Classes start at Imperial Valley College By JONATHAN DALE, Staff Writer
Monday, August 20, 2007 10:48 PM PDT
JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTO
FROM LEFT: Business administration student Roxana Ibarra uses the class schedule as a fan to cool herself while waiting for her next class on Monday at Imperial Valley College. With her is nursing student Janeth Salsameda.
Rodolfo Calles sat outside the Imperial Valley College Student Center at noon Monday, beads of sweat forming on his skin as he sketched on his notepad.
The 19-year-old architecture major was killing time before his next class on the first day of the 2007-2008 school year at the community college — a day the sophomore said he’s been looking forward to.
“It’s been good,” Calles said. “I like it.
“I was already anxious to be in school,” he said. “I was getting tired of summer.”
Nearly 7,700 students filed into their classrooms Monday, said IVC President Gary Rodgers— a 300-student increase from last year’s head counts.
“The parking lots look good; they’re filled,” Rodgers said. “That’s a good sign when you drive into campus.
“We feel good,” he said. “As long as we’re increasing our student head count, we’re happy.”
While Calles sweated it outside, 17-year-old Alejandra Diaz was chatting and snacking with 19-year-old Naomi Chavez inside the Student Center, taking advantage of the building’s air conditioning.
Both Diaz and Chavez noticed the higher amount of students this year. For Diaz, her first semester at IVC was not going so well by noon Monday.
“It’s not so good because I didn’t get to crash a class this morning,” she said.
The administrative justice major, who aspires to be in the U.S. Border Patrol one day, said she was “nervous” because of the lack of room in classes she planned on taking this fall.
“I have to crash all my classes, and if I don’t get in, I’ll have to try new ones,” Diaz said.
As she munched on hot Cheetos, Chavez, a second-year liberal studies major, said she understands how Diaz feels making the jump from high school to college and not getting the classes she desires.
“You don’t really know that many people,” Chavez said. “It’s a lot harder to crash classes this year.”
While the fact that many of the more basic general education classes — such as English, history and biology — are filled is causing some students distress, Rodgers said he’s encouraged by the amount of pupils filling desks at IVC.
“Our outreach programs from our Student Services have been successful again,” he said.
“Classes are full,” Rodgers said. “I would imagine they are over 80 percent at this point across campus, and that’s healthy.”
" FYI
There are some classes that were added to this semester. For anyone that needs Philosophy 106, it will be offered on Wednesday nights and American Sign Language 100 will be offered Tues and Thurs in room 304B. You can contact the counseling office for registration codes. Good luck to everyone this semester!! "
chevr1967 wrote on Aug 21, 2007 10:43 AM:
" Usually if its your first semester, you won't really get the classes you want, maybe one. "
living in imperial wrote on Aug 21, 2007 10:37 AM:
" Wow... I attended IVC some 10 years ago or so and I remember having such a hard time finding parking during the first few weeks of class. I sympathize with students who are having a hard time not only finding parking, but also "crashing" English and math classes. What a headache! "
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ilovetexas wrote on Aug 21, 2007 9:53 PM: