Chabot Spectator

Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Jack Barnwell Of the more than 100 classes cancelled in August, nearly half of those are GE requirements students need.

One hundred and thirty-two classes have been cut since the schedule was produced to students during the summer, due to a reduced college budget.

Of the 61 general education courses that were cancelled, 12 of them were english classes.

While 11 of cancelled general education courses were history classes.

The past three years, Chabot's student enrollment has been declining, but this fall semester it has taken an unexpected turn and has increased by 3 percent.

Fall 2007's semester budget was based on the assumption that student enrollment would continue its declining trend and therefore requiring a smaller budget.

Classes are scheduled a semester in advance and the budget is based on an estimation of student enrollment.

President Robert Carlson said, "It wasn't that we weren't paying attention and over-did it, but it was a financial situation that was realized after the schedule was built.

"A lot of consideration goes into the selection of which classes get cut," explained President Carlson.

Low enrollment in different sections and the availability of classrooms played a huge rule in the deciding factor.

"Chabot College has been traditionally a 9 a.m. to noon schedule, but this year we offer classes at 7:30 a.m….because the planetarium, and buildings 800 and 900 are closed."

Sally Jahnke the Dean for the math and science devision and co-chair for the committee that decides the final schedule stressed that classes "were cut because they were not filling."

All departments were hit with the loss of several sections of some core classes, such as basic math and English classes, but classes at other times are still offered and have open seats.

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