Staggering attendance rates at Gavilan College and extensive course offerings must be trimmed back now that the rejection of Propositions 1A through 1E has left the college $2 million in the hole.
"With the (University of Californias) and (California State Universities) shutting their doors to freshmen and sophomores, the demand for these first two years of college is extremely high," said Gavilan President Steve Kinsella. "Students come here because they don't have anywhere else to go."
But with the failure of the five propositions that were supposed to rein in the state's gaping budget shortfall, Gavilan will no longer be a haven for those wishing to get their first two years of college out of the way.
Hoping to stave off cuts to the classroom, college administrators are faced with tough decisions.
"We held off as long as we could," Kinsella said.
About $800,000 of cuts will come from reducing course offerings. That means 50 summer and 106 fall sections will be canceled, Kinsella said. Whereas Gavilan enjoyed serving about 200 students above and beyond its enrollment cap of 5,800 in the days of economic prosperity, the school can no longer reach out to students the state won't reimburse them for, Kinsella said.
"We wanted to meet the needs of the students and we could afford to do it," he said, adding that this is no longer the case.
Serving more students also improved Gavilan's chances at securing state capital construction money.
Cutting 156 of the college's 1,320 summer and fall sections amounts to a 12 percent reduction. The college will notify each of the about 950 students affected by the cancellations by phone and mail, said Gavilan spokeswoman Jan Bernstein Chargin. Those students who fail to register for an alternate class within two weeks will automatically receive a refund, according to a letter to students posted on Gavilan's Web site.
For students, this means larger classes, fewer options, smaller departments and unpleasant predicaments for students who can't get into a class they need as a prerequisite, Bernstein Chargin said.
"Students who are serious about coming to college in the fall do not want to wait until the last minute to register," she said. "With high unemployment and with us cutting back classes, we anticipate high enrollment in the fall."
As of March, California had one of the highest unemployment rate in the nation, at 11.2 percent.
On the bright side, Gavilan is abiding by its no-layoff policy and all of the 80 full time and 275 part time faculty members will stay on board. However, Kinsella said he hopes to save and additional $1 million by leaving recently vacated position unfilled in the coming months.
Students can choose alternate classes by meeting with a counselor or checking Gavilan's class schedule online at www.gavilan.edu. Counselors are available on a walk-in basis at the Gilroy campus, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd., all day Monday through Thursday and until noon on Fridays throughout the summer, and by appointment in Morgan Hill and Hollister. A complete list of canceled sections can be viewed at http://gavilan.edu/announce/2009_Class_Cancellations.html.
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