Beatrice Negulescu
The Special Services program at Pierce was among the topics discussed in Monday’s Academic Senate meeting which took place in the College Services Building from 2:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Director of Special Services Norman Crozer came into the meeting to announce that the Special Services Office, which is located in the Administration Building, will be moving to the new Student Services Building on November 4.
He also discussed the Special Services program with the representatives of each department explaining the services that the program offers to disabled students such as extra time on tests.
Once moved into the new building the program will provide quiet rooms with cameras where students can take the extra time they need on a test in a monitored environment. This accommodation makes it easier on professors who may be too busy to stay after class with just one student. It is also beneficial in freeing up the professor’s time for other students who may need it.
Crozer explained that students who will be offered special accommodations must provide medical proof of their disability. He further clarified how the program works by saying that the accommodations made for those with disabilities will have limits and that “having a disability does not allow [things such as] disruption of class.”
Students in the Special Services program do not approach the professor to ask for accommodation, but rather the program sets things up and the student’s request must be reasonable based on the disability in question.
Crozer estimates that there are about 2,200 students with disabilities on campus, of which around 800 of are using the program. He further estimates that about 10% of the students who should be using the program are not.
Professors are encouraged to recommend the Special Services program to those students who they feel it is appropriate for, but may not demand that students go through the program.
If not enrolled in the program it is left at the will of the professor how to handle the situation and whether or not to grant special privileges. Crozer recommends that the decision be made based on the proof that they student provides of his/her disability.
Art major Houtan Sarraf, 23, expressed his feelings about the Special Services program by saying that “it is a helpful tool for those who need it.”
