VOLUME 103 ISSUE 8 APRIL 18, 2012 first copy of the corsair is free. each copy after is 25¢
Future of Contract Ed Uncertain
Sal Guerra Corsair Santa Monica College President and Superintendent Dr. Chui L. Tsang, prepares for the Board of Trustees emergency meeting, concerning the recent pepper spray incident and the postponed implementation of the College's contract education program on April 6.
Andy Reismeyer Staff Writer Though two weeks have passed since students protesting the “Advance Your Dreams” program were pepper-sprayed by police at a Santa Monica College Board of Trustees meeting, tensions remain high on all sides of the issue. The Board of Trustees said that adding 50 selffunded classes at $180 per credit to the 700 statefunded ones at $46 for the summer session was a “creative solution” to financial woes—namely a state funding cut of 23 percent last year alone. But that Friday, the Board unanimously voted to postpone the Contract Ed program and shelve the measure until it can be vetted through the shared governance process at the college, primarily through the District Planning and Advisory Council. Pressure upon the Board came from student activists, public commenters, and a call from California’s Community College Chancellor Jack Scott, who said that the employment of the selffunded education program would “be a little out of line with [community colleges’] mission.” At a DPAC meeting on April 11, members of the board, faculty, and the Associated Students agreed to review the proposed self-funded education program with their constituencies in hopes to make a formal recommendation to the board. According to SMC administrators, the school may be forced to axe the entire winter 2013 term and 350 sections from Spring 2013 without Contract Ed, resulting in less teaching hours and possible layoffs and furloughs for staff. However, Faculty Association President Mitra Moassesi said her group is officially against the measure in a statement at Friday’s Board meeting. Other opponents, like Associated Student President Harrison Wills, say that fallout from SMC’s austerity measures could be worthwhile. “It’s okay if we have to shrink for a few semesters if we can change the entire state,” he says. Wills believes that should Contract Ed pass, it would create a precedent for the state to allocate fewer funds for community colleges. To remedy this, Wills says that community organizations can apply pressure on the state to give more funding to public education. He adds that it challenges the structure of the community college. “It’s taking away the social equalizer which is open access at the college,” Wills
said. “It allows students who have money to cut to the front of the line.” But it seems opinions may be changing in light of the possible ramifications if the school can’t find a solution to the budget crisis by the end of the year. “We could be for Contract Ed if we could make it equitable,” said Cameron Espinoza, Associated Students Director of Student Outreach. Protesters received a resounding endorsement from union activist Delores Huerta, who spoke at the college on Tuesday, April 17. “Congratulations for stopping the two tier program,” she said. “It was unfair and wrong.” Despite the encouragement, many Carrie Jessenovec Corsair protesters are still Santa Monica College student David Cooper confronts members of the Student Organizing leery of Contract Ed Committee protesting at the office of the President on April 5. Though the divisve selfreturning, and vowed to funded education program known as "Contract Ed" has been posponed by the Board of continue to organize and Trustees and axed for the summer, opponents are still nervous about its possible return. demonstrate according to statements released on their Facebook pages. A flier distributed in the weeks leading up to the Members of the Student Organizing Committee protests by the Student Organizing Committee and the Associated Students have spent time trying claimed that “the Contract Education program will to address accusations that they have been spreading charge students ~ 200 / unit.” misinformation, specifically that all tuition will be But Wills placed most of the blame on the increasing to $180 per credit hour. Board themselves. “The fact that there was this At the board meeting, Trustee Louise Jaffee said she misinformation out there is just indicative of the fact feared the original intent of the program had been that the administration did such a poor job in getting clouded by misinformation. the information out,” he said. “It was additive and never subtractive,” she said. Repeated requests for interview with members of “We were never going to raise tuition across the the SOC have been made by The Corsair, but have board.” so far been unsuccessful.
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