Jeff Sandstoe / Roundup
The Academic Senate voted 20 – 3 to keep the current dual wait list policy during a meeting on Monday.
The meeting started with interim college president Dr. Joy McCaslin addressing the senate and presenting the administration’s side of the wait list policy.
“I’m not sure people understand the wait list issue entirely,” McCaslin said. “Our wait list system does not work well.”
The way the current system works, students who apply for filled classes are added to the wait list. If a registered student drops the class, the wait listed student is not notified and remains on the wait list instead of being added to the class.
McCaslin said the admissions office is bombarded with more than 7,000 add slips each semester.
“We are getting a new system,” McCaslin said, “but it will be a couple of years.”
This new system would automatically move a student from the wait list into the current class roster whenever a registered student drops the class.
McCaslin also mentioned how East Los Angeles College has removed its wait list policy, noting their students had more time to move on and find a different class if they did not get into their first choice.
“It’s better for students to know what they’ve got, than to have to manage this whole crazy system,” McCaslin said.
One positive aspect to the current system, McCaslin explained, is that registration dates are given out to students based on their seniority, with priority dates assigned to students with the highest number of completed units.
McCaslin stated that before hearing the facts, ASO members were in favor of keeping the wait lists. However, after an informal focus group between McCaslin and the ASO, they were in agreement that wait lists should be dropped.
Contrary to the “focus group” McCaslin coordinated, Bob Martinez, vice president of academic policy, conducted a survey of students in seven separate math classes.
“I thought it was important to get actual numbers instead of just having anecdotal figures,” Martinez stated. “The wait list provides a fair priority list for students.”
The results from the survey showed an overwhelming amount of students were in favor of maintaining the wait list.
“There are lots of departments, for very good reason, that want to keep the wait lists,” Martinez said. “[Getting rid of the wait list would] increase the chaos on the first day of class,” said English instructor Darren Borg.
Jim Dawson, one of the senators who voted for getting rid of the wait list, declined to comment on the results.
According to Academic Senate President Tom Rosdahl, even after the landslide movement from the senate to maintain the wait list, the final decision still rests in the hands of McCaslin.
—
jsandstoe.roundupnews@gmail.com
