For Samir Haddad, graduation is the ultimate goal, that's why last week he was “running around campus like a chicken with it’s head chopped off," trying to get classes he needed to graduate.

Haddad is a Broadcast Electronic Communication Arts (BECA) major, and though this department is not officially impacted, it is a program with high demand and has been hit hard by budget cuts. BECA students have found it difficult this semester to get into required classes to keep them on track to graduate in a reasonable time frame.

“The program seems horribly impacted,” said Haddad, “I’ve shown up to classes on the first day and there are people pouring out into the hallway. I had to get three different recommendations from teachers just to get into a required class.”

Haddad, 24, has turned to some expensive alternatives in order to get what he needed. Once, when he was unable to get into a particular class, he paid $700 to take the equivalent course in the College of Extended Learning. It paid off in the end because on a class tour of a recording studio, he landed a job doing voice-overs for an X-Men game.

An overcrowded class has not only affected his comfort but his grade as well.

“In an audio production class, we were supposed to be watching the production board,” Haddad recalled, “And the room is made for only about 15people and there were 30 people in the class, so I was in the hallway trying to see through a window. I got an F in the class.”

John Barsotti, who teaches most of the basic and advanced audio production classes, has seen the affects of limited funding before in the 30 years that he has been teaching at SF State. The budget cuts and the high demand for classes has definitely affected the quality of his audio production lab, which has light fixtures hanging from the ceiling and torn carpet exposing ragged floor boards.

“We’ve never had a lot of money for new equipment, which we might get something new every 2-3 years,” said Barsotti. “But it’s the service staff that would take care of the equipment that has been drastically cut.”

According to Barsotti, the department had about 15 or 16 service people in 1990-91, which was cut down to about four with the budget cuts implemented by the first Bush administration.

“And now with the current budget cuts, we might lose those four,” Barsotti said.

The budget cuts not only affect BECA students, but the staff as well. Lack of funds will force the department to not hire back part-time lecturers and graduate assistants. With less hands to help out, professors like Barsotti may be required to teach the entry level courses that are usually covered by part-time lecturers.

But none of this has dampened his spirits or the spirits of his students. He said students would attend class no matter how big the classes are, “even if they had to hold it on top of the building in the middle of the night.”

Programs with such high demand, like BECA, are sometimes impacted, or limited to certain students. Impacted programs are unable to accept foreign exchange or out-of-state students. SF State’s BECA program is considered one of the nation’s top audio and visual broadcasting programs; students from around the world come to be part of it.

“We’ve chosen not to impact the program because then we wouldn’t be able to have such a diverse range of students,” Barsotti explained, “It’s fun to have all the different people here. There is real camaraderie in these classes.”

Phil Kipper, the department chair, said the program has seen an increased enrollment of students. The faculty, however, has not grown. According to Kipper, the department saw a 5 percent cut in their budget this semester, but they were able to make up for it by shifting funds from the general budget to the instructional budget. They were also forced to cut the number of graduate assistants by half.

“We’ve also restricted the amount of copying teachers can do,” said Kipper. “We have 25 people on faculty and we usually spend thousands of dollars just in copying fees for handouts and such. But now we require teachers to put the majority of their handouts online.”

The department may be facing extreme cuts next year, possibly losing 21 percent of its instructional budget. This may affect the number of graduate assistants and lecturers they will be able to hire and potential cuts in full-time staff.

“Next year will be difficult,” Kipper said. “We’ll have less resources and the same number of students.”

But BECA students seem to be a positive group, hoping for the best but ready for the worst in terms of getting into classes. Some have had good luck getting the classes they need, but others haven’t had it so easy.

“I’m a BECA major and only one of the four classes I’m taking this semester is a BECA class,” said Mary Richardson, 22. “It’s annoying that it’s taking me so long to graduate.”

Louie Reyes said he had to wait one semester to advance in the program because he was unable to get into a class that is part of his audio production sequence. But he praises the department, saying it’s “good for networking and meeting people, which never hurts.”

“I’ve heard horror stories about crashing classes and waiting in hallways,” said Reyes, 25. “I know it’s been frustrating lately with funding dropping off and tuition raised. But I’ve been pretty lucky.”

Michelle Wolf, a professor in the BECA department, said the students don’t realize that the professors do more than just teach; there is a lot of side work for each class.

“The high demand from students and the lack of funding is affecting our ability to serve our students and have the close one-on-one relationships that is essential,” Wolf said. “Everyone on campus is suffering.”

Wolfe noted that the problems on campus are reflections of the political state of our country and students have the power to change that. She said students need to go out and vote on election days for politicians who will recognize the importance of education and do what they can to support it.

Having taught at SF State for 22 years, Wolfe has seen waves of political shifts and said the ideology of students shift with politics.

“Things have gotten bad before,” Wolfe said. “Things always change and it will get better.”

No matter what cuts may be dealt to the BECA department, students and teachers alike seem to hold on to their strong relationship.

“It’s hard to get into a lot of the classes, but once you do, these professors are the best,” said Haddad, the 24-year-old BECA major, with a grin. “They actually work closely with you and care about your progress. It’s just too bad this department, just like the whole campus, gets the short end of the stick.”