PIERCE COLLEGE : $90,000 Loan to Be Repaid by June

A $90,000 loan made by the Pierce College Associated Students Organization to the school’s administration during a budget crisis last year will be repaid by the end of the school year in June, student leaders said.

The Woodland Hills school has returned $83,000 to the ASO so far, said Shandra Pesheck, ASO treasurer.

The administration borrowed the money last year when financial difficulties threatened to delay the school’s summer session.

Since state law prohibits the school from borrowing money directly from the ASO treasury, the salary of the ASO faculty adviser and part of the salary of the dean of students were charged to the ASO’s budget after approval by the student government executive council, administrators said. The general fund money that was saved was for summer session.

The money is being repaid in a similar manner, administrators said.

Pierce Fiscal Administrator Legrand Power said so far, the administration has spent $29,000 on a library security system, $5,000 on library materials, $5,000 to fund new campus police cadets, $2,500 on programs and student assistance for the college’s math department, and $25,000 on a program that pays handicapped people to clean up the campus.

All expenditures made to repay the loan were approved by the student government executive council.

Though the funds could have been spend on student activities had the loan not been made, Associated Students President Sam Muhayimana said the severe budget crunch facing the school justified the loan.

“Normally, we would not spend money on these things, but because of the budget cuts, there is an emergency at the school,” he said.

Muhayimana said he does not know how the remaining $17,000 the administration owes the ASO will be spent.