Many students might have found it difficult to get the classes they needed this semester and that is because Cerritos College, in anticipation of statewide budget cuts, have cancelled approximently 5 percent of the classes that were to be offered this semester.
That equals about 80 sections, according the Acting President Bill Farmer.
Students that were not able to get into the classes they needed have seen class sizes grow past the number of seats available in the classroom.
“In some of my classes, there are more students then seats,” bussiness administration major Jorge Legunas said. “Some of the classes I really wanted I found it more difficult to get into.”
Other students had a different experience with getting into the classes they need.
“I had no problems getting into my classes, but classes are (more full) this semester,” Daniela Moren said.
The reason for the cuts in classes is that this semester Cerritos College will not be paid for growth.
Vice-President of Academic Affairs Marilyn Brock explained that growth means that if Cerritos grows past the allotted amount of students, then it is not paid to educate those extra students.
Many of the students now feeling the crunch of getting into classes may have waited to long to sign up.
“The students that sign up early and for as many units as they can will have no problems getting the classes they need,” Brock said. “The biggest impact will come to students who wait until that last minute to sign up for classes.”
Another area that is being affected by the budget crisis is Cost Of Living Allocation.
C.O.L.A. is given to employees of Cerritos College based on the cost of living in the area.
There are no layoffs planned right now at Cerritos College.
“Our goal is to keep everyone working,” Brock said.
This might be only the beginning of the cuts around Cerritos College.
“Right now, all the cuts to colleges by the state have not been approved, they are just proposed,” Brock said. “We will not see the worst of these problems probably until next semester.”
With the proposed statewide budget cuts, Cerritos is not in any danger and will continue to provide for all students that attend it.
“The biggest thing right now is that nobody panics,” Brock said. “Cerritos is doing a lot better than most colleges in the area.”
