Future student of Douglas College of Douglas College expresses his extreme concern over the dropping of the Fire tree-forts?’’ Science program. ‘‘Look’it,’’ he says to an Survey reveals the real losers The results of the Spring registration survey are in, and the losers are: 1) CIS 110 - at least 95 students didn’t find room in any of. the five sections offered; 2) ACC 110 - high course demand left out 59 regis- trants; 3) PSY 100 - another 54 people lost out. by DAN HILBORN But the college has im- — proved its record of fitting students into the classes they want the most. The results of the January course availability survey were shown to the college board March 15 in a four page report prepared by research assistant Douglas N. Talling. “If the current level of course offerings is main- tained, and course demand does not increase, the Fall ‘84 demand will exceed availability by 6-7 per cent,’’ the report said. But enrolment has been steadily climbing at Douglas College since 1981, and the ministry of education has already warned administra- tors to prepare for a five per cent cut in the operating grant. Talling’s report shows more students are making course substitutions — this spring but fewer of these are ‘good substitutions.’ Over 80 per cent of the students enrolled this sem- ester returned the question-: naire, but not everyone filled in all the questions. Talling has been compil- ing registration — statistics since Fall ’82 and the col- lege has been using his findings to determine which classes are being over- loaded. To fit more people into the highest demand courses, administrators have been using a system of ‘emergent sections’. These are courses that are left blank, without a course number or time-slot, ‘and are opened as students fill the sections listed in the ‘registration schedule. This semester, 468 seats were filled in 23 extra sec- tions. The criminology de- partment opened four extra sections to accomodate ano- ther 155 seats in the pro- gram but at least another 122 could have been filled. Graph #1 shows the dif- ference between the number of seats the average student wanted as compared against the average number of seats filled; the dotted line shows what would have happened without the emergent. sec- ‘tions. The graph shows how the college has been able to slow down the trend of fewer people fitting into the courses they want. Graph #2 shows the per- centage of students who filled in the survey and didn’t receive all of their preferred courses. The third graph shows how fewer students would photo by SEAN VALENTI unsympathetic counsellor, expect me to be able to rescue cats from ‘maximum number "THE OTHER PRESS “how do you have found seats in their preferred courses if the emergent sections weren rt added. The final graph shows the college is fitting students into more courses this year, but again, without the emer- gent sections the number of disappointments would have risen. “We are, | think, doing very well within the current climate of restraint,’’ Tal- ling said to the board. In many cases, instructors have taken more than the of stu- dents into their classes, said Gerry Della Mattia, the dean of student services. Usually, only 35 students are allowed to register in each class, but this semester many instructors have taken up to or over 40 students to help fit more people into the college. Jim Sator, the Business department chairperson said the waiting list for the Com- puter Informational Services program is a year and a halt long. To help cope with the demand in his department, commerce and business stu- dents who meet certain qualifications will be given individualized. counselling advice this week. The office administration program has been placed on the list of closed enrolment courses for the 1984/85 year. Students wishing to enroll in this program for September should apply for registration before. March 30. Jobless bum writes pathetic autobiography TORONTO - Jim McElgunn hates being a statistic. “‘One of the 20 per cent youth unemployed - yuck,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s bad enough by JIM McELGUNN Former National Bureau Chief for Canadian Univer- sity Press having to grovel in the job market but the idea of being part of such a_ pathetic- sounding group really makes me want to up- chuck,”’ But McElgunn is in luck. He won’t be a ‘youth’ any- more, because he’s turning 25 in ‘July. “Oh sure | won’t be an unemployed youth any- more, because he’s turning 25 in July. “Oh sure | won’t be an unemployed youth — any- more, ’’ he concedes, ’’but ll probably be just as much ‘of a stereotype - one of thousands of mature stu- dents returning to upgrade their education in a compet- itive job imarket.’’ McElgunn may sound dis- illusioned but he swears he’s always been this cyni- | cal. The difference, he says, is he’s cynical in a_ less abstract way these days. ' But with a cheery ‘‘what the hell’’ he says he’s 90 per cent sure he wants to go back to school this fall. McElgunn has spent a frus- trating and fruitless six months looking for a journa- lism job in Toronto and is prepared to take journalism at Ottawa’s Carleton Univer- sity. ‘It’s been a frustrating and fruitless six months here,’’ he says. Toronto, it seems, is not the journalism mecca young Jim expected. ‘This isn’t the journalism mecca | expected.” But he’s ‘‘confident’’ that “a year in J-school’’ could be ‘‘the thing’’ he needs to get a start in ‘‘the dog eat dog world’ of big-time jour- nalism. He’s happy that he’s eli- gible for Ontario student aid now that he’s: been here more than a year and also happy that Ontario still of- fers grants as well as loans, unlike some ‘‘fucking god- damn sonofabitch stinking fascist provinces’’ he could think of. McElgunn was apparently, oe to British Colum- ia. He is about to exhaust his UI so has given up hope, for, now, of finding a journalism job. But he swears he’ll settle for ‘‘any cushy job that pays at least three grand a month.’”’ He thinks that will suffice for him to save the required $300 per month to qualify for OASP. “Oh boy, government money,’’ he says. ‘’Get it while you can. Yes_ in- deedy...’’ _ charges laid. Attempted theft Charges of attempted theft were laid against a man, described as in his twenties, following an inci- dent at the New Westmin-] ster campus last week. Blair Fisher, a music in- structor at Douglas College said the man was trying to steal a college-owned tape deck from his office around 5:30 on March 19. “| just stepped out for a minute and the guy was in behind the stereo unplug- ging it,’’ Fisher said. ‘“‘There’s all these people walking around and_ that kind of worries me,’’ he said. “The big problem is non- students,’’ he added. Graph3 ¢ _- -_ - = _ = Graph 4 _-9 16.4% 12.7%, aan y M1 ese eT ‘ Difference between 2 course demand and Graph | « mens. Sig 6.94 2¥ailability eT a Graph2 ¢ 34% cc eee 31% Notable to obtain every preferred! ‘course ie ST EEE o-—. 87% ee + 88% Success in obtaining a om Sis Ree preferred course Number of unavailable courses per registrant