Repeat Policies, PACE, New Regs, Oh My…

The last two years have brought a series of new regulations that will dramatically curtail our students’ ability to earn their degrees here at Cabrillo.

• The State Repeat policy only allows a student to attempt a class three times. After this, any other attempt must be at another school.
• The PACE Minimum Standard Requirement (being implemented in the Fall) requires a student to have a 67% completion ratio of all units attempted in their lifetime at Cabrillo. If they fall below this ratio, they are cut off from financial aid until they raise their completion rate back up to 67%.  For example, if a student took classes in the 80’s that she did not complete, these classes will be counted against her regardless of how successful she is in her current coursework. If she is unable to bring her ratio up to 67% in the time it will take her to complete her goal at Cabrillo with aid assistance, she will need to pursue her goals at another school.
• The Lifetime Eligibility Used regulation states that students can only receive aid for the equivalent of 12 full time terms and, similar to PACE, this goes back to the first time the student ever received Pell, which could be as far back as the 70’s.
• The High School Diploma regulation states that students must have a High School Diploma or the equivalent to be eligible for Federal Aid. Many students who did poorly in High School have come here and successfully completed their goal of a College degree. We now cannot help those students move forward without first sending them backward.

The Classified staff, like the rest of the College, is concerned about how these new regulations are going to affect our ability to carry out our Mission Statement and grow our enrollment.  More importantly, on the front lines of implementation and information is the Classified staff, yet the college wide dialogue has yet to reach our component. While some regulations are being held at bay as the state pursues more statistics, where are we left in how to share news with students in a way that allows them to prepare for their future? The motto on Cabrillo’s website is “Breakthroughs happen here.” Due to these regulations, we are feeling a shift in our jobs from being shepherds of a second chance to gatekeepers of regulations.

by Alta Northcutt

and Lena Mason