Students who plan on taking classes this summer may want to check to see if they are available. Due to recent budget cuts, summer classes in several departments are being cut or downsized.
Cynthia Rawitch, Associate Vice President of Undergraduate Studies said, ‘We’re in a budget crisis and we are not getting enough money from the state of California to serve the number of students we’ve served in the past.’
The lack of funding has also reduced the amount of full-time equivalent students CSUN can enroll.’ Rawitch said that the school will need to decrease enrollment and there will either be fewer seats in classes both this summer and next school year.’
This could potentially delay graduation for students relying on summer classes.’
‘Where possible, all department chairs have been asked and urged to come up with suitable classes that can be substituted or waver classes for graduating students,’ said Rawitch.’
The college of Business and Economics cut lower division classes this summer to make upper division classes available since most of the business students are upper division, said Dean of Business and Economics William Jennings.
There are fewer seats in the upper division classes but the department is trying to deal with the cuts the best way they can, said Jennings.
Other departments across campus are having to do away with summer classes because of their lack of finances as well.
The summer classes have been made relatively smaller due to the budget cut, said Werner Horn, department chair of mathematics.
The mathematics department will not be offering Math 331 or Math 340 this summer.
‘Everything has been downsized. The summer program has been cut by 40 percent,’ said Horn.
Math 331 can be replaced with other classes since it is an upper division general elective and students that need Math 340 can take the class in the fall.’
‘We would rather cut classes in the summer than to cut classes in the fall,’ said Horn.’
Although this is an issue that affects a numerous amount of on campus, there are a few students who will not be greatly affected by what is taking place.
‘I don’t see much of it since our department is so small,’ said Dennis Irwin, 26, senior, physics. There aren’t really a lot of people in our major so we don’t hear much about budget cuts, he added.
Another CSUN student comments that although she does not have to worry about getting summer classes she has empathy for the students who do have to worry.
‘I personally am not going to be affected but I do know people who are and I can see why they are worried,’ said Adriana Jauergui, 20, sophomore, civil engineering. Some students need to take summer classes in order to finish school and there’s not much they can do if the classes aren’t available, she added.
