ASCC hosted an open forum Thursday at noon in PUB, welcoming students to ask questions and voice their concerns about the proposed budget cuts.
At the event, Vice President of Instruction Tim Cook walked through the rationale for each program on the proposal.
A microphone was available for anyone wanting to speak. Students were also able to submit and vote on questions electronically, with the most popular ones being displayed on a screen.
Students from the nursing, addiction counseling and paralegal programs spoke their concerns pertaining to them as students. A mechatronics student, worried that other programs would be targeted in the future, asked everyone in attendance to continue their programs and encourage others to continue as well to sustain enrollment.
Popular questions included the metrics used for proposing programs, the college’s recruitment efforts, raising tuition and charging for parking. Cook and President Bob Knight responded to all questions in tandem.
The administrators also clarified the confusion between the proposed cuts in the Humanities department, the funding for the new STEM building and the five percent decrease in tuition.
The event ended with Cook applauding the turnout and encouraging students to submit any other questions or to talk to him directly.
