Due to an economic downfall, last winter was the first year that winter session was no longer offered at EC.
“I don’t understand why students would have one less opportunity to complete their credits in order to be able to transfer,” Yesenia Antunez, 22, math major, said. “We should bring the winter session back because it is more beneficiary to those who are trying to complete their credits.”
The main reason as to why the winter session was closed was because of the economic impact from having to keep the lights on, to custodial staff, security and infrastructure.
“We actually expanded the offering during the summer session,” Board of Trustee Vice President Ken Brown said. “We’re able to get more people through the door with the extended summer classes than we were during winter.”
The number of students who were being serviced during the winter session is outweighed by the number of students who attend the summer session because during summer, there were three sessions offered.
“I liked winter session because I feel like I did better since it’s an every day routine,” Elise Tizon, 21, communications major, said.
While some students favor the idea of a winter break before spring semester, others just go to another school since there are others that offer winter session.
“Although it’s my first semester here, I’m considering attending another school for winter session because I really do not want to fall behind,” Angie Chavarri, 19, undecided major, said.
The only setback from students going to another school for winter is that there tends to be an overlap in which the winter session ends after the spring session has already started here.
“There is always the fear that if they get at another school, that they will just stay there and transfer their credits there,” Chris Jeffries, Academic Senate co-president and athletics counselor, said.
Besides the transfer and current students, whom it hurts the most are the athlete students. As a requirement, they have to have 24 units in between seasons and now with winter gone, they have one less chance to complete that requirement.
Although the calendar committee has already decided the school year for 2015-16 and 2016-17, the winter session is mentioned once in a while and some remain “hopeful” that it will come back.
“I was opposed for the winter being taken away. As a counselor, I thought (winter session) was a good thing, but we can’t fight the economics,” Jeffries said. “I’m hopeful that they’ll look at it again, though.”
