In Santa Monica classes go to highest bidder Two-tier pricing will be o ered to students who need classes to transfer

Aurora

Ramirez

/ Roundup aramirez.roundupnews@gmail.com

Santa Monica College (SMC) will be offering two-tier pricing for high demand classes beginning this summer.

Governing board approved a plan to offer certain high-demand classes for a higher price when the regular classes have filled up. This decisions has come due to budget cuts and the cut in courses offered to the 34,000 students that attend SMC, allowing students who highly need courses such as English and math a place in a class, but at a much higher cost.

On June 27, the legislature passed a budget that the state senate leader called, “Most austere budget we have seen in a generation.”

California Governor Jerry Brown signed the budget into a law on June 30, 2011, the day before the start of the fiscal year.

“This may help SMC students have a better chance in adding courses this coming semester, since we do not have a chance like other colleges to crash classes the first week of school,” said Santa Monica College student Bernardo Ruiz.

“Community-college fees will increase $10 per unit.”

Fees will be raised from $36 to $46 by the summer session.

The cost for high demand classes will be $200 a unit.

The high- demand classes will be available for SMC students as soon as the regular priced courses have filled up.

Students who qualify for FAFSA or have received Cal Grants may use these resources to cover the fees.

“Although this does not sound very fair to students,” Girade Jackson a Santa Monica College student. “If it will help those of us who are close to graduating or transferring to a University I am for it.”

SMC received a $250,000 donation by businessman Daniel Greenberg and his wife, attorney and civic activist Susan Steinhauser.

The donation from the couple is going to go through a process for students who qualify to the criteria.

“SMC is a single college district, therefore this kind of change in pricing is easier and/ or faster for them to get approved,” Bruce Rosky, Associate Vice President at Pierce College said.

This action is unlikely to happen here at Pierce College according to Rosky.

“Pierce College is part of a 9 college district, we are open access to students, which limits us with the classes we can teach depending on the money were funded, This subject hasn’t been brought up in our school and I doubt it may!” Rosky said.

Amount student fees have increased since

Bookstore manager case dismissed Kim Saunders walks away om court yesterday due to a lack of evidence

“Because of the nature of everything, this case has layers and layers,” Saunders told the Roundup after the hearing. “It would be unfair to share at this time. I want to wait until the final outcome.”

Now, the future of the case remains unclear.

“My guess is that [the DA] will next call the detective in charge of the case to see if there is any new evidence,” Pierce Sheriff’s Deputy

Ron Nohles said Nohles attended the hearing to discuss the case’s report with the DA. He was the deputy that found the money in Saunder’s desk, which led to her arrest.

“I want to be respectful to everyone,” Saunders said. “I want to be respectful to the institution.” Saunders, who had been on administrative leave since being accused of the theft, had refused to comment to the Roundup since her arrest in August until the case was dismissed Tuesday.

There is no one currently replacing Saunders at the Student Store, and it is unclear whether she will be returning to work at Pierce. While working at Pierce, Saunders managed all workers of the Bookstore as well as the Freudian Sip.

“I hope she never comes back,” textbook buyer Holly Hagan, who worked with Saunders at the Student store, said.

Saunders was arrested for alleged embezzlement of approximately

$2,000 after the Pierce Sheriff’s station received a call reporting inconsistencies with the cashier’s money bags at the Student Store, and released on $20,000 bail.

At first, Saunders was to have her preliminary hearing on Oct. 6, but postponed her hearing date six times every month since then.

“She could have postponed it for different reasons,” Nohles said. “But she should have known that it wouldn’t just go away.”