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Seventeen dollars may not seem like much, but the new fee increase is representative of the financial squeeze facing De Anza College and its students. Overall, the school faces a $2 million budget deficit for the 200405 academic year. When school begins Sept. 20, students will face longer lines for service, fewer books in the library and fewer classes at a time when enrollment is expected to grow.
De Anza will make cuts in all areas, says Jeanine Hawk, De Anza's vice president of finance and college services. Areas being cut include "discretionary materials, janitorial services, instructional supplies and library books," Hawk said.
She also said cuts will be made in support staff, medical and family leave and academics.
Academic courses will be consolidated and sections combined through elimination of underenrolled classes. At the same time, enrollment is likely to grow because the University of California and California State University systems will be diverting students to community colleges.
"It hits students in the pocketbook," said De Anza spokeswoman Janice Winkel.
Under recently passed state legislation, fees per unit are now $17, a five-dollar increase. Overall, the total amount can be a stretch for students to pay, Winkel said, especially given the costs of essentials such as textbooks, which can cost $50 each or more.
Judy Coleman, who provides academic counseling at De Anza, agrees students will be hit hard. "With 90 percent of them already working, it will be extremely challenging for them to make up the difference," she said. Those who don't pay the new fee increase within five days of registration will be dropped from the rolls.
Students will also face difficulties in getting the classes and services
they need. Coleman said those waiting to meet with her now to plan their classes usually wait two hours or more, compared to a half-hour wait in past years.
"There are unmet needs for students," Hawk said. With classes at De Anza beginning in just under a month, already "there are waiting lists for the majority of our classes, especially core classes and science classes."
Coleman urged the community and students to let legislators in Sacramento know what such cuts in college services will mean for them. The school, which serves more than 25,000 students, has a tradition of excellence it hopes to maintain. Two years ago, De Anza had the No. 1 transfer rate to UC and CSU schools out of California's 109 community colleges.
In the meantime, said Coleman, "one way or the other, our staff is going to get it done."
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