Vol. 166, Issue 2 | Sept. 12 – Sept. 25, 2018 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE
Premature class cuts halt education plans
Hold Sall Vesselényi, left, protests with students from City College's Queer Resource Center during the Aug. 30 board of trustees meeting's public comment session. Photo by Nancy Chan / Special to The Guardsman
By Casey Ticsay
shadow over diverse student needs. “From what I understand, cticsay@mail.ccsf.edu [the chancellor] is going through Three days before the fall spreadsheets with numbers and semester began, faculty and making evaluations without students marched in solidarity to hearing narrative and without Chancellor Mark Rocha’s office in hearing information that supports protest of early class cuts. a much bigger story,” said Together they sang, “All we are Michele Sieglitz, a professor of saying is give students a chance.” the Broadcast Electronic Media The college administration Arts department. canceled over 230 class sections Sieglitz’s field video production with an average enrollment of six course was canceled two days students each, impacting more before the first class meeting. She than 1,100 of City College’s did not receive any prior notice 27,000 credited students this fall. regarding the status of her class. As of Sept. 9, only 93 sections BCST 141, which feeds into were added, according to schedule many BEMA certificates, had no changes on the college website. other sections scheduled. By the Administrators state that first day of class, 13 students were cutting classes early gives students enrolled, and seven more planned time to enroll in alternative sections. to add. For Sieglitz, cutting the But the protocol of using course meant crippling opportuniestimations to predict enrollment ties for students to achieve success and prematurely cut classes casts a in the program.
Graduation at risk “In this case, canceling a limited class options because his single class means impacting our The vast majority of students curriculum must be approved by department by cutting it at the impacted by canceled classes the Department of Veteran Affairs, knees, essentially priming us for were directed into available seats, making premature cuts all the failure,” Sieglitz said. and every student scheduled to more problematic. Given little notice, she lost a graduate or transfer next May will “We have international students, significant portion of income as be provided the courses they need, veterans, people that are moving well as her eligibility for healthcare Media Relations Director Connie out of state, people that are going benefits since she no longer teaches Chan stated. to different universities,” Orea said. the average number of units While a press release noted “So you cannot treat everybody required of part-time instructors. that the college is offering 3,800 equally because everybody has a Still, she hopes to see the silver courses — 200 more classes than different story.” lining through it all and urges last fall — students like veteran It’s not the policy, the administration to actively Alfredo Leon Orea are still left in it’s the practice support the college community the lurch. and its courses. Orea has attended City The administration may wait “I think education is so College since 2014 and is until the end of the add/drop period unbelievably powerful as a tool for pursuing a degree in Travel and or after two evening classes to drop change in a society,” she said. “We Tourism. He needed TRTV 172 a course, according to Article 18 need to listen to each other, and to graduate next spring, but it was of a bargaining agreement between we need to have our voices heard dropped with 14 students enrolled. the San Francisco Community so that people’s real concerns, There are no other sections College District and the American real issues, real needs are actually provided, and it is only offered Federation of Teachers Local 2121. being addressed.” every three semesters. Classes continued on page 2 As a veteran, Orea has
CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM HEATS UP CULTURE - PAGE 5
FOOTBALL SEASON OPENER SPORTS - PAGE 8