Viewpoints
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Serving students since 1922
April 4, 2013 | 3
RCC district reviews budget model Ashley Anderson Asst. News Editor There are major conversations taking place regarding the current way the budget is allocated for each college within Riverside Community College District. The Budget Allocation Model or BAM is being discussed by the budget revision task force made up of the three college Presidents and their leadership groups, Chancellor Gregory Gray, and chaired by Vice Chancellor of Finance Aaron Brown. “There is a process to revise the budget allocation model…there is a model used by the entire district,” said President of Riverside City College Cynthia Azari. “There is a long to do list of things we need to look at and so some of the things we’ll look at is clearly defining the roles of the district and the college,” said President Azari. “We don’t have our own budget and so that’s really what we’re trying to do is for the college to be given a budget and it’s our job to
stay within that budget.” How a college or district receives its revenue from the State of California is by the amount of full time equivalent students (FTES). The number of students that attend the college equates to a budget given to Riverside district which is currently being allocated by the district. An example, “the district budget used to fund the part time faculty ... if we are given the budget for part time faculty then we will know how many classes to offer,” said President Azari. This budget discussion has been brought up three years after becoming RCCD with three colleges and before Proposition 30 funds take effect. When asked why now for a discussion over the current budget model President Azari stated, “I have been here two years and I have been asking for it since I first came here, I was use to that at my previous college I was use to having our own budget.” “Each college has their own budget, I just want to make that
clear,” said Brown. “We are just talking over concepts... establishing principles for how we want a budget allocation model to be,” said Aaron Brown, Vice Chancellor of Finance. “We are determining the methodology for allocation.” “We have transitioned to a three college environment the previous budget allocation model was prior to the time we became three accredited colleges,” stated Brown. “From my position I look at what are we doing from an overall basis,” said Vice Chancellor Brown. “The main thing we need to do is we need to provide services to students and what does it take to provide services to students and so that is why we are going through these exercises.” For more information on the consolidation of community college districts, visit Viewpoints Online for a supplemental article from California Watch, a part of the Center for Investigative Reporting.
Celeste walter /staff illustrator
Associated Students of RCC president a registered sex offender James Williams Staff Editor
Paul Harris/ Viewpoints Archives
Convicted: Fliers found on campus April 1 revealed Figueroa’s conviction of being a registered sex offender.
A flier found on campus by a member of the Viewpoints staff on April 1 revealed that Doug Figueroa, president of Associated Students of Riverside City College, is a registered sex offender. Figueroa, 41, was convicted of kidnapping a child under the age of 14 years old “with intent to commit lewd or lascivious acts,” according to www.MegansLaw.CA.Gov Figueroa, who was elected as president of Associated Student of RCC during the 2012 spring semester, had informed college administration about his past. “He told us about this before he was elected to office,” RCC President Cynthia Azari said. Prior to being elected, Ed Bush, RCC vice president of Student Services, talked with Figueroa to ensure that he would comply with the terms of his probation, according to Azari. “I also talked with (Figueroa) and there are certain events he cannot attend, like
Halloween Town and Bunny Hop, because there are children on campus,” she said. The college district also released a statement about the situation. “He is aware of this issue and has also been instructed by the appropriate College Student Services Administrator not to engage in activities that may violate the law. RCCD has complied with all of its legal obligations pertaining to this issue and is continuing to monitor the situation to ensure the safety and security of its students and staff.” Viewpoints contacted Figueroa, but he did not comment. He instead directed the newspaper to Bush and President Azari.
Moments before the deadline, ASRCC President Doug Figueroa submitted a statement to Viewpoints staff. To read the full story and his statement visit: www.ViewpointsOnline.org