Late Registration Brings Long Lines to JALC

Students stand in line at Admissions to register for classes

For weeks now class sections and waiting lists at John A. Logan College have been full. That meant that on Thursday night when the College dropped students for non-payment, most of the available seats already had someone waiting to take the spot. Early Monday morning lines began to form as students hoped to get a leg up on the competition for open spaces. But according to Dean of Student Services Terry Crain that could be more difficult this year than in years past. "We dropped over a hundred less students this fall than last, which is good for the College, but not so good for the student that has waited to register. I don't want to discourage anyone from coming out, our staff is doing everything possible to limit the wait, and we will get a student a schedule; it just might not be the one they had hoped for," stated Crain.

Several factors have lead up to this. The College topped the 6,000 student mark this past spring and many of those students took advantage of the early registration period that began in April. The enrollment climb has been steady for over a decade. But in a year that has seen the College go to great lengths to assist displaced workers from Maytag and TUMS, and the kick off of President Mees's aggressive 50 at 40 recruitment campaign has caused College officials to plan for another record enrollment this fall, and for changes in the future. According to Vice-President for Instruction Dr. Julia Schroeder, several sections in programs such as heating and air, cosmetology, and automotive were full before the spring semester ended. As a result, the College has to look at different methods of offering courses to students. "We are doing everything possible to open up more sections of classes, but there is only so much space and so many hours in the day. As a result, I think our faculty and staff has done an outstanding job of making adjustments, not only to curriculum but also to the methods and times that we offer classes," Schroeder said.

Online classes, Friday only classes, and block scheduling are just a few of the ways in which the College is offering alternatives to the traditional schedule of courses. According to Vice-President for Administration Dr. Larry Peterson, the College has always been good at customer service, but today's college student has become a savvier consumer. "We have to continue to recognize the needs of our students, which means the normal 8 to 4 five days a week schedule does not fit most students. Our students have jobs, families, and other responsibilities, and our course offerings have to reflect that," said Peterson.

The College will begin the bid process this fall for expansions to the automotive and cosmetology labs as well as the increasingly popular Community Health Education Complex and a class room expansion that will allow the College to offer more classes at peek times. According to President Mees the College will be celebrating its fortieth anniversary this year, a year that will be marked with unprecedented growth to both the campus and the student body.