|
........................... Jan. 07 - Jan. 17, 2001
OTHER ISSUES .................... |
||
| [Cover] [A & E] [Specials] [Features] [News] [Sport] [Writer's Block] [Events] [Help] | ||
| UW asks non-AA transfers to stay put | |
| . |
"Sometimes when we have constrained enrollments we accept almost only AA-transfers, and that's what's happening now," Washburn said. For now, the UW is rejecting community college students who don't have their AA and dont' have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Students who have already recieved their AA need only a GPA of 2.75 to apply. "We would like to have a policy that doesn't make GPAs the deciding factor," Washburn said. "Idealy, we would have a combination of factors that determine acceptance." For now, AA transfer students don't have to worry, but that may all soon change. "We are obligated to take AA transfer students for now, but there's a possibility we'll be (enforcing restrictions) on AA transfers come Spring," Washburn said. Because many non-AA transfers are being barred from the UW, the College is picking up the slack. "UW enrollment (policies) are helping us," said SCC's Jeff Omalanz-Hood, an academic advisor for students here. "It's only in these times where enrollment is stressed do we see the need to turn students away," Washburn said. The UW and the College are both advising students to remain at the community college until they have their AA. But Omalanz-Hood admits that that's not always easy. "Some students are eager to get to the UW because of broader educational possibilities," said Omalanz-Hood. "It can be frustrating for these students." According to a Seattle Times article, SBA president Tim Turner called the situation "a shame." Omalanz-Hood advises that students will have a greater chance of getting into the UW if they remain at the College until they get their AA and at the same time get an equal level of education.
The University hit record numbers in 1979 with 37,500 students. Now encroaching on that record is the current enrollment numbers at 37,412 students. Already, the University hosts 900 more students then they are budget for. As a result, only 450 transfer applicants were accepted in Winter quarter whereas the UW usually accepts closer to 750 students. The echo of the baby-boomer generation is creating a flood of overenrollment problems throughout the country. In washington, 73,000 students are expected to graduate from high school next year while the number of community college students has risen from 234,410 students to 252,378 in the last five years. GPA levels, as always, are an essential factor in student admitance. The university accepted 1200 community college students with a 3.0 GPA or higher as compared to 200 students with a GPA lower than 3.0. According to Omalanz-Hood, students with an AA or who aspire to get an AA before transferring shouldn't worry about securing a spot at the University. In the past, Omalanz-Hood said, the UW simply delayed the admission of AA-transfers instead of rejecting them completely.
"I'm hoping the UW will continue this way, it seems to be somewhat of a promise," he said.
|
| by Chris Collins | |
The College is reaping the benefits of recent strict enrollment policies by the Univerisity of Washington, but community college non-AA transfer students are finding themselves banned from the university in return. Tim Washburn, executive director of admission and records at the UW, cites overenrollment and a tighter budget as reasons for the new standards.
At the beginning of the Fall 2000 quarter, SCC hosted 8000 students but quickly dropped many of them as the quarter went on. With the creation of Cascadia Community College, enrollment has decreased at Shoreline; but thanks to the UW situation, enrollment levels are evening out.
| Instructors and community leaders discuss terrorism | |
| . |
Three months after the Sept. 11 attacks, the College's "Faces of the Community Program" sponsored an open forum on Dec. 11 2001, held at the Shoreline Center. Along with some college faculty, about 20 people joined in the discussion. With a spectrum of opinions and feelings floating about the world since Sept. 11, the meeting provided a much-needed forum where leaders of the community were able to engage in an exchange of ideas with members of their communities. Some came to the meeting confused or frustrated, while others simply felt the urge to express their opinions. One key issue that arose was understanding why the terrorists attacked. "I think that political resentment to US foreign policy is part of what motivated the terrorist attacks," Kenneth Lawson, instructor of political science, said during the forum. Two other members of the forum backed up Lawson's comments, citing oil as partly triggering the attacks. "Our foreign policy is a combination of military and oil," philosophy instructor Linda Warren said. But Amin, a Muslim guest, offered an alternative explanation. "Our Western society has become so corrupt," she said. "Islam speaks very clearly that God does not want this corruption to exist. It is humans' responsibility is to make Jihad against corruption." Amin then continued to express her opinions on that attacks, stating that "I'm really beginning to think that this problem is going to be a fight-to-the-death problem since Islam is never going to give into that corruption and since the American society has embraced it. We've gotten to a point where we are encroaching on the Muslim world." Amin then went on to suggest an answer to the biggest question many Americans have been struggling with since Sept. 11: Why? "Maybe part of the reason for the attacks on the trade center was that (the terrorist) felt that this country is so evil that it has to be brought to its knees. I think that we have chosen a path in this country which is diametrically opposed to the path of Islam." Venus Gomez, an immigrant of the Philippines and nutrition instructor here, offered a solution to the fear she says has gripped minorities. "All the papers came out and asked, 'Why do they hate us?' But what we really need to focus on is what's important and to find out why the minorities are afraid," she said. "What we're lacking is a connection to our guts and minds." A United Methodist Church pastor and Pakistani native suggested that minority communities should be willing to get involved in mainstream America. "Everyone is blaming the American society," he said. "But sometimes I feel that communities that have come here to pursue a better life have some duties as well. I have heard so many immigrants blame American society's moral decline, but at the same time those immigrants are still living here, they should contribute and not just keep blaming." Gomez agreed with the pastor's remarks, but argued that "As an immigrant, it is often hard to be seen as a contribution." The pastor responded that "Minorities are not just getting the jobs that majorities don't want. If you go to the hospitals and universities you will see doctors and professors speaking with heavy accents, they're all immigrants."
The forum lasted for about two hours, a mixture of opinion and confusion exchanged between the group. In the end, answers were offered by diverse types of people from many backgrounds, all making various suggestions. The opinions lingered in the air as the group made their way out the doors after an evening of discussion, settling on the minds of those who heard them.
|
| by Chris Collins | |
| [Cover] [A & E] [Specials] [Features] [News] [Sport] [Writer's Block] [Events] [Help] |
wEbbtide Webmaster: Henry Lai