Numbers increase while class offerings drop

When Fullerton College first opened in 1913, there were only 28 students enrolled.  On January 19 of this year, 20,365 students were enrolled in classes.

Petitioning students are packed inside classrooms hoping to be added into already full classes.  For those who are graduating or transferring, getting into the right classes is crucial.

Due to the budget cuts, the number of classes offered at FC has shrunk.  Last semester there were 2,226 classes available for students to attend; now there are only 2,056.

Although classes  were reduced, the number of students enrolled the first day of school has increased 3 percent from the fall semester.

The reason for this, says the Dean of Admissions and Records, Albert Abutin, is that professors are accepting more students than they have room for.

"The faculty is doing their part by trying to help out," Abutin said.  "They add more students than allowed through the goodness of their heart."

When a professor is expecting 50 students in his or her class and then adds another 30, that's an additional 30 exams, homework and class work that the professor has to invest his or her time. For the extra load, they are getting paid the same.

"The professors are adding more than they're actually getting paid," Abutin said.

In regards to students who only need one specific class to transfer or graduate, they must compete with the rest of the students.  It is up to the professor whether they will add the student or not.

Some professors employ a raffle to make the chances of adding a class fair, others give out seats according to which student arrives earliest.

FC gives priority registration to students with the most units.  Other than that, the odds of petitioning is almost the same for everyone.

"In a perfect world, I wish we could offer enough classes for all our students," Abutin said. Unfortunately, due to the limitation of finances in the state, there is not much more the school can do.