Two main issues have been occupying space on Associated Students Organization President Josh Casper’s desk this semester.
The first is a fee payment proposal that will make it possible for Administration to automatically drop students from all of their classes if tuition fees for the current semester have not paid in full by a specified date during that same semester.
Currently, students have until their registration date the following semester to pay fees from the current semester.
“We have about $9 million of unpaid dues by students,” Casper said. “So they have a lot of money that they are missing. It is a rule that was made in the ’90s that became lax. Now they’re trying to bring it back.”
Casper is uneasy about how students may be negatively affected both financially and academically by the proposed policy.
For example, if a student who has registered and paid for four classes is unknowingly accepted into a fifth wait-listed class, that student could be dropped from all five classes if he or she fails to pay for the fifth class on time. Campus e-mails alert students to their acceptance into classes and fee payment dates. Casper said many students do not use their campus e-mails and may never receive the message.
“I want to know what happened to good faith in the students who paid for all four other classes,” Casper said. “It’s completely unfair.”
The policy change was proposed by the Administration and brought before the ASO Senate last month. A more in-depth discussion is to follow at next week’s ASO meeting.
“We need to find a better middle ground to have a more efficient system of collection without sucking the students dry,” Philip Stokes, Region Seven Representative, said.
The other big topic of discussion at ASO headquarters is a proposed policy revision regarding the use of class materials from previous semesters. The revision would make the use of such materials without teacher permission academically dishonest.
Currently, students who have access to course materials from previous semesters are free to use them to study at their discretion, according to Casper. The responsibility is upon teachers to tell students at the beginning of the semester if they do not allow the use of previous course materials.
Last month, the Academic Senate proposed a counter-revision to the dean’s revision of Academic Honesty Board Policy 5500. The Academic Senate revision would place responsibility on students to gain permission from teachers whenever they want to use old notes, tests, quizzes, and homework assignments to study with, according to Casper.
It could also make it academically dishonest to use parts of essays written in one class for an essay in another class and to copy another student’s notes after being out sick, without first gaining permission.
“We’re going to have to come back and say that the faculty has the freedom to be the academic managers of their classrooms,” Casper said. “The burden should be on them to inform students whether or not they allow the use of notes and tests from other students.”
In addition to dealing with the big issues, Casper is also trying to fill some ASO vacancies, such as two justice positions and as many commissioner positions as needed. Students who are interested should visit the ASO website at http://www.elcamino.edu/studentservices/activities/aso/ for more information on how to become an ASO member.
It is a personal goal of Casper is to increase campus awareness and involvement in student government and issues this school year.
“I want to see student government become more well known on campus,” Casper said. “Whether it be going to more events or whatever it takes. We can’t effectively advocate for students unless they know they can come to us.”