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Under new policies approved this week by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, the chancellor's office will get more authority over the student senate, and colleges won't get state funding anymore for students who repeat certain courses more than three times.
At its meeting Monday, the board voted to approve a policy change that will give the chancellor's office authority to “ensure the integrity” of the student senate, "including but not limited to" making sure members meet eligibility requirements and establishing and enforcing student conduct standards.
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The move brought into focus the unique position of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges. The group is funded almost exclusively by the chancellor's office – unlike the University of California Student Association or the California State Student Association, which both collect membership dues.
Community college administrators who crafted the language [PDF] argued that because they fund the group, they can enforce a code of conduct at state-sponsored events. They said another goal was to make sure the students serving on the senate were, in fact, community college students.
While the student senate voted to support the change, several students have been outspoken in their concern that the wording would give the chancellor's office broad latitude to control the group.
Eric Chisler, a student senator from Butte College in Oroville, said at the meeting that the language was too vague and could "allow in years coming for the students to be controlled in ways other than what has been intended."
Board of Governors member Henry A.J. Ramos said in an interview that he didn't hear any specific examples of the chancellor's office trying to control the student senate in the past.
"With all due respect to those that had concerns, there’s really no record, no history to draw on that," Ramos said. "It would be very difficult and not practical for the chancellor’s office to squelch free speech. There’s no way we’re going to get involved in something like that."
At the same meeting, the board voted to limit state funding for students who repeat the same course more than three times. Students who successfully petition could repeat a course a fourth time under the new policy.
There would be some exceptions to the policy, including exceptions for students with disabilities who petition for a special accommodation or students who have to withdraw from a class due to a military obligation.
The policy [PDF] does not yet apply to activity courses, such as physical education and fine arts – which, along with English and math, are among the most repeated types of courses in the system. Administrators said Monday that they plan to introduce a proposal limiting PE and arts repeats this fall or early next spring.
Chancellor Jack Scott said the move aimed to ration courses at a time when state aid is dwindling. The colleges had to turn away 140,000 students last year. The goal is to free up more spaces for new students, he said.
The Board of Governors heard several speakers from City College of San Francisco and one from De Anza College who asked members to think twice about cutting off course repeaters.
Karen Saginor, academic senate president at City College of San Francisco, said she doesn't want to shut the door in the face of a very small population that needs to repeat a course multiple times to pass.
"Please, let's not have a 'three strikes, you're out, you don't get another chance,' " Saginor said.
Others argued the policy was treating symptoms without providing a cure for students who can't pass key courses after numerous tries.
But supporters of the policy from the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges and the Community College League of California called the new policy a wise move that will require some colleges to take a closer look at their intervention strategies to help identify and assist struggling students earlier in the process.
"This is not a bar on students taking ... a course more than four times," said Scott Lay, president and CEO of the Community College League. "This is a bar on colleges claiming state dollars for it."
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