Completion in 2 years uncommon

Kashish Nizami/Roundup knizami.roundupnews@gmail.com

As students hope for early registration, fight for classes on the first days of school, and create strategies in hopes to graduate within the previous norm of two years, Pierce College students spend more time in community college due to drastic budget cuts.

Pierce Transfer Center Director Sunday Salter stated that there are numerous reasons for the slower rate of graduation.

One reason Salter believes students are graduating at slower rate is because so many students are not up to the average college math and reading levels.

“Ninety percent of students on campus are below the college English and math levels that college students should be at,” Salter said. “So they have to have to take extra classes, [like] English 21, 101 and critical thinking, which takes up time. Math is worse.”

Another factor she feels ties into the slower graduation rate is reduction in sections for classes, while the approximate number of students attending Pierce College has stayed the same.

Second year football player Jaelen Strong said that it was especially difficult for him to get classes while keeping up with playing a sport.

“It was hard for me to get classes,” Strong said. “By the time it was my day to sign up for classes, most classes were full.”

According to Salter, not all Pierce students can be full time because of how difficult it is to get the dwindling number of classes available, so they take classes at other schools or online.

“Because of budget cuts, the number of sections had to be cut,” Salter said. “That extends the amount time you are here if you’re trying to transfer.”

She added that students declared as science majors are impacted the most.

“Science majors definitely take more years to transfer than most other students,” said Salter.

The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a list of which classes a student needs to take in order to transfer to a University of California (UC) school.

The California State University General Education (CSUGE) is a list of requirements to transfer to a California State University (CSU).

Music major Michael Bovshow explained that the IGETC determines most of the classes he takes, since they are so difficult to get into.

“It’s all about strategy in your first few semesters,” Bovshow said. “I had to take classes that weren’t on the IGETC just so I could be considered for registration before a lot of other students in the following semester.”

These requirements have led to an overflow of these classes, despite the many that were cut.

However, Salter stated that students do have a lot of options to help them with the college process, such as choosing a major or which classes they should take, although many often don’t seek out proper resources.

Salter believed that students should drop by at least once a year schedule a meeting with a counselor or stop in just to make sure he or she is on the right track.

Salter conveyed her hope for Prop. 30 to pass in the November elections, directing more funds for education “in a positive direction.”

When asked how a student could realistically transfer after two years from a community college, Salter said that a student must put forth individual effort.

“To be a proactive, dedicated student who wants to transfer in two years you’ve got to hustle,” Salter said.

“What this proposition does is it fixes that last felony,” Trujillo said.

Ipsen begged to differ, and listed several crimes currently deemed non-serious or non-violent.

Solicitation to commit murder, transporting a bomb with purposes of mass destruction, child abuse, and torture of animals are considered serious felonies, according to Ipsen.

If Prop. 36 were passed criminals committing these crimes as a third offense would receive 4 to 6 years of jail time, according to Ipsen.

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A YES vote: Some criminal offenders with two prior serious or violent felony convictions who commit certain nonserious, non-violent felonies would be sentenced to shorter terms in state prison.

A NO vote means: Offenders with two prior serious or violent felony convictions who commit any new felony could continue to receive life sentences.

Prop. 37

Genetically Engineered Foods. Mandatory Labeling. Initiative Statute.

A YES vote means: Genetically engineered foods sold in California would have to be specifically labeled as being genetically engineered.

A NO vote means: Genetically engineered foods sold in California would continue not to have specific labeling requirements.

Source: Legislative Analyst’s Office www.lao.ca.gov/laoapp/ballot_source/propositions.aspx

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