Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week proposed $13.4 million inmid-year cuts for the California State University system, inaddition to the $304 million already cut from the 2003-04budget.

Effective Jan. 1, 2004, an additional $24.6 million would alsobe cut from outreach programs in the 2003-04 budget for both the UCand CSU systems.

“This is part of the difficult but necessary cuts thegovernor must make,” said Schwarzenegger spokesman H.D.Palmer.

Eric Guerra, CSU student trustee and former Associated Students,Inc. president, said that the outreach programs are essential forstudents who face adverse economic or personal backgrounds.

“These decisions are premature,” Guerra said.”I just hope the governor is looking at the future ofCalifornia.”

By cutting outreach, the CSU system will not provide equalaccess, which is part of the CSU mission, Guerra said.

In the next four years, Guerra said, student populationdemographics will change as a result of cutting outreach offeringssuch as the Educational Opportunity Program.

He said that the ratio of counselors to students would decreaseat smaller high schools.

“I’m a first generation student, myself, andoutreach got me here,” Guerra said.

The vice president of academic affairs, Ric Brown, saidadministrators at Sacramento State cannot speculate about thepotential consequences of the governor’s budgetrecommendations.

“We have no information on whether those cuts will berealized,” Brown said. “But any time there are cuts weworry about the availability of classes.”

The governor’s proposal is a reversal from his campaignpromise to avoid cutting education funding, a pledge to which hespecifically referred during a meeting with his economic adviserslast August.

“We must immediately attack the operating deficithead-on,” Schwarzenegger said. “Now, does this meanthat we are going to make cuts? Yes. Does this mean education is onthe table? No.”

The proposed budget cuts must be approved in a specialLegislative session in order for them to be enacted next year.

“It is a move away from a continuing tradition,”said ASI President Peter Ucovich. “And a continuous movetowards students probably paying more fees.”

Secretary of State Kevin Shelley gave the Legislature untilFriday to approve Schwarzenegger’s proposed $15 billion bondmeasure and a constitutional spending limit to appear on the March2004 ballot.