September 13, 2017
California State University, Bakersfield
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THE BIG STORY
CSUB budget leaves faculty in dark By Runa Lemminn News Editor When the California State University Board of Trustees voted to increase tuition last year for all 23 campuses, the increase was, in part, going to fund additional faculty and advisers to increase class availability. The extra classes would ease overcrowding, and, in turn, help students graduate on time. Dr. Aaron Hegde, chair of the Budget and Planning Committee for the Academic Senate and chair of the Economics Department, said faculty input regarding funds has traditionally been overlooked. Yet faculty input is crucial in a public institution and a shared governance such as CSU Bakersfield. “The faculty have always felt that as we are a part of the university, we need to be involved in helping make these kind of decisions,” said Hegde. However, the faculty at CSUB has questions regarding how much money is going to increases in faculty-related areas, as well as exactly where the money is going within each area. “Many among us are even experts in this area of budgeting, forecasting, finance, we’re in the business school; this is what we do. So it’s not that we can’t handle or don’t understand the information,” said Hegde. CSUB Senator and Associate
Professor of Management and Marketing, John Tarjan, said faculty feels they should be involved early and with sufficient information to be able to provide meaningful feedback. “All we get are reassurances, and …we get no information on stuff like this, or it’s very sporadic,” Tarjan said. Associate Professor of biochemistry Karlo Lopez is also frustrated with the lack of current information. “It would just be nice to see all the numbers,” said Lopez. Hegde describes the problem as two-fold. The first part of the issue is that the faculty is unable to see current numbers in order to build a budget. The second part is transparency. “If you don’t have a budget, transparency doesn’t matter, because nobody knows what’s going on,” Hegde said. At CSUB’s annual Faculty Budget Meeting, Academic Senate Chair and nursing associate professor Deborah Boschini said that other universities don’t have the problem that CSUB does. “If I Google Fresno State budget, it takes me to a website with a wealth of information that goes back several years; I can see what every unit and department on campus receives right down to the marching band, and it’s fascinating to me how much information they share, so comfortably and so effectively, and I would really
Jarad Mann/The Runner
Dr. John Tarjan, along with other faculty members, asks CSUB President Mitchell about upcoming budgetary measures at a CSUB budget meeting on Aug. 24, in the Icardo Center.
like to move toward a model,” Boshini said. “It’s public record and should be available,” she added. Replying to Boschini’s com-
ments, CSUB President Dr. Horace Mitchell said that he supported helping faculty with the problem. “It is the plan. We will make
sure, and Thom (Davis) is prepared to do this, that we provide the kind of information that you are talking about,” he said.
Thom Davis, vice president of Business and Administrative Services at CSUB, assured the faculty that there was no problem in being able to do that.
ADMINISTRATION
Mitchell to retire after a 13-year career at CSUB By Alexis Redding News Reporter Dr. Horace Mitchell is retiring as CSU Bakersfield’s fourth president after this academic year. Students, faculty, and administrators of the CSUB community will be introduced to a forthcoming president for the university after Dr. Mitchell’s 13 years of leadership. Since Dr. Mitchell’s first year as president in 2004, staff feel he has encouraged others within the community to become leaders. Dr. Thomas Wallace, the university’s vice president for Student Affairs, has worked in conjunction with Dr. Mitchell for five years now and witnessed many of Dr. Mitchell’s academic achievements on campus. One of these includes the university’s progress since
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
becoming a NCAA Division I school in September 2010. “He took a very young university and advanced it in so many ways. He has enhanced the infrastructure of the university. As our leader, he has done an excellent job for putting this university in national providence,” said Dr. Wallace. Including his time at CSUB, Dr. Mitchell has 50 years of experience in higher education inside the CSU system. In a CSUB press release from Aug. 24, Michael Lukens, CSUB’s director of Public Affairs and Communications, said that Dr. Mitchell came to the university from University of California, Berkeley as a winner of the Berkeley Citation award. “Part of his legacy is that he’s built a campus where it’s about the students and everybody realizes that. We’re educating the
future leaders and future people who will become involved in our communities and help our economy grow,” said Lukens. Montrelle Henry, a CSUB alumna, recalled Dr. Mitchell’s leadership skills from her days as a student. She has returned to her alma mater this semester, with Dr. Mitchell as her president for the second time, to receive a Master of Educational Administration. “My first impression of Dr. Mitchell was that I was empowered to have an African-American male at the head of our local university. Although I don’t agree with all of his policies and decisions, I believe he genuinely serves our city well,” said Henry. Lukens has confidence that Dr. Mitchell’s foundation will exceed when he leaves CSUB. “He’s all class and always has been this figure you respect.
He has a way about him that he earns people’s respect. I’ve always found him to be supportive and encouraging; I think this campus reflects his leadership,” said Lukens. Rayshell Fambrough, a CSUB alumna, is an educational technology specialist for the Bakersfield City School District. She recalls a favorite memory shared with Dr. Mitchell from her graduation day. “One thing I appreciated about Mitchell, is that he never seemed too uptight.” He added, “I like to play. At both of my graduations I acted silly on stage and he went right along with me,” said Fambrough. Although Dr. Mitchell’s last day will be June 30, 2018, his constant loyalty and academic accomplishments are what will brace future academic years for the university and its students.
News
Features
Opinions
Dining options have changed. Find out what food chains are coming to campus Page 2
Runner Nights brings carnival theme to CSUB Page 4
Stephen King’s “It” hits theaters. Photo Editor Jarad Mann gives his thoughts on the remake Page 6
Jarad Mann/The Runner
CSU Bakersfield President Dr. Mitchell has announced his retirement at the end of the 2017-2018 school year.
Sports Meet CSUB women’s soccer player Sabrina Delgado Page 9
Online Find out what students thought of Runner Nights with our video on therunneronline.com