No more furloughs, but budget worries linger at convocation - Alexandra Baird, Daily 49er

Cal State Long Beach President F. King Alexander spoke about the exclusion of furloughs for the upcoming school year. No more double-checking calendars and wondering when class is cancelled; furloughs are gone, at least for this school year. A formal announcement that campus closure days would not return for the 2010-2011 academic year was welcome news at the university convocation Friday morning. “Furloughs are gone,” said Provost Donald Para. “We hope to never have to deal with the f-word again.”Para said the campus was able to drop the furloughs, which were unpaid days off for instructors, due to early strategic planning. The university has struggled with decreased funding from the state — down $52 million, President F. King Alexander said — and students have suffered.