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Assemblyman Torrico tells CSU Dominguez Hills to halt program cuts plan
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Elected officials and members of the Screen Actors Guild supported a faculty and student protest of budget cuts at CSU Dominguez Hills. Rally organizers oppose an administration process underway that could lead to cutting entire programs or majors.
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At a boisterous campus rally on Wednesday, California Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico called on CSU Dominguez Hills President Mildred Garcia to end a plan that could lead to the elimination of academic programs and majors if the campus undergoes state budget cuts next year.
Dominguez Hills English Professor Helen Oesterheld said faculty organized the midday protest because they feel administrators aren’t exploring other cost-saving options. "We do have a number of small but very vital programs, and so when you think about eliminating them, you are in fact stripping opportunities for students who live in this area who otherwise could not afford to attend a four-year school."
About a thousand students attended the indoor rally. They cheered loudly when Assemblyman Torrico called on the university’s president to rescind the plans.
After the midday rally, University Vice President Greg Saks emphasized that Sacramento lawmakers cut the university’s budget by $16 million. "If the assembly members can provide 22 percent of our budget back, I think we’d be in a much better place to be able to take that and everything else off the table."
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Saks said the university expects to know by December which areas of study it may eliminate if Sacramento cuts the university’s budget again next year.
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