What Sonoma State’s Massive Budget Cuts Mean for the University’s Future

Facing a $24 million deficit, Sonoma State University has announced plans to eliminate six academic departments, lay off dozens of faculty and end intercollegiate athletics. Sonoma State officials say the university was forced to act due to a nearly 40 percent dip in enrollment and a decline in state funding, at a time when costs to run the university are on the rise. But many students and faculty members say they were blindsided by the cuts and are calling on officials to reconsider. We’ll check in with SSU’s interim president and others in the campus community.

Guests:

Emma Williams, sophomore, dance and history major, Sonoma State University

Marisa Endicott, reporter, Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Don Romesburg, chair of Department of Women's and Gender Studies, Sonoma State University; author, "Contested Curriculum: LGBTQ History Goes to School, out in April" from Rutgers University Press.

Emily Cutrer, interim president, Sonoma State University

Taylor Hodges, sophomore, communications major, Sonoma State University; member of SSU's soccer team