Students Opting Out of Classes

Parallel to the ongoing budget and faculty cuts occurring on Valley's campus is a subtle but steadily increasing amount of students cutting classes and often dropping them altogether.

"It makes me sad," said Valley teacher of 25 years, Mauricio Marroquin. "It's a waste of time [and] a waste of money…all the efforts the teachers put into [the students] goes down the drain."

There are many reasons students drop classes, however, Marroquin says that many students have their goals mixed up.

"Their priorities are not correct…they [often] pay more attention to low paying jobs than school."

The rising number of students dropping classes affects teachers and classrooms equally. The opportunities for dropping classes mid semester are widespread. According to Valley's semester guidelines for the fall 2009 semester, each student has up until Sept. 14 to drop a class without incurring any fees or receiving a withdrawal on their record. After Sept. 25, students are charged a fee for dropping any class. Furthermore, students have until Nov. 20 to drop with a "W," meaning that a student failing a course can drop a class with the much less costly "W" on their transcript.

The lackadaisical attitude of many students on campus are not only expressed by the faculty and administration, but also by their fellow peers.

"I guess they only go for the easy teachers," education major Jazmine Camarene said. "Our class was full and now [is] empty."

As with any situation, all blame cannot be solely placed on the student, as it is the system which often misplaces students in math and English classes regarding their skill level, according to Marroquin.

"Some students get misplaced…(and) are forced to drop."

Each student is required to take the math and English placement tests in order to evaluate what level each student is at during time of enrollment, but cannot be perfect in placing each student in classes suitable for them.

"Sometimes students drop because they are not academically prepared for the rigor of that particular course," Vice President of Academic Affairs, Sandra Mayo said.

Between the research department and administration here at Valley, there are strides being made to keep as many students in each class as possible, including that of financial aid services and learning, writing, reading, and math labs. Although these departments are helping, some things are out of the hands of the students and college.

"For some students, life gets in the way. It may be a job change, birth or death of a family member, illness of a family member, change of job requirements, etcetera…" Mayo said.

Steps will continue to be made to accommodate all students in all size classes; the key according to Mayo is that the students dropping out are minimal in comparison to those working to challenge themselves.

"For the most part, our students are hardworking individuals with great staying power."