Many thanks to the SJCC Academic Senate and the AS for voting in favor of waiving enrollment requirements in order to prevent cancellation of Journalism Program courses for the SJCC Times.

The courses in question are 32A, B, C, D and 35A, B, C, D. All of these courses deal with the preparation and publication of the SJCC Times. Therefore, cancellation of one or more of them jeopardizes the output of the newspaper.

The senators and members of the AS are to be commended for recognizing the value of the Times as a voice for the entire campus and as an enrichment program for our students.

The action taken by these two bodies comes after meetings of an ad hoc, informal group of faculty members, who call themselves “Friends of Journalism.”

The purpose of this group is to advocate for the Times, help recruit students and help provide focus and vision. This group came up with several proposals to strengthen the program and to consider ways to meet the challenges of the current, fluctuating state of news distribution.

Indeed, the distribution of news is undergoing many changes, yet the skills required for journalists remain the same. Nascent reporters must still develop and refine skills in writing, critical thinking, editing, marketing, advertising and public relations.

An increase in college/university news operations attests to the need for developing and refining journalism skills regardless of platforms for distribution.

Given the need for this training, our Journalism Program must be strengthened and nurtured to provide hands-on training for students who are considering a career in journalism or careers in many other fields.

To ensure that the Journalism Program can continue to prepare students academically and for future careers, we must accomplish the following:

• Waive enrollment requirements based on the single, specialized status of the journalism courses.

• Provide institutional support to increase enrollment. Target students in classes including critical thinking, art, video, photography, business, CIS, in addition to ESL classes.

• Obtain institutional support in the way of equipment, facilities and software upgrades. Pursue grant funding wherever possible.

• Offer writing sections with a journalism focus to fulfill the English 1A college composition requirement.

• Promote a new direction for the Journalism Program that encompasses all the potential methods of news delivery. Rename the program “Mass Media” to coincide with the program at San Jose State University.

Our administration is justly concerned about low enrolled classes in this climate of diminishing funds. Every expense must be carefully considered.

Yet I would argue that low enrollment must be balanced by the value of the courses, the number of people on campus that is affected and the future potential.

We have the infrastructure–a suite of rooms—that needs to be updated; and with the help of faculty leadership and institutional support, we can maximize on the existing strengths of the Journalism program.

The program brings honor and recognition to our campus in the way of rewards every year despite the constant challenges to survive.

President Kavalier supports the Times, and we must justify her support by making the Journalism Program the finest ever.

Friends of Journalism,

Leslyn McCallum, Pat Space, Ron Levesque, Virginia Scales, Farideh Dada