Whittier Area : Rio Hondo Students Protest Cuts in Geology Program

Rio Hondo College students have threatened a recall drive against the Board of Trustees over cuts in the geology program. Students recently presented trustees with a petition containing 1,353 signatures protesting the cuts.

Administration officials say the reductions in the geology department are comparable to those in other programs on campus. “It would be odd if we didn’t cut geology by 20%,” said Lance Carlson, dean of arts and sciences. Carlson said two field studies classes were eliminated because the department had gone over its budget by $14,000. He also said the department will lose one lecture class in the fall.

The student protest was sparked by a decision last month to fire geology instructor Stephen Joseph to make room for the return of instructor Joe Criscione after an unsuccessful career change.