the California State University Chancellor’s office of possible additional layoffs due to “lack of funds.”
Such grim demonstrations are becoming a sign of the times at universities in the 23-campus CSU system, amid a bleak budget outlook and overall fears that higher education in general is under attack. Students and staff at campuses across the system, including Fresno State and CSU Bakersfield, are suffering as state funding and enrollment both plunge.
Stanislaus State officials said the school started the year with a $13.6 million budget deficit. Campus spokesperson Kristina Stamper told KVPR in a written statement the university, as a cost-cutting measure, has provided “voluntary separation” packages for 50 positions.
Plus, the university ended 10 contracts for managerial positions, cancelled 324 classes and adjusted 45 courses to “align with lower student enrollment” and applied at least a 5% reduction to each division’s operating budget.
“As we take thoughtful and measured steps to mitigate the impact of these reductions — focusing on essential spending and institutional efficiencies — we remain focused on protecting our core mission: providing a high-quality education and critical support services for our students and ensuring that our stellar graduates fulfill the regional workforce and professional needs of the Central Valley,” Stamper wrote in the email.
Although university officials did not identify a number of additional cancelled courses for the fall semester, Stanislaus faculty union president Dave Colnic estimates at least another 100 courses will be cut.
Fresno, Bakersfield campuses also plan cuts
The CSU system has been dealing with a $218 million gap in funding this academic year due to declining state support and student enrollment. Gov. Gavin Newsom also proposed a $375 million cut to the system for next academic year. Now, all campuses are scrambling to fill holes for their share of the systemwide deficit.
These deficits have led to fears about the quality of education offered to students. For instance, at the recent Stanislaus State demonstration, Barbara Olave wore a Grim Reaper suit and carried a headstone that said “R-I-P student centered values.” She’s a former alum and has been a lecturer at the university for 12 years.
“They're not honoring the mission,” Olave said. “So we're just trying to be visible, you know, to say we're humans.”
Academic employees made themselves visible across the country last week. Demonstrations took place at dozens of other campuses as well, including CSU Fullerton, Harvard and Yale. They were part of a movement titled a “National Day of Action for Higher Education.”
At Fresno State, faculty held a panel discussion that centered on what faculty and employees say is the CSU’s “mismanagement of funds.” The campus stated on its website that it is facing a deficit of $19 million, which, after some other cost-saving measures, will result in $4.2 million in cuts.
Those include a “hiring freeze for non-essential positions, restrictions on non-critical purchases and travel, and budget reduction plans focused on consolidating or reorganizing roles — particularly management positions,” according to a written statement from Bob Brown, Fresno State’s interim vice president for administration and chief financial officer.
Brown also wrote that he does not anticipate any cuts to faculty this fiscal year, although the department of athletics did already implement layoffs to “address budget challenges.”
“Additionally, certain vacant positions will remain unfilled to manage the budget reduction,” Brown said.
Kevin Capehart, an associate professor of economics on campus, spoke about budget constraints during the panel discussion.
“What hasn't changed is that both in relatively good times and bad times, through different presidents and different provosts and different deans at my school and other schools, there's a consistent messaging that tough times are here or coming soon,” Capehart said during the panel discussion.
Andrew Jones, the president of the faculty union at Fresno State, said department chairs were told verbally that they will need to cut down their course offerings for this fall to provide the same number of class sections as they did during the fall semester of 2020.
But Fresno State Provost Xuanning Fu told KVPR that this is “not accurate.” He said the budget for instruction in the fall is slightly higher than it was in 2020 – though enrollment is predicted to be lower.
Jones fears that any reduction in course offerings could result in cuts to part-time faculty.
CSU Bakersfield is also facing a $12 million budget shortfall.
Kent Henderson, the treasurer for the faculty union on campus and an associate professor of sociology, shared an email with KVPR sent by Interim Provost James Rodríguez in early march. In the email, Rodríguez paraphrased a letter from the Chancellor’s office that suggested faculty layoffs were likely at CSU Bakersfield – which Rodríguez said signaled the beginning of a “workforce reduction process.”
“I acknowledge the challenges of this moment and recognize that behind each and every position is a dedicated educator, colleague, and a valued member of our academic community,” Rodríguez wrote. “If reductions must happen, we are committed to handling this process with care, fairness, and transparency.”
Rodríguez told KVPR in a written statement that administrators will be making cuts to courses and faculty, but he did not specify how many.
“Aligning the number of courses we offer to the number of students we serve is an important part of a balanced budget,” Rodríguez said.
Faculty and staff say ‘our students are suffering’
During the protest at Stanislaus State, staff and faculty shared why their positions matter for the success of the university. Ian Hippensteele, a grants and assessments specialist, gave a speech to students at the beginning of the rally.
“We pledge to you, the students, to support you as best we can while we are also taking care of our own basic needs and trying to keep a roof over our heads,” Hippensteele said. “But that doesn't mean that we will do anything less to support you. You deserve everything, and we are trying to give it to you.”
The sentiments were common among employees in the union.
“Without faculty, the university doesn't exist because there's no one here to teach the students,” said Nic Webber, the chapter president on campus for the California State University Employees Union. “Without staff, the bills aren't paid, the grounds aren't kept, the technology doesn't work. I mean, we're at every level of this. So everything that they do to staff affects the students’ success.”
Kaytlin Ramirez, a third year psychology student, said she’s anxious because she said it will likely be harder to get into classes needed to graduate.
“As somebody who really has grown to love Stanislaus [after] transferring in, I would really hate to see specifically the psychology program be affected so hard,” Ramirez said.
Other students who attended the protest said they fear they won’t be able to graduate on time. Olave, who wore the Grim Reaper costume, said that when faculty have to pick up more work to deal with layoffs or cuts, students struggle with fewer resources.
“Our students are suffering,” Olave said. “This semester, I've noticed that it seems to be amplified. I feel like there's just so much more tension and they're struggling with their mental health. They're worried about their education, their promise of their future.”
