Rosemary Clandos
Thanks to unemployment and a wobbly economy, Pierce College enrollment is up 12 percent this fall. Good news for the state, so-so news for Pierce – and a second chance for some students.
“The more tuition we collect just means the less the state has to give us,” said Robert Garber, president of Pierce College. “After a certain point, we don’t get additional funding for additional students, but we continue to serve them.”
Because the state budget only provides for a 2-percent increase in classes this year, some students may be sitting in rooms with a bring-your-own-chair option.
Barbara Allen, adjunct instructor of health, had 40 students in her Health 11 class last semester. This fall, she has 60 to 65 students, a few of whom ended up on the floor. She said the trailer in which she teaches is narrow and her lessons on the whiteboard now have to be written twice: once for students in the far-left side of the room and again for the far right.
“It’s a challenge, but we can do it. I’m looking forward to it,” said Allen, who thinks the increased number of students also has benefits.
“I like my students to share their experiences,” she said. “It teaches the younger generation. The younger ones don’t want to share as much; most of the older generation is really open. That’s a huge plus.”
Some older students on campus don’t even act students. Having the confidence of a tenured professor, ceramic artist Lynettte Mathis takes art classes for “enrichment purposes.”
Others have work in mind.
Sitting outside the bookstore, Armando Aleman, 51, carefully placed his new books in his backpack. Aleman is a soft-spoken, retired landscaper who takes addiction studies classes to become a counselor in a rehab facility. A former heroine addict who has been drug-free for six years, Aleman earned is GED while in prison.
“I want to give something back now,” he said. “I never thought I’d be sitting here -clean.”
Many older students are ready for round two of their education. Ivy Goldblatt, 33, came to Pierce right out of high school, and she left just before she gave birth to her son. Now that he’s 11 years old, she’s back-as a full-time student, single mom and employee.
“Your perspective changes. You focus, and you have a goal,” said Goldblatt, who is also a manager for her son’s football team. Hers is to be an elementary school teacher.
For Goldblatt, the Pierce PACE program is almost a family tradition. Her mom attended the program and is now working on her doctorate in psychology. Her dad took PACE classes and earned a bachelor’s degree.
Garber said having a balance of returning students and first-time students gives people a place to be engaged in a place that doesn’t segregate on the basis of age.
“It’s a healthy environment,” he said. “Younger students get a lot more out of their ability to interact with older students.”
If the administration’s plans pan out, many future classes at Pierce will certainly provide enough seating – they’ll be online.
Eric Kehela, 25, carries his own chair after a Sign Language Interpretation class in the Village. Insufficient seating in this class of more than 52 students leads several students to bring their own folding chairs. ()