The Associated Students Board of Directors needs to reconsider its hasty action of last week in which it unceremoniously slashed the budgets of a number of ASI programs, including the Children?s Center.

The board was divided on making the sudden cuts and the State Hornet would like to commend the four directors who voted against the budget change ? Calvin Davis, Eric Guerra, Richard Lucier and Britt Randall ? for their courage.

In the majority?s quest to balance the ASI budget ? and apparently to also please ASI Executive Director Carol Ackerson ? it was hard to see much concern about the fate of the 28 CSUS families who will be affected when the Children?s Center?s evening program is cancelled.

The role of Executive Director in how ASI found itself with a $360,000 shortfall needs to be thoroughly investigated. Ackerson pressured the board with vague threats that the University would somehow take money away from ASI if the board didn?t act Wednesday. If time was so important, then Ackerson should have rounded up the Board of Directors in July for an emergency meeting when ASI suddenly discovered it had overspent its budget. It also would have been prudent to talk with the various programs that suddenly face reduced budgets after the fiscal year is two months old, and other sources of funding more difficult to obtain. Perhaps most disturbing were claims ? by Ackerson and ASI President Jason Bryant ? that the Children?s Center?s Parent Advisory Council had been consulted and agreed with the proposed action.

The PAC group had not been contacted and was as surprised as the rest of the campus to learn about the proposal.

A decision of this importance shouldn?t have been made without exhaustively exploring other viable options and giving students ample opportunity to find ways to save a program that they desperately need.

If ASI is looking to save money, maybe it should look into firing its parliamentarian. Her rulings last week ? and inappropriate participation in the meeting ? make any money spent on her rulings a waste.

Now would be a good time for University President Donald Gerth ? and the university administration ? to step in and investigate exactly what happened with $360,000 of student fee money. Or if the adminstration already knows, explain it.

And it might also be a good idea for the president to offer some monies from his administrative pockets to help out.

Today?s children are tomorrow?s students.