Furloughs shutter academics at CSU Fullerton

About 2,000 California State University Fullerton professors are taking unpaid days off three days this week, starting Tuesday. Severe budget cuts at all Cal State campuses are forcing all employees to take furlough days. Most other campuses are spreading out or staggering furlough days.

The idea to consolidate the furlough days came from Cal State Fullerton’s Academic Senate, the policy body that represents professors, says its chair Scott Hewitt. "Almost all the faculty have been furloughed for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Some of them have also taken Friday as well."

Hewitt says the objective is to make it clear to students when furloughs are taking place, and to demonstrate the severity of state budget cuts by suspending instruction for three days at a large public university.

Some Cal State Fullerton students are picking up the slack. Philosophy major Alfredo Asuzano is helping to organize Furlough Fest, three on-campus days of music jams and unconventional student-led workshops.

"There’s a workshop on do-it-yourself sex toys. There’s a workshop on caricature drawing, on origami, on do-it-yourself gynecology, which is going to be in conjunction with the sex toys workshop."

Cal State Fullerton plans a three-day faculty furlough week again in the spring semester.