Students struggle as budget crunch forces CSN to cancel classes

By Dave Clark

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008 | midnight

When College of Southern Nevada student Travis Morgan arrived for the first day of his economics class this fall, he was not the only one shocked at its cancellation. His teacher, who showed up, was not informed either, he said.

"She had no idea the class was canceled," Morgan said. "They didn't even tell the teacher, which was amazing to me."

Morgan said incidents like these are part of what he believes is a growing trend at CSN's Henderson campus.

CSN spokeswoman Katheryn Brekken said that trend is likely to grow as the college feels the impact of state budget cuts.

CSN Vice President of Finance Patty Charlton-Dayar said before the fall 2008 semester that CSN cannot offer enough courses to meet the demands of its roughly 40,000 students, noting the school's limited options for adding course sections.

While CSN has not yet officially trimmed course offerings, second-year students like Morgan and Naomi Okada said they have found it difficult to fill out their schedules, and they blame the state's budget crisis.

"Last semester all of us noticed a big difference in the number of classes being canceled," said Okada, who is studying general science. "The student body assumes it's budget cuts. In the school's defense, what can they do?"

Okada said she had not experienced any cancellations before last summer. During the fall, she said, a sociology class was canceled a few weeks before its start, and she dropped a physics class with low enrollment that she thought would also get the axe. Her instincts proved correct. She also enrolled in a Spanish class that was canceled the first day of class. The cancellation was announced with a note on the door.

And her experience is not the worst she has seen. Okada said a friend had four of his five scheduled classes canceled, sending him scrambling to maintain full-time student status.

"A lot of us are going to classes that don't benefit our intended degree," Okada said.

Morgan said it is getting tough to complete requirements for the mechanical engineering degree he wants. He had planned to take a Physics 181 class at the Henderson campus next semester, but it is no longer being offered.

"If they drop any more classes that are prerequisites, I'll have to take them (at UNR)," he said. "It will take me longer to get my degree."

Okada is already eying next semester with trepidation. She needs 17 credits this spring before she is ready to move to UNLV next fall.

Morgan expressed a simmering frustration.

"Instead of taking away classes and ruining people's schedules, they should take away things that are less important," he said.

Dave Clark can be reached at 990-2677 or [email protected].