Summer sessions may alleviate Tidal Wave II crunch

By Marcelle Richards
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

If increased summer session enrollment continues over the next
decade, the University of California expects that it can alleviate
the crunch caused by Tidal Wave II.

Reduced fees, summer financial aid and participation in the
incoming transfer incentive program by the six largest academic
departments at UCLA have led to a 20 percent increase in overall
summer enrollment and a 45 percent increase by UCLA students,
according to summer sessions director David Unruh.

UCLA is one of two campuses expected to be hit hardest by Tidal
Wave II, as roughly 60,000 additional students will enter the UC
over the next decade. By offering more required courses for
students to take over the summer, the University hopes to speed
progress and free up classroom space during the academic year.

If summer enrollment continues to climb at the systemwide level,
the UC could save $200-400 million because of classroom and
facility space that will not need to be built to accommodate the
new students, according to UC reports.

“The plan of reduced fees is working better than anyone
expected,” Unruh said. “Students are really taking the
courses that count toward requirements, and that should help them
get through faster.”

In May 2000, Gov. Gray Davis entered a contract with the state
legislature to phase in state funding for the summer quarter if the
UC upholds its end of the bargain by meeting 40 percent of the
enrollment that is accounted for during the regular school
year.

A 4 percent annual increase in the state general fund, along
with a 1 percent increase toward full funding to eliminate
“budgetary shortfalls” in maintenance and facilities
are incentives for the UC to enter the agreement.

The University’s shift to fees on a per unit basis has
made financial aid availability possible, pulling the UC into
year-round operation, Unruh said. Because summer sessions now run
under the same guidelines as those for the regular academic year,
students qualify for the same financial perks as those during the
rest of the year.

This means that students eligible for work-study during the
regular school year may take advantage of the program during the
summer for the first time.

“We’ve sent out 600 referral forms,” said
Elizabeth Paniagua, work-study coordinator. “We’re
actually looking for more employers to sign up for our
program.”

Another financial incentive is a fee waiver of up to $500 for
new transfer students.

The School of Engineering and the psychology, English, political
science, economics and sociology departments are participating in
the incoming transfer incentive program, which enrolls transfer
students in Session C to satisfy as many requirements as
possible.

Since prerequisite courses are in such high demand, summer
sessions have relieved crowding in these courses over the remaining
three quarters, said Laurie Okimoto-Wheatley, student affairs
officer for the psychology department.

Each department is given 25 slots, which they may fill on their
own criteria. Students are notified by phone or e-mail if accepted
by the program.

“To be eligible, they have to enroll full-time in the
fall,” she said. “If they don’t, they have to pay
the money back.”

The English department, as with most of the other departments,
currently has 12 to 15 students enrolled.

As of now, spaces have been given on a first-come, first-served
basis because the university did not have sufficient time to plan
how it wished to implement the program, Unruh said.

Because this is the program’s first year, it is still in
its piloting stage and will be reassessed after transfers complete
the session.

To further accommodate the changes in students’ needs,
starting this year and for all summer sessions thereafter, the
university will cut some upper division courses and offer more
lower division courses to meet the demand of students taking
prerequisites or general education courses.

“We’ve increased the number of classes available by
10 percent,” Unruh said. “But we’ve been filling
seats that were empty last summer.”

Lab courses and composition courses are among the top in
enrollment.

Since January, the university has hired more teaching assistants
and faculty to teach these courses. Unruh said the ratio of
non-tenured to tenured faculty will remain consistent with ratios
during the year.

Summer Sessions has also worked with campus resources and
facilities ““ namely libraries and computer labs ““ to
extend hours this summer for students.

“We want to make sure we have the academic support
services available for all who will be here,” Unruh said.

UC Anticipates Reduced Fees Increased
enrollment with students taking up to 40 percent of regular
coursework loads during the summer may minimize space crunches from
Tidal Wave II SOURCE: UCLA Summer Sessions, University of
California Office of the President Original graphic by VICTOR
CHEN/Daily Bruin Web adaptation by MIKE OUYANG/Daily Bruin Senior
Staff