In response to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s budget proposals for higher education in his State of the State address, the California Faculty Association, in a press release, expressed that the governor should be focusing on what really counts: the “human element” in the CSU system.

The association’s bulletin stated “infrastructure means more than pouring concrete,” and that the system needs to focus on other aspects of higher education including more classes, more advising, more student services and a lower teacher-student ratio.

In an interview Wednesday, Cecil Canton, Sacramento State’s CFA chapter president, commended the governor for canceling tuition increases and agreed that older buildings need construction. But improving higher education, he said, includes the “human element” in terms of teacher-student ratios, faculty salary, and instructional costs.

“When we’re talking about the human element we are talking about those people at the CSU,” Canton said. “We’re talking about the students and their relationship with the faculty.”

Canton stated that the CSU trustees have increased the higher education teacher-student ratio, which is prohibiting students and faculty to establish an enduring relationship ?” something Canton was able to create with his professors.

“I’m thinking about professors I had, and being able to talk to them about the impact they had in my life,” Canton said, adding that he was able to maintain these relationships even after he graduated.

He explained that when he first arrived at Sac State, only 10-15 students would be in graduate seminars. he said there are now 25-30 students in those seminars.

“We can’t have that happening,” Canton said. “That’s not education anymore.”

But another problem the system is facing to maintain low teacher-student ratios, Canton said, is faculty salary and the cost of living in California.

“The state funding needs to focus on the salary gap that exists that prevents the hiring and retaining of young faculty,” Canton said, explaining that this is becoming a real problem. “We are losing faculty.”

The basic income, Canton said, that a person needs to live with the basic necessities ?” including housing and expenses ?” throughout the state is an income that the younger and junior faculty aren’t earning.

“We have to do something about that gap,” Canton said.

Another concern, Canton said, is the gap between instructional and administration costs, as well as budget cuts. He revealed that teachers constantly have to take money out of their own pockets to make copies of papers for their students because of copy limits.

He also questioned about library budgets being cut, restricting the access to updated periodicals and books. “How can you run a higher education institution if you don’t have access to those kind of things,” he asked.

Canton said the governor’s decision to lower student fees is great, but asks what is he going to do next year and the years to come. “There must be a systematic and systemic process that should be going on,” Canton said.

Canton continued to confirm that CFA will continue to fight for the needs of the CSU faculty, which ties into the student needs. He recognized that the working conditions of faculty and students intertwine.

“We will continue to fight on behalf of our faculty and because of that we will continue to fight for students,” he affirmed.

But the fight isn’t necessarily against the governor, he said. He added that the association’s fight and victory against the governor’s propositions in the last special election was targeted take on the idea that the working people need access to affordable education rather than the governor’s defeat.

“The governor and chancellor (and even the president) need to recognize that we are all in this together, and by working together we can solve the problems of the CSU,” he said.

Nika Megino can be reached at [email protected]