Student equity process continues
By Kwame Opoku-DukuThe Guardsman
Curriculum and administrative changes are being made at City College to address the student achievement gap following two student equity meetings held July 20 and July 22.The student hiring process, financial aid and priorities for incoming students are some areas where administrative changes will occur.City College Trustee Steve Ngo said the meetings were very constructive and noted several key points of progress. He said requirements for student employment would change. Previously, requirements such as tuberculosis shots sometimes delayed students from beginning work immediately. The new changes will allow students to start working sooner while finishing the necessary paperwork.“All student jobs will be required to be posted on the career services website,” Ngo said, but added that City College lost 10 percent of its $1.4 million to fund campus jobs.Ngo said financial aid was another issue tackled at the meeting. Several suggestions were made that are being considered to help students make the most of their experience, including using student ambassadors to assist students caught in long lines to help expedite the process and digitizing forms to reduce paper waste. There was also talk of an English class using a semester to complete FAFSA.Ngo and Student Trustee Jeffrey Fang agreed to set up an equity hearing to discuss the needs of incoming students who are international or AB 540 (undocumented students who graduated from high school in the U.S.).“They are the last in line to get classes,” Ngo said. “This could delay them from transferring or even graduating. There will now be 1,000 seats reserved for incoming students.” Associated Students President Elizabeth Weinberg agreed.“We have a lot of populations on campus who need their voices heard,” Weinberg said. “We want to make sure we’re representing every voice on campus.” Ngo encourages undocumented students who qualify as AB 540 to apply for non-resident exemption forms, allowing them to avoid costly out-of-state tuition costs. To be eligible for an AB 540 extension, a student must attend a California high school for three years, have obtained a high school diploma or the equivalent, and write a written promise to the school that he or she has filed an application to adjust their immigration status, or will do so when eligible.“Statistically we know the number one predictor of a student graduating is whether or not he or she is full time,” Ngo said. “So it is very important we make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure students don’t need other jobs while attending.” The changes in the curriculum are also being made to save students’ time. Starting next spring, some introductory courses will be merged so that a student will be able to finish in one semester what he or she would normally complete in two, mainly in algebra and English. Students will have the option to take these classes “pass/not pass.”These changes are just the beginning. An equity task force, convened by the chancellor, will be meeting continually to work on finding ways to improve this process.“There is a huge gap that needs to be bridged,” Weinberg said. “It’s an ongoing struggle and I am strongly supportive of the work toward equity among the students. This is a place where foundations can really be set.”“We’ll be working methodically and consistently,” Ngo said. “We’ve made some significant progress already.”Fang said, “We need to keep a laser focus on narrowing the achievement gap by doing what’s practical with our lack of budget and manpower.”Fang also noted a statement Chancellor Don Griffin made at the meeting. Griffin said the people at the meeting were a part of the solution, which Fang noted was a change in rhetoric from past meetings.Fang stressed that the ultimate burden lies on the students’ shoulders.“I may take some flak for this, but the faculty and the administration have both stepped up their game,” Fang said. “It is now up to the students to do the work for their own benefit. Each student needs to take the next step on their own.”
