Lillian Taiz, president of the California Faculty Association, called 2008 the “year to gut education” today in a telephone conference addressing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed $312.9 million budget cut to the CSU systems.

Gov. Schwarzenegger announced the cut as part of his 2008-2009 budget proposal on Jan. 10, said CFA Communications Director Alice Sunshine.

Sunshine said a cut of this magnitude is equivalent to the money that would be saved from closing one CSU campus.

CSU students face a yearly tuition increase of 10 percent or about $138 if the budget is passed, Taiz said. CSU students are currently paying a base tuition of $1,386 per semester. That includes a 10 percent budget increase passed for the fall 2007 to spring 2008 school year.

Available classes will be cut, class enrollment will increase and students may face later graduation dates if the budget is passed, Taiz said.

“Students are going to find out that they will not be able to get as many classes, and the classes they can get are going to be overcrowded,” said Kim Geron, vice president of the CFA.

“We really think that’s a recipe for disaster.”

Faculty cuts may occur if the CSU does not have sufficient resources, and all remaining faculty face a greater challenge in efforts to provide education, Taiz said. The CFA will also be testifying at legislature hearings against the CSU budget cuts and hopes students will do the same, Geron said.

The CFA have made efforts to contact each CSU campus administration and find ways to bring together the CSU community against the budget, Taiz said.

“We’re looking forward to working with everybody on the campuses. We want everyone to understand this is just the opening salvo. This is the beginning of the fight. We need all hands on deck,” Taiz said.

“All of us together are going to be a pretty unstoppable force.”

Ashley Downton can be reached at [email protected]