[media-credit id=21 align=”alignnone” width=”400″][/media-credit]As we come to another summer session, students will see cut classes that will affect San Jose City College.

The number of January intersession courses at SJCC was inadequate, and now the district wants to cut even more for summer. SJCC only offered 36 class sections for intersession, including only one transferable math course and only two transferable English courses.The numbers are alarming, as an institution that provides degrees and transfer plans. The U.S Department of Education states that SJCC only transfers 23 percent of its students to a four-year institution.

With nearly 107 class sections being cut for the summer semester, many students will have to look elsewhere for summer classes. Many students will be denied access to classes, due to no sections or too many students within a class.

SJCC’s cancellation of some intersession courses forced many students to seek classes at Mission College and West Valley College to stay on track with educational goals.With nearly 11,000 students that attend SJCC, cutting summer sections will put more of a constraint on students that are working toward attaining their associates degrees.

Looking long term, the cuts are not benefiting students or the faculty.
Those that are making decisions regarding student livelihood seem to not understand the struggle that many students face, from working to going to school. Obtaining a college education has become challenging and difficult, and cuts seem inevitable.

According to the U.S Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, the SJCC graduation rate is only 20 percent. Cutting summer school courses will most likely not improve graduation or transfer rates; so, in essence, cutting summer classes will cause a drop in the success rate of SJCC students.

Getting rid of certain programs, like Air Conditioning/Refrigeration and Alcohol and Drug studies would create more funding for programs that could benefit students towards transferring to a four-year college. This solution would provide students with the ability of utilizing the tools that they have available to them.