At the beginning of every semester Pierce College looks like the hottest hangout in town, considering that both the Winnetka and Mason Avenue parking lots are overflowing.
It goes to show how many students are interested in taking classes at our dear school.
The only problem is- how many of them are really interested in following through with their classes?
Some students seem to spend the first week of class doing nothing but going from one class to the next obtaining add cards. Then they go home and see which class, if any, suits them.
This is not fair to those who are trying to transfer next semester and are not able to add the Speech 101 class they need, because there are too many students trying to not add the class but collecting add cards.
Some students don’t even know what class it is that they are trying to enroll in, but obtain the free add-card anyway, as if the teacher was handing out free candy.
It is understandable that the school wants to provide equal opportunities for all.
The worst case scenario is when an instructor tells you there are no more add cards being issued and a few days later you walk past the same class to see the class is half empty.
It is hardly possible for the administration to track all the students down and make sure they are not taking more than the sufficient add-cards. Give other students an opportunity. If you don’t plan to take a class, don’t take an add card.
Is it only the students or do the teachers have an incentive for the excessive add card distribution?
Teachers sometimes fear that they may not have enough students enrolled in their class by the third week of semester because a lot of the people who show up on the first day drop out by census week.
Not only could this affect a teacher’s livelihood but also their periodic reviews. Classes are eligible to be canceled if there are not enough students enrolled in it.
It is bad enough when a school has more than 19,000 students and not enough classes to satisfy all their needs.
Students working hard to make the life of other students more miserable is not appreciated at all.
(Natalie Yemenidjian)