In a meeting filled with somber resignation, members of the University Budget Committee had but one question: How much will Chico State have to cut, and how much will it hurt?

The campus’ share of the $280 million in cuts to the CSU system is expected to be just over $9 million. President Paul Zingg said the No. 1 priority is to make sure Chico State hits its enrollment target of 13,912 students. But to do that, it must also provide the course sections those students need and want--a tall order when cutting the budget means cutting faculty.

Higher-education reps are hanging their hopes on the tactic of advocacy--something CSUs have floundered on compared to their counterparts at community colleges. A likely target will be the prison system and asking legislators to justify how the state can spend $10,500 to educate a college student for a year and $30,800 to incarcerate a criminal.

“We are competing right now for a very, very small piece of a sizable pie,” said Zingg, who added that the state has disintegrated to the point where it’s now “run by referendum.”