 "Photo: Samuel Sksner, photo editor| Valley Star")
 "Photo: Angela Beach | Valley Star")
 "Photo: Samuel Oskner | Photo Editor, VALLEY STAR")
As the parking lots and walkways slowly empty from the surplus of students which populate the campus during the semester, construction continues, the budget deficit lingers, and Richard Torquato's status with Valley College is still unknown.
"We are ending this year with a deficit under a million dollars. This was our goal," Valley College President Sue Carleo said. "Our planning for 2010-11 is almost complete and our budget situation is not better than 2009-10."
Carleo confirmed earlier this semester that plans to combat the improving deficit would include fee hikes of $30-$50 per unit next semester. Though the president explains that cuts have already been made to classes, faculty, staff and categorical programs, the magnitude of the cuts and reductions will not be known until the final state budget is signed, most likely by the end of the summer.
Parallel to the cuts and class reductions, the administration has created the "Big Picture Committee," which is working on a massive restructuring of how the campus' committees relay information to the president. Amongst the restructure the committee will also work to link planning with the budget, installing a new annual planning that will coincide with five-year budgeting for each program.
Construction on campus according to Carleo will be an ongoing project throughout the summer. There are two buildings, the Student Services Complex, and Child Family Complex that will be ready for student use this fall. The next two buildings slated for completion are the Library and the Resource Center, which have at least one more year of construction prior to completion.
"The new projects funded by Measure J, are moving into the planning phase and committees will begin meeting to discuss the details," said Carleo.
As earlier reported by the Valley Star, Professor Richard Torquato, who was accused by a Valley student of several charges including sexual battery, was put on summary probation earlier this semester. His future with Valley is undecided. The administration, according to Carleo, is still investigating the situation to decide the future of the psychology professor and his position as an instructor.
The biggest focus of the administration at this point will be the committee restructuring. The new plan will instill two separate councils that will handle different aspects of the campus: one being the current state and budgeting of the campus, and the second focusing on future planning of each program.
"Our new councils will be in operation and we will conduct a year of assessment on their effectiveness, with the expectations that fine tuning will be needed to make the complete transformation to a college that links planning and budgeting, " said Carleo.
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