Board of Trustees Meeting – 9/20/18
PHOTO: Wes Brooks
October 5th, 2018 – Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your voice heard by your peers, to have it possibly change policy to fit the interests of you and those around you? Perhaps you already feel heard, and would like to speak more to that. Whether it is out of concern or admiration, attending a Board of Trustees meeting may be for you! There are lots of topics covered in these meetings. Check the meeting’s agenda below. I will go over a couple of things that stood out.
Mark Matthews, a professor of Agriculture and Industrial Technologies at ICC, went above and beyond to help student, James McKenzie, which, despite his great effort, grades, and determination, lost his internship which was no fault of his own. Mark decided to “think outside the box” and come up with a way to keep James in the program he worked so hard to be a part of. With help from the faculty and Mark, they were able to help James retain his internship and stay on course for graduation. Stories like this happen all the time on campus, and there are lots of caring faculty members actively seeking to make your stay here at ICC all that it can be.
The other point of this meeting I would like to draw some attention to would be the section 6.1, the informational section for Fall enrollment. The Board members (David Cook & Wallace) went over how, even though we started out strong with a higher head count for this semester, we dropped off significantly to an all time low for enrollment since before 1980. There have been changes like removing the need to speak with an adviser to enroll first. That seems great and reduces another barrier for students, but one that seems to still be relevant is the barrier for FAFSA. This is where I call upon you, the reader, the student, the concerned citizen, the faculty member… we must figure out why many students decide to give up at this crucial point in enrollment. Is it due to something as simple and misguided as shame, the time restrictions put in place, stress, lack of knowledge on how to fill it out, fear of failure, or none of the above and something entirely different? Let us know what you think.
iccharbinger@gmail.com
By Damien Cross