Editor-in-Chief
Student concerns at the Antelope Valley campus were brought up to the Associated Student Inc. Board of Directors meeting on Friday.
The Antelope Valley Representative of the Student Life Advancement Committee Benita Smith discussed four main concerns students had, one being that AV campus students are not receiving the same access to health and services even though AV students pay the same student fees as students on the main campus.
One of the services the AV campus is asking for is a part-time adviser that can help the one adviser they do have to help students plan their next semester.
“We have only one counselor here and she gets inundated by everyone so it’s very difficult for us here,” said Smith.
The second concern is to have required classes be offered during both spring and fall semester to help students graduate at a faster rate.
The third concern the AV campus had was with student employment, they asked for a liaison that could help graduating students find employment out in the community.
“We would like to see a liaison or someone that could assist the students upon graduation in finding employment. It is very difficult down here. We don’t have a lot of campus jobs at all and in the community there’s not a lot,” said Smith.
The final concern was about bringing back a master’s program to the AV campus.
“I think that these are some great issues that the board can take on the academic side,” said Illaria Pesco Executive Director of ASI.
Pesco recommended to Smith to bring these issues to the Dean of AV Randy Schultz because he meets with Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Jenny Zorn.
“Because he [Schultz] meets with the provost weekly and so these are also some provost issues. If she cannot only hear it from ASI but she can also hear these AV issues coming from Randy [Schultz] I think both pieces are necessary to close that loop,” said Pesco.
There are two majors highly impacted at the AV campus that students feel there should be a master’s program for.
“We would like to see any, we don’t have any. Sociology and criminal justice, those are the two majors that have the most people. Right now they’re either traveling to the main campus or they are leaving and traveling to another school,” said Smith.
