Headlines/June 24, 1992

‘Budget forums outline funding process for ’92/93

About 20 people turned out at each
campus for forums on the 1992/93
budget on June 5. President Peter Jones
and bursar Norah Andrew were on hand
to outline budget plans for the next year
and explain decisions from
management’s perspective. Their
positions on some issues, particularly
plans to reduce the Chilliwack
bookstore’s hours of operation from six
to four per day for nine and a half
months of the year, were challenged by
some forum attendees.

Opposition to plans to reduce
bookstore hours and creative
suggestions about how to avoid the
reduction led management to reconsider
and abandon the planned reduction (see
accompanying story). :

The forums opened with a brief
outline of budget plans. Jones explained
that UCFV had received 200 additional.
FTEs for university college programs
and 20 new FTEs for English as a
second language, bringing the total
FTEs for 1992/93 to 2555.

UCFV’s grant for 1993/94 was

increased by 2%, along with the
equivalent of a 2% increase in tuition
fees, to make up for the fact that fees
were frozen at the 1991/92 level.
Additional funds, tied specifically to
university college programs, were also
received. These included funding for the
200 new FTEs, and $6 million in
start-up funding, which is to be spread
over five years and used for purposes
related to starting university college
programs.

UCFV’s operating budget rose by
12.4% — 2.2% of which is for
increments, reclassifications and
annualizations, and 1.9% of which is for
salary and sessional increases for ’92/93.
The remaining 8.3% is for university
college and continuing education
growth, and bookstore purchases, and is
funded through those respective
channels.

The budget shortfall of $144,426 was
addressed through 1) anticipated growth
in revenue areas, such as application
fees, Food Services, CE Contract
Services, and RAC activities and

2) expense reductions. These include
reducing the amount allocated for
administrative support activities;
reducing all budgets by 1%, which will
help avoid layoffs but require
departments to cut back on supplies; and
reducing the bookstore’s open hours in
Chilliwack from six to four hours per
day.

The 1993/94 budget will need to
address the cost of increasing faculty
and staff salaries by the percentage
necessary to bring the top step of the
faculty scale to the median of 16
colleges in the B.C. system on April 1,
1993. This will cost at least $300,000.
Budget reductions will likely be
necessary to meet these costs. To
prepare for these reductions, discussions
with all areas will take place, beginning
in June and continuing into the fall. The
results of these discussions will be
summarized in a white paper and
circulated for review before going to the
Board.

Forum debates focus on Chilliwack bookstore; management
cancels planned reduction

Although other issues were raised, the
symbolic and practical repercussions of
reducing the hours of the Chilliwack
campus bookstore dominated debate at
the recent budget forums.

Objections raised and suggestions
made by faculty and staff members at
both the Abbotsford and Chilliwack
budget forums caused management to
agree to reconsider, and ultimately
abandon, the proposed reduction.
Bookstore clerk Marlene McDonald will
take on additional duties, possibly for
other departments, to help make the
bookstore more efficient in less-busy
months.

The 1992/93 budget proposal initially
included plans to reduce the Chilliwack
bookstore hours from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. to 10
a.m.-2 p.m., except in the last two weeks
of August and all of September and
January, when it would be open for
extended hours, including evenings.

The reasons stated for reducing the
hours were that 85% of the Chilliwack
bookstore’s sales take place in the 2.5
peak months, and that the sales volume
recorded during the rest of the year
could be served in four hours rather than
six. Costs of running the Chilliwack
bookstore are rising while revenues are
not. The proposed reduction would save
$10-12,000 in ’92-93, according to
bursar Norah Andrew. Longer hours
would be restored “‘as soon as sales
warrant it.”

Before the planned reduction in hours
was cancelled, bookstore clerk Marlene
McDonald was given the choice of
taking a full-time position in Abbotsford
or remaining in Chilliwack in a part-time
position, and she chose the latter.

Objections were raised about the
planned reduction because of the effect
it will have on the level of service,
because of the “false choice” offered to
the employee involved, and because of

what it symbolized about the relative
importance of the Chilliwack and
Abbotsford campuses.

Suggestions were made about finding
ways to give the bookstore clerk more to
do so that her time could be used more
efficiently. Bookstore manager Cameron
Roy said that most work in the
bookstore is still done manually, and
can’t be easily or efficiently transferred
to different locations, but added that
when a computerized network links the
bookstores eventually, more sharing of
work will be possible.

Sheila Elliot suggested that other
departments could buy the clerk’s
services from the bookstore to perform
tasks that could be done in the store,
thus allowing it to remain open longer
hours. President Peter Jones welcomed
the suggestion, and said such
labour-sharing strategies could be

Please see next page.

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