By IAN LOVETT
Published: April 6, 2012
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Following a week of student protests and a request from the chancellor of the California community college system to hold off, Santa Monica College has canceled its plan to offer certain popular courses at higher prices this summer.
Related
Chancellor Asks California Community College to Hold Off on 2-Tier Tuition Plan (April 6, 2012)
2-Year College, Squeezed, Sets 2-Tier Tuition (March 30, 2012)
At an emergency meeting on Friday, the college’s board of trustees voted to indefinitely postpone implementation of the two-tiered payment system, which would have offered 50 of the courses in the highest demand for $180 per credit hour, in addition to the 700 courses the college already offers for $36.
Speaking to the board and the assembled students and faculty members, the college president, Chui L. Tsang, recommended that the board postpone the payment plan after hearing the objections of so many students.
“Based on these concerns of our college community,” he said, “I feel we need to pause, and take a broader look, and take more time for dialogue.”
The two-tiered payment system, which had been set to begin as a pilot program this summer, was designed to help address the difficulty of getting into some of the most popular classes, amid state budget cuts that have forced the college to trim more than 1,000 course offerings in recent years. The higher price of the classes, administrators said, would cover only the cost to the college of offering them.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Following a week of student protests and a request from the chancellor of the California community college system to hold off, Santa Monica College has canceled its plan to offer certain popular courses at higher prices this summer.
Related
Chancellor Asks California Community College to Hold Off on 2-Tier Tuition Plan (April 6, 2012)
2-Year College, Squeezed, Sets 2-Tier Tuition (March 30, 2012)
At an emergency meeting on Friday, the college’s board of trustees voted to indefinitely postpone implementation of the two-tiered payment system, which would have offered 50 of the courses in the highest demand for $180 per credit hour, in addition to the 700 courses the college already offers for $36.
Speaking to the board and the assembled students and faculty members, the college president, Chui L. Tsang, recommended that the board postpone the payment plan after hearing the objections of so many students.
“Based on these concerns of our college community,” he said, “I feel we need to pause, and take a broader look, and take more time for dialogue.”
The two-tiered payment system, which had been set to begin as a pilot program this summer, was designed to help address the difficulty of getting into some of the most popular classes, amid state budget cuts that have forced the college to trim more than 1,000 course offerings in recent years. The higher price of the classes, administrators said, would cover only the cost to the college of offering them.
