Show COLLEGE OF- I Ssifit3si2 (§fr tMoi ehiM u h IPPAPV ftite-if-e I I i I ?3& oiaas ($3 Sjtr ra ifo iaamieBoateMsp C-temaw fiaamaanQI approach used by president to dissuade devastating budgeting proposal IlifliB Non-Traditio- CgtD nal by Leona Christensen editor & Rather than using the traditional approach or a dog and pony show to say "look at the neat things our institution does" College of Eastern Utah President Michael Petersen used his lime— a short 20 minutes — to discuss the ramifications the legislative analyst's recommendation would have on CEU during the budget request presentation i (JO 16TiHCBEu "During SUU's presentation prior to CEU's there was one question asked and one legislator sat and slept through the entire presentation Even that legislator was awake when Mike Petersen made his presentation because he had such an impact lie presented the Tacts and the ramifications the legislative analysis' budget would have on CEl'N Brent related Academic Haddock "It was the first lime in my lour ears of participating that I have ever seen the committee ask questions They were all alert and attentive engaging in a to find dialogue with Mike out what was wrong'1 he continued The high level of frustration fell by the CEU administration was evident during the presentation held at (lie Utah State legislature on Monday Jan 29 Petersen used words such as “illogical" “harsh" and “unjustified" to describe the legislative analysts' promised $388 MX) operating base budget slash According to Petersen the magnitude of die 52 percent base budget cut Vice-preside- jM2CTsmsnii3g UElfliSiniGElSER being of CEU in the last 10 years If the budget drafted by the legislative analysts was to be passed the college would have three months — from March to May — to make the decisions Ikiw to implement (lie cut Because college policy requires that instructors he notified by Dec 15 if they will not receive a contract for the next academic year it is loo late to make reductions in faculty Mandatory expense budgets such as utilities fuel power and insurance premiums arc impossible to cut As a result approximately 43 percent of the total budget would be excluded from consideration because iheexpendilurcs arc StalT and programs would absorb the brunt of the cut Eliminating nonleaching positions would amount to 70 percent of the cuts This would cut seven staff positions from student service academic support and institutional support which represents 10 percent of the total support staff The outcome would compromise the quality of student support services and institutional support By cutting $20(XX) from the part-tim- e instructor budget 20 classes would he removed from the class schedule During the course of a year hour classes with assuming an average enrollment of 23 students e (lie funding Ior50annualied equivalent students would be lost Petersen described this action as illogical because it would seriously hamper CEU's ability to reach targeted enrollment The analysis formulated the budget cuts to compensate for the live-cred- it full-tim- e equivaoverfunding of 3M) lent students CEU has already received money for these students Because enrollment growth has been slower dur- see Budgeting page 12 full-tim- nt one-on-o- te$0E) 00 finny poses the greatest dial lenge to the well- - Board of Regents okays quarter to semester change fllB6H?JD3D GtfSSIID )qdod1E KEED ($HG3iE$nSEI$l00SIiS)i (500003)' mm mm (JiEl-ifHIHf- o fj?R 5EnQS 333a&3V 3i OTP£&H£MEE-D3£- r ally telling usif they are wort tVD1® fl3Mfl©(IiD i (HiKUBV bsP 032130 by Sundl Decker staff writer Without urgent reasons the Board of Regents okayed the universal conversion of all Utah colleges and universities from the quarter to the semester system on Jan 26 officially conceding $500000 from the Legislature to begin planning the change Commissioner of I ligher Education Cecelia Foxley persuaded all but one of the regents to vote on semesters She said that the change would benefit students academically as well as placing them on uniform ground with most the nation Then her request for half a million dollars from this year's legislature just for initial planning along with clearance to appoint a committee of students staff and administrators to oversee planning was accepted An issue of debate for over two decades has been the switch to semesters With more than 80 percent of the nation's higher education institutions organized under the semester system Utah will fit nicely into a widespread trend Seven years ago the College of Eastern Utah's faculty took a mock vote issue The over the “no" outcome was a definite against the semester calendar Whether welcomed or openly opposed the final vote has been taken and within 1998 higher education students on the quarter system will see dramatic changes in college and university life Ron Vogel CElTs faculty president speculates that e funding for the transition may require up to 3 million dollars Most of this amount will be needed to quarter-semest- stale-wid- er make computer changes reorganization and reprinting of school catalogues and general articulation of courses offered at CEU to ensure that they match university requirements under the new system An overview of college aspects will be performed and changes will then be implemented accordingly This ordeal of change will demand the most from CEU's faculty and staff The whole project will be a disruptive and costly process that many educators foresee as being unnecessary Both Susan Folster and Sara Ewert of CEU's faculty asked "Why now?" Most are in search for a compelling reason for the change at this time While there are positive things that will result from the changes there exist equally negative things For uninformed students it is best to outline what “semester system" basically means A normal quarter at CEU lasts 10 weeks while a semester lasts 16 weeks This also means that (lie trials of registration will be lessened for the school year andacredit-hou- r conversion will be instigated it Gasses currently worth it hour hours will become classes Instead of meeting daily five hour courses will be licld on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays stretched over the period Ewert noted an up side to semesters commenting "Too much cramming occurs in the quancr system semesters allow students a more look at the material they are covering" Many text books are written for semesters and require 16 weeks to sea Semester page 12 five-cred- three-cred- 1 th |