In another effort to help relieve the budget crisis California faces, community college education may once again take on a new funding program that may turn ours into the lowest funded college in the state.

As beneficiaries of the education the college provides, students may write, call or e-mail their state legislators to prevent this from happening.

Although the new finance plan for California community colleges is only a proposal, community colleges such as EC and Long Beach will lose significant funds if the proposed plan is approved.

The finance model is the result of research done by the Workgroup on Community College Finance. The workgroup developed the financing plan after evaluating colleges based on the number of colleges and branches that each college controls, as well as the number of credited and non-credited, full-time equivalent students and other characteristics. More of each category means more money for the school.

Unfortunately for us, we lost points in both categories. When it comes to centers or off-campus sites, we have none. Also, in the evaluation process, although it was the largest in its category, we qualified as a medium-sized campus.

Furthermore, students need 12 units to be considered a fulltime student here. When evaluating colleges, the workgroup considered a student to be fulltime if he or she had at least 15 units.

If the proposal is passed, the college would receive less revenue than it currently receives. Despite the reduced funding, Pamela Fees, business manager, said that students will most likely not notice the difference since the college will continue to fund existing programs. Though we may not feel a drastic change, as Fees said, the truth is that there will be a change. Whether it is fewer tutors or shorter hours at the computer laboratory, the truth is that students will eventually feel the effects of a reduced budget.

Although the finance plan is still in its proposal stages, students may petition Sen. Edward Vincent by calling his office in Sacramento at (916) 445-2104. He may be also be contacted by calling his district office at (310) 412-0396. Assembly member Jerome Horton can also be petitioned to help prevent this proposal from being passed. Horton can be reached at the Capitol at (916) 445-2104 or at his district office (310) 412-0396.

If the student body petition Vincent and Horton, the proposal may be reconsidered. This budget proposal hurts all of us and should be re-evaluated. Our college has proven to produce successful students and therefore does not deserve to be placed at the bottom of the barrel and suffer another budget cut.