Cal States are downsizing.

Transferring is getting harder.

And the required GPA to transfer is getting higher.

Things will not improve because the college currently does not have a CSU in the “local admission area” that gives its transfer students priority admission, Sue Oda-Omori, Transfer Center Coordinator, said.

“We’re not in anybody’s local admission area except for CSU Dominguez Hills and Northridge,” Oda-Omori said. “(But) all students across the state are held to minimum requirements in those schools.”

Oda-Omori said that she had told Tom Fallo, president, and the vice presidents about the problems of not having a Cal State giving priority admission.

She added that they’ve approached the Cal State University Chancellor Charles Reed and that they’ve been talking with legislators.

“When our cabinet approached Reed, our initial push was to get a local area for Long Beach,” Oda-Omori said.

With the college trying to push for local areas while Cal States are downsizing, EC is hoping to eventually have Cal State Long Beach give our students priority admission.

“We’ve seen representatives of legislatures and worked with Cerritos College,” Fallo said. “We are continuing to discuss the issue with representatives of the college system, but this is not an easy issue.”

Oda-Omori added that the legislators are looking at the overall issue of the local area admissions.

“It doesn’t seem fair that some schools are in two local areas, while some schools are in one and some schools are in none, like EC and Cerritos College,” she said.

Students who attend EC and are trying to transfer to Cal States are held to higher standards than most of the other colleges in the state, Oda-Omori said.

“Students in the local area admission for non-impacted majors are held to minimum eligibility,” she said. “Students outside of the area are held to higher admission requirements, mostly a higher GPA.”

Helin Hernandez, 18, undecided major, does not think it’s fair that some people can take the easier route than others.

“I think it’s important to have priority registration,” Hernandez said. “Not everyone decides to go to a private college or a UC and most people choose EC or Cal States because they’re less expensive and they should not be deprived of priority admission because of that decision.”