Students React to Class Cuts
By Diana Guzman
City College administrators eliminated many campus programs. In order to balance the college’s budget, the City College administration eliminated some of the courses in departments like Culinary Arts, Engineering, Physical Education, Journalism, Lifelong Learning courses for older Adults, and many more.
Approximately 225 credit and 63 non-credit courses have been removed from the Spring 2020 schedule.
Not only will this be affecting students who won’t be able to take these courses but it will also affect the faculty members who were teaching them.
Criminal Administration and Fire Science major Victor Nava intended to takesome of the courses that were affected and said, “It’s very important that they reevaluate what is being done. Many students like myself need to take certain classes that are necessary in order to graduate.”
Marilee Hearn, of the OLAD (Older Adults Program) said, “The irony is that one of the tenets of City College is to encourage lifelong learning. It’s disingenuous. To think that City College espouses certain goals and ideas and then turns around and do something like this.”
The Older Adults Department was heavily affected. A total of 50 classes have been cut from their program, leaving them with only 8 classes for the Spring 2020 semester.
OLAD Department Chair Kelvin Young said in a letter sent to OLAD faculty, “The classes selected for cancellation appear to be random without basis on any logical criteria, as they don’t appear to correlate to class productivity, instructor seniority, class location, history or other relevant considerations. The majority of our most popular classes with highest student attendance record are canceled by the Administration.”
Countless people are taking this situation into their own hands, wanting and needing the help that City College needs. On the Art Department Facebook page it states, “PSA: if you’re trying to enroll in art classes for S20, you may notice some of them are no longer available. That’s because the administration announced last night – without input from department chair or faculty – to cut an astonishing 15 classes from the art department! (massive cuts also made to music, PE/Dance, and programs to older adults OLAD.) Cuts include the ENTIRE jewelry/metal arts program, [one third] of the ceramics classes, drawing, watercolor, figure drawing, illustration, and painting. Many part-time faculty have lost their entire livelihood and others have lost income and benefits.”
Not to mention, the majority of students that need to take these courses in order to take an academic degree might be on hold for a while until these programs return in fulfillment.
There can be a stop to these possible actions. HEAT, Higher Education Action Team, is a group of City College students, alumni, faculty, staff, and members of the community who are dedicated to restoring City College to its prime and who in the past held protests to help the school. A meeting will be held for everyone in the Mission Campus Room 154 on Friday, December 6 at 1 p.m.
For more information, you can contact the team at ccsfheat@gmail.com.