Fewer classes, high enrollment burdens college
By Don Clyde and Hannah Weiner
The Guardsman
Many City College students have been struggling to enroll in impacted classes and teachers are overworked due to a large number of Spring 2010 course cuts.
City College cut 379 classes this semester and 330 during fall 2009, according to Terrance Hall, dean of instruction at City College. The cuts were implemented to grapple with the school’s $18 million to $20 million budget shortfall. The fall and spring cuts amount to about 6 percent of total classes offered.
City College has also eliminated the 2010 summer school session to save an additional $4 million.
“We’re all packing in students and I’m talking massive numbers of students,” said Darlene Alioto, department chair of social sciences. “Teachers are doing their best not to turn people away.”
According to Alioto, the number of students allowed in each class cannot officially change, but teachers are adding above the cutoff line.
“We’re doing it to help students,” she said. “Everybody is overworked and taking additional students for no additional pay.”
Bill Shields, teacher and chair of labor and community studies, said his 21-year-old son couldn’t enroll in English 1C and added that about 150 students were not allowed to enroll in the class.
Shields was told by the office of academic affairs that the college simply did not have the money to open new sections.
“There are more students sitting in the hallways than sitting in the classrooms,” he said. “It hurts to turn away students who need classes.”
Credit-class enrollment was already up to 35,901 students as of Feb. 2, according to the department of admissions and records. The enrollment figures are expected to rise as students continue to add courses before the final add date on Feb. 5. Fall 2009 credit enrollment was tallied at 36,499.
The California State University system closed nearly all new admissions for its spring 2010 term, forcing many prospective CSU transfers to remain at City College. Cuts in the CSUs and UCs are also driving students to more accessible community colleges.
“Every time a student can’t get into a UC or state school, they come here,” said Alioto. “It’s hard to keep our doors open when California no longer makes education a priority.”
High unemployment rates are also driving students to City College. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site indicates 12.4 percent of Californians are out of work.
“The major issue is the economy,” Alioto said. “When the economy goes bad, enrollment goes up. It’s a cyclical thing.”
She said if people can’t find jobs they go back to school to learn more skills, or simply attend to get financial aid in order to make ends meet.
Laura Henry, a fourth semester undeclared student who may want to study Italian, said she could not enroll in several classes.
“I was trying to get into a bio 11 class, an English 1A class and math 860 and I didn’t get into any of those,” Henry said. “I want to get some GE done and I can’t.”
