Student Affairs presents service budget to Senate
By George Aguilar
Staff Writer
The Office of Student Affairs unveiled its half-million dollar 1981-82 Student Services budget before the Student Senate Wednesday.
The total budget, listed at $525,000, is funded by the $13 student services fee paid by students at the beginning of each semester.
Jim Dennis, associate vice president for Student Affairs, presented the budget, telling student senators that the areas earmarked for funds were the ones most in need.
Among those areas listed is the Student Activities Center bond payment, which accounts for one-fifth of the budget — $105,000. Dennis explained that the bond payment is necessary because in 1965, students chose to finance the building of the Student Activities Center through a bond. He said students will be paying off the bond well into the 21st century.
The weekend tram service to Westwood will cost $20,000 to finance. Dennis termed the inaugural run of the tram last weekend as a great success. More than 150 students made the trip, making the ridership two to three times larger than it was several years ago.
An allocation of $40,000 was made to develop a system that will put all
grades and transcripts into a computer network. This item brought an objection from senator Mark Slavkin who felt that student funds should not be used in developing a system the university should already have.
Dennis replied that the computer service is a student service because “hopefully this will expedite grade and credit checks.” He added this is a one-year expense.
“The student fees shouldn't have been touched, but it has been,” Slavkin replied.
Another $50,000 has been earmarked for black and Asian-Pacific student services. “This is an area that has been underfunded in the past,” Dennis said.
“We tried to fund areas that were lacking in funds,” said Andrew Littlefair, chairman of the Student Senate, adding that this would make an immediate impact on the student body. “By infusing new dollars, students could find that we are helping them.”
When asked later about the possible objections by other campus groups about being overlooked, Littlefair replied, “Obviously it would have been nice to have the funds to distribute all over, but we did hit a great number of students.”
The chairman stressed that the funds were targeted for specific ser-
vices for black and Asian students.
The Office of International Students and Scholars will be allocated $77,000, which will eliminate a fee charged to international students last year for the processing of applications. “It was a recommendation made by the senate last year that a fee singling out a specific group should not be charged,” Dennis said.
The budget also includes $20,000
for the formation of a weekend programming unit which will try to come up with ideas to liven up weekends on campus. Dennis said this is to counter the complaint that “nothing happens on weekends at SC.”
The budget was formulated mainly on the recommendations from the Student Services Fee Advisory Group, made up of student senators Colette Brown, Jill Richards, Patty Minor and Littlefair, Dennis and James Appleton, vice president of
Student Affairs.
“It was one of the best student staff committees that I have seen,” Dennis said. The committee will be used in the formation of next year’s budget.
One of the points Dennis stressed was the accountability the Student Senate and the administration will have from groups which will receive student service funds. He said each
unit will have to explain at the end of the year what they have done with their funds. Dennis said this is the best way to evaluate their effectiveness.
Senator Terry Bingham said she felt that many of the services listed in the budget should be funded by the university instead of by the students. Senator Brown replied, “The university has never put emphasis on student services,” and added that the advisory group will serve to (Continued on page 16)
‘We tried to fund areas that were lacking funds. Bv infusing new dollars, students could find that we are helping them . . .Obviously it would have been nice to have the funds to distribute all over, but we did hit a great number of students’
Inefficiency causes delay in paychecks
By David Wharton
Staff Writer
Many university employees are not receiving their paychecks on time because the administration has not yet efficiently adapted to the school's new computer payroll system.
“Paychecks have been severely late. 1 have had to fight for several days to get mine,” said Steve Barber, a junior in broadcast management who works for the university’s Food Services.
Barber »aid several employees he works with presented their complaints to the California Labor Board and were told the situation would be investigated.
Fermin Vigil, the university’s associate comptroller, said paycheck delays are caused by school administrators, not the new computer system.
“I perceive the main problem is that the actual departments where the employee works are just not being responsible to send the (employee timesheets) in on time,” he explained.
"I have got a stack of paperwork on my desk now that is 2 inches high of departments being delinquent in submitting timesheets,” the comptroller said. “When they are delinquent, it causes a delay in the checks being prepared for the employees because I have to prepare them manually.”
The new computer payroll system, which is being used for the first time this semester, is quicker, more efficient and reduces the chances of information loss due to machine malfunction. Vigil said.
University administrators must try to meet Payroll Office deadlines in order for the system to work efficiently, he added.
“I am trying to meet with the departments to encourage them to turn in timesheets by the deadline. We are trying to resolve this problem,” the comptroller said.
Eugene Gerlitz, director of business and financial affairs for the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, said dealing with the new system means more paperwork and headaches for his department.
“This is our first September with the new payroll system, so this is our first experience under this system with the very high influx of new employees that occurs as the academic year starts. The workload has been much, much more severe than we anticipated,” the director said.
“They (the Payroll Office) give us only two days to prepare the paperwork for bimonthly paychecks. That means a tremendous amount of work to be done in two days, and it is very difficult to get it done.” Gerlitz said as he explained his department’s inability to consistently meet the Payroll Office deadline.
Gerlitz said the LAS department hired temporary help and called in extra college work-study students to handle the overflow of paperwork. The director also said he plans to meet with payroll officials to attempt to rectify the paycheck problem.
The increased paperwork facing university administrators this semester is creating problems for food and housing departments too, said Guy Hubbard, executive director of Auxiliary Services. Of Auxiliary Services’ 1,500 employees, Hubbard estimated that 150 have encountered difficulties in getting their paychecks on time.
“It is a matter of reorganizing our organization to adapt (to the increased paperwork). It’s causing a trauma here,” the executive director said.
Barber said he went to see President James H. Zumberge to complain about having to wait for his paychecks and was assured that the problem was being closely scrutinized.
trojan
Volume
Southern California
Thursday, October 8, 1981
Communication enrollment drops
Dean attempts to rebuild program
By Alan Grossman
Staff Writer
Peter Clark, new daan of the Annenberg School oi Communications, said that despite a decline in enrollment and the need for new courses, things will return to normal in the future.
“We’ll have no difficulty in building student enrollment,” Clark said. “There’s no field today enjoying more interest than mass media.”
The dean said the field includes the effect of media on society, research methods and management.
The new dean comes from the University of Michigan, where prior commitments occupy half his time. “There hasn’t been much of an opportunity (for quick change),” Clark said.
In repeating his assurances that Annenberg will improve, Clark pointed out that he gained experience as dean of Michigan’s School of Communications.
“The department (of Communications was) originated in 1979 and is now the sixth largest major in the School of Arts and Sciences. Only the traditionally strong majors, like 1 biological science or economics, are above it,” the dean said.
The revamped School of Communications will be housed in both the Annenberg building and in the Center for the Study of the American Experience. The center has been phased out, and Clark said the decision was made be-
fore he arrived at the university-
As for the curriculum, Clark said, “We will build upon our strong base, and emphasize the role of communication in society, media and the arts, humanities and social studies. We are setting our sights to
build communication — that’s our priority.”
Clark wanted to emphasize that part of the school’s current problem is both the lack of faculty and the relative newness of those present, including himself.
(Continued on page 5)
Staff photo by Junji Yasuda DIG IT - Construction worker digs a trench for installing much-needed drainage pipes at the Cromwell Athletic Reid which usually gets flooded during the rain season.