Guebert and Vazquez Protest Eliminating ESL Day Classes
The following letter raises a major issue that will soon be in front of the academic senate. Linda Guebert is the President of the MPFA. Laurie Vazquez is former senator and member of the MPFA..TO: Gaither Loewenstein, Dean of Instruction
CC: Cheryl Howard, Virginia Wagner, Nancy McClelland, Anne Lindenfeld, Patricia Macdonald, Don Vasconcellos, Rick Stewart, Oscar deHaro, Academic Senate, MPFA executive
FROM: Linda Guebert and Laurie Vazquez
DATE: October 18, 1999
RE: ESL Program Changes
We are writing to protest the decision to reduce the ESL program
by eliminating day classes in favor of all evening classes. We
feel this disregards the needs of minority language students,
and we are very concerned about the message it is sending to
the community.
The proposed change will affect our students in day sections
of English 7 and English 500, both of which have adequate enrollment.
Many of these students work at night or are otherwise unable
to attend evening classes. They are angry and distraught at not
being allowed the opportunity to advance in their English studies.
One student said that it was clear to her that the college just
didn't care about them, the implication being that this is because
they are Mexican.
We feel this decision was made without adequate consultation
of ESL faculty, students, or the community affected. Neither
of us was consulted about this monumental change to the program.
Nor, as far as we know, was there any attempt to poll students
or inform the community. if we had known this was being discussed,
we could have found out through our contacts with students and
in the community if a program of only evening classes was desirable.
We are distressed to think that our participation was not solicited
because we are part-time faculty members, despite the fact that
none of the current English full-time faculty has a background
in ESL or knowledge of the particular problems which face ESL
students. Between us we have nearly 15 years experience at the
college, and many more as ESL teachers. It seems to us that recommendations
regarding ESL should not be made by the English department without
our input and that of other ESL instructors.
We know there are concerns about low enrollment. We feel that
ESL classes should be more flexible to allow for more students
to enroll. Perhaps classes need to be started later in the fail
to better accommodate agricultural workers, or students should
be allowed to register late. Certainly, classes should not be
canceled before the first meeting, as was done this fall with
the evening section of English 7. Assistance in registration
could be provided, as is done in Willits. We would like to see
the college be very welcoming to this somewhat fragile student
population, not put barriers in their way by eliminating classes
or sticking to strict enrollment quotas.
We know there are students out there who could benefit from the
college's ESL classes. The college needs to make a concerted
effort at recruitment, something which has never really been
done effectively. This means more than an article in the paper
or putting up a few flyers. It involves visits to schools, churches,
and community centers, developing and fostering links in the
community -- considerably more than part-time ESL faculty can
do. We think it is a disgrace that the college is reducing its
ESL program rather than taking the necessary steps to recruit
the students from minority groups who would fill the classes.
* * *
Copyright MPFA 1999
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is
cited
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