With spring registration nearing, it is crucial for students to be mindful of a 10 percent reduction in course section offerings and limited access to services as they plan to construct their schedules.
At a time when students are returning to college because of the poor job market, more than 4,000 instructional hours were cut from the final spring schedule, Senior Dean of Instruction Donna Floyd said.
In addition to the increased competition for seats, a 55 percent reduction in categorical funding this year has reduced accessibility to student services, such as reductions in the counseling department’s office hours.
“The tricky thing here is that not only is access to college classes affected, but students will have a harder time trying to see a counselor,” Floyd said. “The lines are already long and if students wait, the lines will be incredibly longer.”
The hourly instructional cuts are tied to the C-contract budget, which funds all adjunct faculty, including many part-time staffers in the counseling department, and the overtime of full-time professors.
In order to offset the reduced accessibility to personnel, students should utilize methods of automated registration, such as online resources and the district telephone registration system, Floyd said.
If possible, students should not rely on face-to-face interactions when registering for classes, Vice President Carol Maga said.
“People that regularly (register) through the Web site WebAdvisor are going to get quicker service,” Maga said. “(Students) have to be a little more independent and patient when (they) need extra help.”
In addition to making counseling appointments early and mapping an educational plan, it is extremely important for continuing students to pay attention to their registration dates and enroll in classes as soon as they are permitted, Maga said.
Registration opens for EOPS, Disabled Students Programs and Services and CalWORKs Monday. Priority registration for returning continuing students is by appointment on Nov. 30-Dec. 1 and continues through Dec. 11. Noncontinuing and concurrent enrollment students may register from Dec. 14-20.
“I’m prepared to pick my schedule,” nursing major Ariana Espen said. “But even though people have priority dates, there’s still not enough room to accommodate every student here.”
Compared to fall 2008, the college has experienced an 8.9 percent growth in enrollment, Maga said. Generally, the college has been serving more students than it can afford, she said.
CCC is responsible for 20 percent of the district’s budget, which was reduced from 34,000 to 29,000, Floyd said.
The colleges’ revenues are based on their number of full-time equivalent students (FTES), or every 15 units enrolled. This academic year, CCC’s goal is to serve 6,273 FTES.
“We don’t want to cut (sections) too low, because we might not meet our goal,” Floyd said. “But if we go over, we are serving more students than we are getting money for, so we’re not in a growth mode, (but) we’re trying to maintain.”
Floyd said that in identifying sections, division deans worked with department chairs and indicated the amount of hours that could be cut in efforts to make equitable reductions across the board.
Emphasis was also placed on retaining courses needed for transferring, vocational certifications or associate degrees, Floyd said.
“We didn’t want to eliminate courses students need to satisfy requirements,” she said. “Spring is a huge time for graduation.”
Originating from the approximately $2 million reduced from CCC’s budget for the 2009-10 academic year since July, Maga said that these decisions were necessary to balance financial deficits.
Espen said the situation is discouraging.
“It makes me think, ‘Do I have to wait another semester here to take this class?’” she said.
Contact Holly Pablo at hpablo.advocate@gmail.com
Cutbacks imminent
Spring course sections reduced by 10 percent
Published: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Be the first to comment on this article!