READ MORE ONLINE AT THE-TELESCOPE.COM
the telescope Monday, Dec. 5, 2011
Vol. 65, No. 9
Palomar College, San Marcos, Calif.
The changing face of community college OUR VIEWPOINT
be forced to pay the full $200-perunit price for classes.
EDITOR’S NOTE
4. YOU’VE GOT TWO SHOTS: NO PRIORITY REGISTRATION FOR THE FAILERS
C a l i fo r n i a ’s community colThe Telescope is leges are at a crossrunning its editorial roads. The system on the front page is ballooning, with to join other thousands of new community colleges students every to highlight this year. And the state, issue. which is facing a mounting budget crisis, is fighting to keep funding steady. It’s crunch time, and big changes have to be made. And they won’t feel good. California Gov. Jerry Brown formed a special Student Success Task Force composed of educators and administrators in January to study the problem. In an October report, the commission called for community colleges to shift their focus from serving all students to speeding pre-professionals and transfer candidates on. The task force is on the right track with its suggestions – to put more money into classes students need most, and force unfocused students to get the right grade the first time. They’re just trying to do too much, too quickly and without input from their biggest customer, the students. Our plan, which we strongly urge the State Chancellor’s office to consider, is a bit more nuanced. The details are as follows:
1. IT’S TIME TO BUCKLE DOWN: ONLY 24 UNITS TO EXPLORE
Community colleges are no longer a place for life-long learners
INSIDE
A large crop of incoming students face the same problem at the open of each semester: their more experienced counterparts are filling up classes they’ve already taken and failed. The college should give the unmotivated masses two shots at each class before they remove their priority registration and put them at the back of the line. The commission calls for a similar cap, and we applaud this attempt to close the registration gap for interested students.
5. BASIC SKILL CLASSES MUST BE ADDED FIRST California Gov. Jerry Brown and California Sen. Darrell Steinberg laugh during a press conference at the State Capitol in Sacramento, California, Aug 25. Brown and Steinberg answered questions about the governors’ corporate tax plan. (Bryan Patrick/Sacramento Bee/MCT) -- those who float from class to class without regard for grades or the future. We’ve got to spend our money on those who need to get in, get out and get it over with. Those who aren’t sure what direction they want to take in life need to sort things out somewhere else. We, the motivated students, subsidize their laziness and suffer closed classes and nightmares about trashing our entire schedules because of their indecisiveness. Wanderers should only have 24 units -- two full-time semesters -- to figure out what major or program they want to enroll in. After that, they can pay the full price of instruction for each unit minus any money from the state -- about $200-a-piece, up from the usual $36-per-unit fee. The task force’s plan wouldn’t
give students any wiggle room to browse around. It rigidly requires students to set themselves into a schedule that dovetails with their major or training program, and requires they pay full price for any extraneous classes. Any classes inside a student’s major or program would still be covered after the 24-unit cap.
2. NO FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE LAZY (BUT GIVE THEM A SECOND CHANCE)
Students who can’t afford to pay fees can apply for a waiver to receive their classes for free. This system ensures access to a college education isn’t contingent on income. Those receiving support need to prove that they deserve it, and show that their education is a worthwhile investment for state taxpayers and
ASG Sen. resigns after dispute with club prof. Ian HAnner the telescope
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY: DESTINATION JOSHUA TREE PHOTOS ON PAGE 6 & 7
HOW DID THE FOOTBALL TEAM DO THIS SEASON? FIND OUT ON PAGE 11 PLUS: A FEMALE PERSPECTIVE ON FINALS ON PAGE 3 NEW MAGAZINE FOR STUDENT ARTISTS ON PAGE 8
A student government senator resigned her post and withdrew from classes last week after she was purportedly defamed and humiliated by members of a Palomar club. Associated Student Government Sen. Angel Jimenez submitted a letter of resignation to the organization’s board en absentee on Wednesday. She cited a “verbal attack” from the faculty adviser of an activist club, among other fears, as her reason for leaving the group. Jimenez, who joined the ASG in March 2011, has long served as the chair of the powerful InterClub Council, which wields a large budget and manages the affairs of clubs on Palomar’s campus. She also headed the embattled ASG Election Committee that failed to select a president in the spring. Jimenez declined to comment on the story through an ASG press officer. A voicemail left on her personal phone was not returned by press time. In a written letter addressed to the members of the ASG board, Jimenez described a re-
cent dispute between her and members of MEChA, an activist club that seeks to empower students through dialogue, and its faculty adviser, Professor John Valdez. In the letter, Jimenez wrote that she was “verbally attacked” by Valdez at a recent MEChA meeting, and she said members of the club attempted to intimidate her at an ICC meeting the following week. “In front of the entire ICC, during Oral Communications, I was slandered by (Professor) Valdez, Alberto Nuñez and Nestor Venegas,” Jimenez wrote. “Furthermore, during his club report, Alberto Nuñez extended the defamation of my character to the ICC causing me great distress and humiliation, and as a result, I made the decision to resign and withdrew from all of my classes.” Nuñez, a MEChA spokesman, said Jimenez attended a Nov. 17 MEChA meeting and whispered messages to her husband during a group dialogue. Nunez said Valdez asked Jimenez to quiet down, and Jimenez responded that she “didn’t agree” with the topic of the meeting. turn to SENATOR, PAGE 2
their fellow college attendees. Support from a Board of Governors Fee Waiver (BOGW) should be based on academic success, and needy students should prove their muster with A’s, B’s or C’s in any class paid for by financial aid. The state plan has a similar requirement but doesn’t spell out exactly what grades would be required to avoid financial aid cutoff. If they can’t make the cut, the aid recipients should be put on a one-year probation and given one more chance to do it right -- or face permanent exclusion from the BOGW program.
3. 100 AND YOU’RE DONE
Palomar isn’t a home-away-fromhome for the bored and the restless. After 100 units, the dawdlers should
Many students come to Palomar with abysmally poor math, reading and writing skills. If the college wants to more effectively serve students and get them out the door, they should force those who fail basic skills evaluation to register for remedial classes first. The task force wants students to drop everything and work on basic skills -- a move that’s sure to keep many from ever enrolling in school. CONCLUSION The state community college system is facing a crisis of faith. The solution is not to penalize poor students for being poor, or close arts programs because they’re less likely to produce students ready to transfer or work in their field. The approach should be gentle, and keep the system’s one and only customer in mind: the students. For more information on the Student Success Task Force visit the-telescope.com
Palomar automotive professor dies suddenly
Palomar Automotive professor Mark Coppedge, works with a student in the automotive bays on March 16, 2011. (Kristen Campbell/The Telescope) Sydnie Taylor the telescope
To the shock of students and staff, Automotive Technology Professor Mark Coppedge died after a sudden illness on Nov.23. Coppedge “provided students with a well-rounded education needed to compete successfully in today’s complex automotive industry,” according to an email from Palomar President Robert Deegan. Coppedge has been teaching at Palomar since the fall of 2006 and received tenure in spring
2010. Coppedge was beloved by his students who knew him as Mr. C. Coppedge began his career in education at Vista High School in 1999. Before teaching at Palomar, Coppedge also taught in the Grossmont Community College District and Edutek Technical College in San Diego. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science and his associate’s degree in engineering. To honor his legacy at Palomar, faculty from Trade and Inturn to Coppedge, PAGE 2