monitor
ohlone college
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Vol. XLIV No. 10
Fremont, California
#ocmonitor
December 6, 2012
All I Want For Christmas Is YOU
See story on page 6 The largest Christmas tree lighting in San Francisco attracts talent of all kind, ranging from American icon Joe Montana to up and coming musician Robin Thicke.
Spring semester evokes registration stress By ASHLEY LAM Editor-in-chief
As the semester comes to an end and Ohlone college plans for another, the stress of class registration looms over students. Now that Proposition 30 has passed, students and faculty are hesitant about the future of their educational structures. This makes getting the right classes a very important task. Mike Bowman, dean of Admissions and Records, said that the way that students are allowed to register is not up to Ohlone College; it is mandated by the new Student Success Act. Ohlone implemented the new requirements from this act for 2013 Spring registration, said Bowman. The state’s Committee on Higher Education has worked to pass SB 1456 (the Student Success Act), according to the Silicon Valley Education Foundation. State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Orange County, who is the bill’s author told the Assembly panel, “SB 1456 is about community college students and
the tremendous fierce urgency of doing something now.” In 2010, the Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy, reported an official study from collecting data from California Community Colleges. The study deduced that around 70 percent of degreeseeking students after six years of enrolling fail to complete their goal certificate or degree. Only 15 percent of these non-completers statistically stayed enrolled. Also according to this study, only 40 percent of degreeseeking students acquired 30 college level credits. Are all students getting fair access to all the classes they need? Some students can get priority registration at Ohlone. Students who take notes in their classes and athletes typically get first dibs at the classes that they want. Veterans and foster youth receive first priority in registration at Ohlone, said Bowman. “Following them are those groups either mandated by
state regulation or identified by the college as warranting priority registration, including EOPS and DSPS students as well as athletes and student government leaders,” said Bowman. Next on the list to register are already enrolled students. After them, registration appointments go to declared majors and units that they have completed through Ohlone College, said BowFRANKIE ADDIEGO / MONITOR man. Priority registration rules are changing which students get first dibs at classes. “Those with 60-99.5 units Next, those students who continuing students are those and a declared [major] go are continuing and have a who have not declared a major first, then those who have declared major, but have com- and have less than 100 units,” a declared major and have pleted less than 30 units may said Bowman. Continued on Page 2 completed 30-59.5 units. register. The fourth group of