GILROY – Enrollment is holding steady at Gavilan College despite
a reduced number of class sections and a tuition increase over last
fall.
This week, students are squeezing into about 100 fewer classes
than last fall at Gavilan College’s main campus, as the result of
state budget cuts. The passage of the state budget in late July
also resulted in a $7 increase in the amount that students pay per
unit.
By LORI STUENKEL
GILROY – Enrollment is holding steady at Gavilan College despite a reduced number of class sections and a tuition increase over last fall.
This week, students are squeezing into about 100 fewer classes than last fall at Gavilan College’s main campus, as the result of state budget cuts. The passage of the state budget in late July also resulted in a $7 increase in the amount that students pay per unit.
Meanwhile, enrollment numbers held steady, filling many classes above capacity. As classes filled, students rearranged their schedules to accommodate classes with space available, making for a more even distribution of enrollment over class sections at the three Gavilan sites. Other students tried to join a full class on the good graces of the instructor.
“I think our instructors are pretty accommodating,” said Joy Parker, director of enrollment. “They’re willing to work harder to accommodate more people but they’re not going to allow it to get too bad.”
Monday was the final day for students to take advantage of late registration. The number of students enrolled was 4,747, which is on par with last year’s 4,800 students last fall, Parker said. That number is expected to increase as some classes start later in the semester.
“We have to make the best with what we’ve got,” said Denise Besson-Silvia, an instructor in the communication studies department.
Besson-Silvia let between six and eight additional students into each of her five classes.
“It could affect quality of learning because it’s definitely … affecting the class time and the work time,” she said.
Whether extra students get into a full class is up to the discretion of the instructor.
“When a student asks me, if it looks like they’ll work hard and they come to the first few classes, I want to let them in,” Besson-Silvia said.
Besson-Silvia expects several from each class to drop before the end of the semester. She often sees students drop a class just before their first speech is due or mid-way through the semester if they are doing poorly.
The effect of students seeking to join full classes has been more positive than some expected, said Enrique Luna, a history instructor. Classes during the more popular morning hours often fill up first but have not been overwhelmed by people trying to join them, Luna said. Instead, students have chosen to attend class during the afternoon or at the Morgan Hill or Hollister Gavilan locations.
“There is a wider distribution,” he said. “In the off-sites, for example in Morgan Hill … those classes have filled up completely.”
