Joann Groff
News Editor
GRAHAM SHEA/Asst. Photo
Seaver Dean David Baird
tries to help students
understand the reasons
behind certain budget cuts
he has proposed.
Students gathered last Thursday in Raitt Recital Hall to voice their concerns and hear explanations about a subject that has been looming over Pepperdine for the past six months: budget cuts.
After it was revealed that there would be no public meeting for students to respond to the proposed cuts that threaten majors, minors and programs on campus, SGA had a meeting with Seaver Dean David Baird and they decided to set up a forum.
Baird presented parts of the PowerPoint presentation he showed the faculty at the beginning of the semester. The remainder of the nearly three-hour event was dedicated to a question and answer session. Students hammered questions about the Writing Center, the advertising and public relations majors, the international business major, larger class sizes, speech lab and more. The general sense from those who attended the forum has been appreciation that the dean took his time to try to explain the situation, but even further agitation after hearing the explanation.
“It was tough on his end to be there and to even give the presentation,” said SGA President Carl Kasalek, who said Baird was not feeling well that evening. “I did sense that the students weren’t getting the exact answers they wanted.”
Senior Paris Dennard, a political science and public relations double major, said he was one of those people.
“At the end of the forum I could see the point of what Dean Baird and the administration were saying, and I genuinely feel that they want the majors to be better,” Dennard said. “However, their justification in reallocating the funds in my opinion will do the direct opposite and make the major and the entire division bad.”
Sam Hedlund, a senior, also stressed his respect for the dean, while insisting on alternative solutions.
“The forum communicated well the reasons for the cuts and reallocations, but it wasn’t successful in making us feel that all these reasons are right, or that we have enough of a say in them,” Hedlund said. “I thank Dean Baird for being so honest and open about the reasons for the changes. I understand much better why these changes are being made … but the dean’s tone and his refusal to let students call the collapsing of their majors (PR, advertising) into the IMC (integrated marketing and communication) major ‘cuts,’ didn’t give us much confidence that our voices were being heard.”
With only 40 students in attendance, questions of publicity were discussed after the meeting by attendees, most claiming that SGA did not spread the word about the forum.
Kasalek said he hoped that more students would have attended, but had an explanation why a lot of students didn’t know about the meeting.
“We expected more students to show up,” said Kasalek. “But I think those students that really had questions and wanted to get answers came. We didn’t want to put it in a public information announcement. Our concern was that because we weren’t able to get Elkins (Auditorium), we didn’t want to overrun Raitt (Recital Hall). We didn’t want to have to turn people away. We wanted to do more of a grass-roots campaign.”
The campaign, credited to SGA vice president Misty Day, was for some SGA members to wear 10 lime-green bracelets, and to pass these bracelets out to 10 additional students as reminders to attend the meeting.
Kasalek admitted he didn’t know how many people the bracelets actually brought in, and all of the attendees interviewed by the Graphic said they learned about the forum either from friends in SGA or the Graphic article that ran the day of the forum. Kasalek said signs were posted about the meeting as well.
Senior Kristin Shafranske had a more positive outlook on the forum.
“I thought it was interesting and really great that Dean Baird took the time to discuss and explain the reallocation happenings,” Shafranske said. “I understand their need and desire to reallocate funds … I don’t think the forum accomplished what it was meant to — whether that was change opinions or just inform — but at the same time I think people will always find something to be disappointed with and unhappy with. I believe the administration has the students’ best interests in mind, but at the same time they are running a business and need to adjust things to make sure Pepperdine University continues to flourish.”
Dennard, among others at the forum, said he was unhappy that Baird seemes to contradict himself many times during his explanation to students.
“The longer Baird spoke, the more contradictions in his argument came through,” Dennard said. “His presentation stated strenghtening programs that reflect the location and culture in the area, and his speech called for boosting the physics program, which last time I checked was not a big (focus) in this location in Malibu, California. I believe mass communication or PR are.”
Junior Mike Mirliss agreed that the information just didn’t add up.
“It was like everything that the teachers were so upset about last year, he was trying to say they had no reason to be upset,” Mirliss said. “I felt like I was getting conflicting information. It like he was trying to appease everyone by saying that things weren’t being cut, but they are or the teachers wouldn’t be so upset.”
Others thought he explained the situation clearly, but that the plan is just not the right path to take.
“I thought he explained it very clearly, and it’s a good idea, but only in theory,” sophomore Lauren Long said. “But in the end, the students are still losing out, there are programs still being cut. And I know people that came to Pepperdine specifically for those programs.”
Hedlund said he sensed an urgency in Baird’s message.
“The dean argues that we are still early in the budget process, but the forum made it clear that time is short for students to truly have an impact,” Hedlund said. “Let’s do what we can to have that impact. We need to take a realistic view of the budget situation — something must be cut, and if we’re going to get any concessions for what’s important, we need to be willing to make tradeoffs.”
An effort to respond was discussed after the forum, and a group of students who have written a petition passed it around and received signatures from nearly every student who attended. During the forum, Baird said he “took petitions very seriously,” which encouraged the group who had been collecting signatures.
Senior Jenny Yang is one of the students who spearheaded the effort and said this was only the first step to respectfully let the dean know how many students are concerned about the changes, despite the small number of people who came to the forum.
“We want to let people on campus know that they can have a voice,” Yang said. “To show the administration that this really does mean something to the students, and the administration should think twice before they take such drastic actions.”
Courtney Steller, a senior, is not being directly affected by the proposed cuts, but has joined the group out of support for her classmates, a feeling she said is shared on this campus.
“I’ve heard a lot of feedback from people in these cut majors that are upset about it,” Steller said. “But I’m (a music major) and have a lot of friends outside of these majors, and quite a few are very upset, and know that there are others who are going to be affected. “The message is that the students don’t want to sit back and let it happen,” Steller continued. “We feel strongly against it, and we are going to do something about it, instead of being sitting ducks.”
09-23-2004