Fall semester starts with more courses at Valley community colleges

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Thousands of students headed back to school at community colleges around the Valley Monday for the start of the fall semester. That includes Merced College, College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Reedley College, Willow International in Clovis and Fresno City College.

Thanks to the passage of Proposition 30, the schools have more state funding this year, and because of it administrators said there's a new energy on campus.

"It's always exciting to be here. We have a lot of students," said Fresno City College President Tony Cantu.

He said long lines, crowded classrooms and a steady stream of students coming and going from campus are the typical signs school is back in session, but for the first time in years, the nearly 21,000 students enrolled at FCC are finding it easier to get the courses they need. That's because the campus was able to bring back some of its course offerings previously cut from the schedule during the recession.

"We've added about 132 classes, that's representative of about 3,000 more seats and those classes are in General Ed," said Cantu.

That's good news for first-time students like Cierra Olera who decided at the last minute to enroll, but ended up getting into some of the classes she needs to be considered a full-time student.

"It's been kind of stressful because I didn't really plan on going here. I was trying to get into a university, but I'm going to transfer," she said. "I got into one class that I sat in today so that's good."

Luckily for her administrators said classes, especially in the afternoon and evenings, are still open.

"We've also added some classes at other sites, so at our Clovis Center on Herndon and Peach, we've added about 60 classes there and my understanding is there's still some seats in Madera," said Cantu.

Starting this semester, the Business, Admissions, Financial Aid and Counseling Offices will be open late until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to better assist students attending classes at night. Some of those offices were renovated over the summer to give students more space.

For the first time this year, a parking shuttle will also be available throughout the campus for an extended period of time. It will run every 15 minutes for an additional three days, this year, ending on September 4.

"Parking is a hassle. Luckily I have a cousin that lives down the street and just walk from there," said student Edgar Tabarez.

A couple of changes are also in the works this semester. Fresno City College is currently working to create designated smoking areas on campus with new signage expected to go up soon. Construction crews will also begin renovating a building to create a Veteran's Center on campus.