VALLEY COLLEGE : Class-Drop Deadline May Change

In an attempt to develop a student body with a greater commitment to learning, the Valley College Curriculum Committee is considering a proposal to shorten the deadline to drop classes, committee chairman Ray Wilson said.

Under the proposal, the deadline would be moved forward from the 14th week to the ninth week of classes during the 1993-94 school year. It would move forward to the fifth week in the 1994-95 school year.

Julian Oscar, the committee’s student representative, expressed concern that students might not have enough time to really decide if they want to stay in the class if given a shorter time to drop classes.

“Putting a strict deadline on them could affect their continuing school,” he said.

Oscar also said the proposal could restrict teacher’s academic freedom.

The proposal also calls for teachers to let students know where they stand in classes very early in the semester so they could make an educated decision as to whether to keep the class or not.

Wilson agrees that the new deadline proposal “will probably be controversial.” He said, however, that in these days of filled classes and waiting lists, students who aren’t sure if they want to commit to the work occupy a seat that could otherwise be used by a committed student.

In a proposal draft, the committee also said that since the present drop date is only two weeks from final exams, students who don’t commit to sticking out a semester use the current drop date as an escape.

Student government President Jesse Hernandez said he opposes the proposal. “It’s like their saying, ‘If you enroll now, you have to stay in.’ The administration and faculty are here for the students--we’re not here for them. That’s how they make it seem,” he said.