Economic confusion has hit the country, and the state is in economic distress.

Acting President Bill Farmer expresses that Cerritos College isn’t immune to cuts from the state.

Sacrificies would need to be made, like budget cuts and tuition increases.

The way things are going, there might be be 80 sections cut to the schedule, 57 sections reduce in credit classes, and 23 sections in non-credit classes.

The goal was a 5 percent in sections to be cut.

High-demand sections are being added to the schedule.

Each department has been asked to cut a small number of classes, but to be careful not to cause any harm and cut classes that are essential to graduating or transferring.

Cerritos College’s annual budget is approximately $100 million.

Eighty-eight percent of that goes to salaries and benifits. That leaves $12 million that is suseptible to cuts.

Also, plans to raise the price per units on Jan. 1 are in place. The price per unit would go from $20 to $26.

Futher into the future, the price per unit would be proposed to go up to $30 on July 1.

That measure hasn’t been passed yet.

“Most of (the proposals for budget cuts to community colleges) has been voted down,” said Jesus Olvera, ASCC commissioner of budget and finance.

Some students are worried about the rise in the tuition, even if the budget cuts don’t happen.

“I am concerned that tuition will go up, but gas prices went down, but I doubt tuition will go down too,” commented Eiman Farooqui, fine arts major.

The governor had declared a fiscal emergency.

“I assume financial aid will be a good idea if tuition is raised,” said Oscar Franco, Commissioner of Student Outreach.

Financial Aid will not be affected due to the fact that the money comes from the federal government and not from the state budget.

“Students that pay out of their pockets will suffer,” said Angelica Orenlas, economics major.

California budgets go more to universities than toward the community colleges.