Eunice Virgen / Roundup
Winter session is soon approaching and there are going to be significant changes that will take place which may affect some continuing students.
Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, vice president of academic affairs, discussed some of the changes Pierce College students can expect this upcoming winter session.
One of the most notable changes is the reduction of classes being offered. The only classes students can expect to take this winter session are English (only up to 101), math (only up to 125) and speech.
Winter session is tentatively set to begin Jan. 5 and run through Feb. 4.
Abu-Ghazaleh encourages students to look at the online schedule and to remember that priority will be given to students based on seniority. He also stated that fees would remain the same for the winter session.
Abu-Ghazaleh explained the importance of keeping “core and basic skills classes” available, or those necessary for students who are planning to transfer or want to graduate from Pierce.
During the previous winter session, Pierce offered a total of 212 classes, while in this upcoming session only about 50 will be offered, according to Abu-Ghazaleh.
He also confirmed there would not be any night or weekend classes.
Pierce will not be sending out a separate mailing to the community. Instead they will be adding the winter session in the spring schedule of classes. When asked why they wouldn’t be sending out a separate mailing into the community, Abu-Ghazaleh expressed that sending out mail can be costly and they are doing the best they can to save money.
Student Nahal Barahmand feels the limited availability of classes being offered in the winter will affect her negatively.
“Now that winter [session] is very limited, we are going to get pushed back a semester,” Barahamand said.
Barahamand was planning on taking statistics but since it will not be offered, she will be forced to put it off until the spring.
She won’t be the only student inconvenienced by the cut in classes.
Georgia Ensfield, who planned on taking Geography I in the winter and was hoping to transfer to CSUN in the spring, will also be forced to wait as the “core and basic skills classes” will not include geography.
“It’s going to prolong me transferring to CSUN. It’s like a catch 22 because you can’t get to where you want to be,” she said.
The earliest continuing student appointments will begin Oct. 29.
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