Summer classes at City College successfully meet student demand

Yomi Akinyemi

The Guardsman

City College began its largest summer program ever opening over 1000 classes June 13 to successfully meet student demand after canceling its 2010 summer session due to staggering budget cuts.

The total number of summer 2011 classes is about 15 percent more than the total number of summer 2009 sections, aiding students and the school itself.

According to preliminary budget reports made during a Board of Trustees meeting on June 2, Peter Goldstein, vice-chancellor of finance and administration, said half of the income derived from the 2011 summer session would help balance the 2010-2011 school budget, while the other half would count towards next year’s budget.

Despite the increase in the six-week summer school session, City College faces further cutbacks in state funds and announced it will likely cut 350 to 400 classes next year.

The majority of new 2011 summer classes were added are in “high-demand areas such as math, science and English, and the school hopes to secure more enrollment growth funds from the state by reaching its base enrollment,” Chancellor Don Griffin said.

English department chair Jessica Brown said her department offered 107 classes this summer, 24 more than summer 2009. The department also increased the number of sections in historically high-demand classes such as English 1B, English 96 and Speech 1A.

“This is the first summer I have been able to serve students efficiently… as I’ve been able to add ten more sections of basic skills and general English to help students who need to transfer or fulfill requirements,” Brown said. “But we need to add more classes, increase the number of staff, and make sure this is a permanent fixture and not cut back next summer.”

Students have embraced the increase in summer classes because most typically in-demand classes are either high-enrolled, at capacity or over-enrolled.

Sandy Duong, a part-time City College student since 2007, said the summer session allows her to take classes in a “condensed, timely manner” as she plans to transfer to San Francisco State University for nursing while working full-time and caring for her two young children.

First-time summer student Chavonne Hussain enrolled in English 1B to complete her prerequisites transfer to SFSU for communications. She said she was worried the class would be capped after last year’s lost summer session.

But the increase has enabled her to take the course because four English 1B classes were added.