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BUDGET
massive cuts looming Faculty salaries could be cut 10% if tax initiative fails Matthew slagle the telescope
the telescope Palomar College’s Independent Newspaper Vol. 65, No. 19 • Monday, May 7, 2012 1140 W. Mission Rd, San Marcos, Calif. ASG ELECTION
Palomar Faculty Federation (PFF) members are angry at a proposal from Palomar College administrators that would cut faculty pay by up to 10 percent while Palomar’s president gets a pay raise. Union members are also calling on the district to use other money first before sacrificing teachers’ pay. Administrators point to dwindling state resources that have forced them to take drastic measures to balance the budget. “Right now that is the big struggle at the negotiation table because
a 10 percent cut in pay is a huge cut in pay,” said PFF President Shannon Lienhart. “Especially since the president is now getting a 4 percent increase in his pay.” President Robert Deegan is scheduled to receive a 4 percent raise locked in a three-year contract that was approved last month, according to Palomar Spokeswoman Laura Gropen. However, according to Vice President of Human Resources John Tortarolo, President Deegan has said he would reject the pay increase should the faculty take a cut. The PFF met with district negotiators April 18 to set salaries
for the 2012-2013 academic year. Because of the uncertainty of the state budget, what is usually a three-year faculty contract will be a year-to-year deal. The district proposed tying faculty pay to whatever shortfall Palomar receives in state funding next year. The proposal depends on whether Gov. Jerry Brown’s new proposal to increase the sales tax and raise levies on upper incomes to help raise money for schools and balance the state’s budget is passed by voters this fall.
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Voting for two unopposed canadates closed joel ramos the telescope
Palomar College’s Associated Student Government ran its annual election for two executive positions in the ASG from April 30 to May 3. Each of the candidates ran uncontested and the final number of student votes was unavailable by press time. According to Sen. Rocky Brady, election committee chair and financial liaison for the ASG, the election was promoted the way it has always been. However, there were only four packets picked up and three actually turned in. One of the packets turned in was by former ASG Sen. Armando Telles, who intended to run for president. According to Article V, Section Two of the ASG bylaws, any officer who resigns or is disqualified, recalled, or impeached twice within any period is ineligible for election or appointment. Telles was disqualified twice and as a result he is prohibited from running in the election. Telles said he was unfairly disqualified. “I feel Rocky Brady and Evelyn Lucero orchestrated in ways to voice their opinion about my character and my productivity as senator during my ratification hearing (Feb. 29),” Telles said. “By them two having done that, it proves to me that there was some discrimination (non-racial). They indeed had an agenda that they did not disclose and executed successfully.” Last year the ASG election rallied up a whopping 1 percent of the popular vote for the election, Palomar’s highest turnout ever. At the commencement of the campaign, presidential candidate Jonathan Farmer seemed disappointed to be running uncontested. “I was eager to run against someone and debate about the issues that matter to the students. It’s a shame that no one ran up against me,” Farmer said.
ASG ELECTIONS BY THE NUMBERS
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Presidential candidate
1 vice-presidential candidate
0 opponents
1 disqualification
448 students voted in the fall special election
6 Vote margin of victory in last falls election
1.5% Of the student body voted in the last election SOURCE: TELESCOPE
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WHAT’S INSIDE
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HERMAN LEE RETIRES
NEWS / Palomar’s director of enrollment retires after 40 years helping student with class scheduling.
May Day protest fails to draw students Palomar theater professor Michael Mufson brings attention to May Day at 12:30 p.m. on May 1 at the Student Union. World-wide, May Day is celebrated as a holiday for the working class or the proletariat. This year, it has been used as a rallying point by some Occupy organizers whom believe the ideals of the movement are similar to those of the holiday. • Kristen Campbell/Telescope
STUDENT SUCCESS TASK FORCE
State SSTF funding questionable Success of program could fall on voters ian hanner the telescope
If passed, the Student Success Task Force recommendations could add further financial weight on an already struggling college system. The proposal, itself dubbed SSTF, is a series of 22 recommendations put forward by the stateappointed Student Success Task Force. While the measures aim to encourage students to move through community colleges at a constant pace and free schools’ resources for new attendees, some in the administration fear the potential financial burden of the SSTF.
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“It takes a lot of money to do that,” said Herman Lee, director of Enrollment Services. “Is it valuable? Yes. Should it be done? Yes. Can we afford it? It doesn’t look like it. So you do what you can with the resources you have.”
Funding source uncertain
Certain elements of the recommendations require extra funding on the part of schools in areas such as increased matriculation testing and counseling services to help more students create education plans. The counseling department doesn’t currently have the manpower to help every student in the school create an ed plan by their third semester-- one proposal being discussed—and will likely need to hire more personnel. According to Lynda Halttunen, dean of Counseling Services, the
AT STAGECOACH
LIFE / Columnist Kelli Miller talks about how to ‘go country.’
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school has said they will not be able to implement any measures that do not receive additional funding from the state.
Fewer classes possible
Palomar College, which lost about 600 class sections in the last school year, could be relying on the passage of Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative in November to maintain the financial status quo, according to Lee. However, if voters do not approve the initiative, the promised increased tax revenue will not go to schools. According to Lee, a potential problem with this setup is that if the SSTF recommendations are passed, the schools will be legally obligated to implement them, regardless of a lack of further funding.
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NEAR PERFECTION
SPORTS / Women’s Tennis has a perfect regular season, but loses in playoffs.