Students may DART to shuttle
by Connie Yu, Managing Editor

   John Derez, a NE student, found himself coming back to a much more crowded campus this fall.
   "Last year my classes were fairly small," he said. "This year I can barely find a parking spot ... and on top of that, the hallways and classrooms are pretty packed."
   Derez said the larger class sizes have made it a bit more difficult for instructors to stay on track with their schedules.
   "It takes longer for the professor to explain everything to the students," he said.
    He is not the only one noticing the changes.
   SE student Amanda Russum has also seen her classes becoming larger.
   "You don't get the attention from the professors that you need," she said. "People are not as willing to participate in class activities and discussions."
   Five weeks after the jumpstart of the fall semester, many students are noticing the changes on campuses resulting from the $1.7 million budget cut for 2003-2004, such as class size enlargement, cutback on section options and some limitation on student services.
   Dylan Walter, a South Campus student, said he has to drive to another campus to take a drama course after his campus stopped offering the class.
   Across the same campus, Brenda Jordan said she could still remember having a hard time registering during early registration because the classes were already full.
   Hedy Hedary also noted that some services are overwhelmed on a more crowded campus.
   "The size of classes are bigger, but a lot of students are dropping out," the biology student on South Campus said. "Printing has become more difficult. We have to do more work on our own because of the printing of papers. The parking is harder, and we have to walk a lot further. And the Bookstore is running out of books more frequently and quickly."
   But most interviewed say the changes have caused only minimum effects.
   "The classes are more crowded, and everyone sits under each other," South Campus student Wes Finder said. "But the changes really haven't affected me yet."
   His classmate, William Cramer, said he has less time to talk to teachers, but his grades are not affected.
   Rick Jackson on the SE campus agreed.
   "It only affects me in algebra," he said, "because it's a hard class for me and I like to ask a lot of questions. With such a full class, I feel a little more discouraged to do so because it might keep everyone else from being able to get the best learning experience out of the class."
   Melissa Underwood on the SE Campus observed another problem.
   "I have noticed that my classes are more crowded than in previous semesters," she said. "It is so crowded in one of my classes that one student who came in late found an empty chair in the back of the room to sit in, but didn't have a desk to write on."
   The lack of furniture did not bother Underwood though because she said she is always on time for class.
   Katie Daley, however, said getting to class on time could be difficult on a crowded campus.
   "The parking is atrocious," the SE student said. "I am always running behind because I have to search for a space for 10 minutes."
   TCC has experienced yet another record enrollment increase for the fall, and many officials expect more students coming because of a widespread tuition increase in universities across the state.
   Facing the "enrollment crunch," TCC Chancellor Leonardo de la Garza appointed Dr. Larry Darlage, NE Campus president, last week to chair a committee that will study the effects of class-size enlargement on educational quality.
   TCC officials will also re-evaluate the efficiency of class scheduling and the programs the college currently offers.
   In anticipation of further state-funding shortfalls, academic programs with low enrollment records may be in jeopardy; more class sections may face elimination, and faculty resources and student services may become scarcer. Everything is on the table, officials said. Amanda Leduc, Lillian Kemp and Crystal Cook contributed to the story.