TURLOCK -- Budget cuts at California State University, Stanislaus, will eliminate the personalized service the campus is known for, with less staff doing more work, employees said during a forum Thursday.

"We're all going to have to plan," said Mary Stephens, vice president of business and finance. "There are fewer staff to do at least as much if not more work."

About 150 people, mostly employees, turned out for the standing-room-only forum. Earlier this week, President Marvalene Hughes announced the university will cut $6.4 million, nearly 10 percent, from the 2004-05 academic year's operating budget.

The cuts include layoffs of nine permanent staff members and three managers, effective June 30.

"I'm stressed to my limit," drafting technician Don Kolodzieczak told administrators Thursday. He said he wanted to say things that others feel, but are afraid to say for fear of retribution.

"Where are you guys getting hit?" Kolodzieczak said. "Why is upper management sitting pretty and getting raises?"

University spokesman Don Hansen said staff and administrators at Stanislaus State last received raises July 1, 2002, when a 1.68 percent across-the-board increase in pay was issued.

"I do take offense that you totally devalue our stress and emotions in this, and assume our actions are heartless," Stephens told Kolodzieczak.

Kolodzieczak disagreed, saying he wanted to find out why staff ideas for avoiding job losses, such as closing the campus on weekends, were not given greater consideration.

Roger Pugh, assistant vice president for enrollment, said he believes the administration did consider staff ideas. It has proposed cutting back many office hours by two hours a day, to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Stanislaus State and the other 22 universities in the CSU system are sharing in the proposed $240 million cut to the CSU budget.

"What we all share in common is the desire to do what's right," Hughes said at Thursday's forum. "We are a part of a huge picture."

The cut is on top of a $304 million hit to the system in 2003-04. Stanislaus' share of that was $3.6 million.

Hughes said that as a result of the cuts, it is anticipated there will be 23,000 fewer students systemwide, "or an entire campus," in 2004-05.

Stanislaus State should grow slightly, however, Provost David Dauwalder said. That is because the school decided to convert to a "self-supported" summer session, paid for with student fees, with 365 students estimated to be admitted in the summer.

Student fees will cover the expense. Fees will stay the same; faculty will be paid between 72 percent and 75 percent of what they are normally paid in the summer to make up the difference.

Administrators outlined other cuts Thursday, including:

Reduced student advising. Stacey Morgan-Foster, vice president for student affairs, said the nationally recommended student-to-adviser ratio is 250 students to one adviser. Stanislaus will move from a ratio of 1,000-to-1 to 1,500-to-1, she said.

"We're sliding away from the personal attention we have prided ourselves on," she said.

Cuts to funding for student jobs, resulting in the loss of more than 50 tutoring jobs and up to 100 laboratory and other positions in the office of information technology.

People will need to reduce their expectations of each other, Stephens said.

Jennifer Caldwell, who evaluates transcripts and other admissions materials for graduate students, said the same message needs to be delivered to the students.

"How do you help (students) understand they need to reduce their expectations?"