INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / AUGUST 7, 1990

 

 

Information session addresses staff concerns

eekend College is slated to

begin in September, but a
large part of its success depends
on whether Douglas College staff
are aware of the concept and able
to answer questions about the pro-
gram.

That's what Registrar Trish
Angus told staff, faculty and ad-
ministrators who attended a recent
information session about
Weekend College.

All college personnel were in-
vited to attend the meeting, which
was intended to provide informa-
tion about registration procedures
for weekend classes.

Bill Bell, Public Information
Officer, said that excellent com-
munication by college staff is es-
sential when prospective students
call to obtain information about
Weekend College.

"Weekend students are not a
traditional market segment," said
Bell. "We're serving people who
really want education but haven’t
had access to it. We need to make
them feel comfortable."

Bell said a two-week radio
blitz promoting Weekend College
is currently underway.

Angus said prospective stu-
dents may phone specific depart-
ments and disciplines asking
questions about Weekend College.

"When people begin to ask,
staff need to know which courses
will be offered," she said. "We will
distribute a list of classes to the
field bases and other areas of the
College as soon as possible. We'll
also post class schedules."

Angus said class schedules for
Weekend College will be kept
separate from normal fall
schedules to prevent students
from registering for a mixed load
of regular and weekend classes.

This way, people who can
only find time to take classes on
the weekend will get priority.

However, admission proce-
dures for Weekend College stu-
dents will not change.

"If they’ ve never attended the

over Weekend College

College before, students attending
Weekend College must apply for
admission through the Registrar’s
office," Angus said. At that time,
they will be given a student num-
ber.

Registration headaches will be
avoided for Weekend College stu-
dents as long as they are aware
that their time to sign up for clas-
ses is different from the regular
registration period.

Angus said while the regular
registration period for fall classes
will be held August 28, 29 and 30,
registration for Weekend College
will begin on the same weekend
classes start, Friday, September 7
and Saturday, September 8.

"It will be one stop shopping,"
Angus explained. "Students will
register at the Office of the
Registrar, then go to classes."

"Friday night will be reserved
for students registering only for
weekend classes," said Angus.
"Saturday morning will be open
for Weekend College students
until 9:30 a.m. after which time
regular students will be able to
register for any weekend classes
which haven’t been filled."

Weekend students will have
ample opportunity to access the
Registrar's Office for information
and assistance after the initial
registration period.

"The first three Saturdays and
Friday nights of the semester will
be for refunds, dropping courses,
withdrawals and other changes for
weekend students," Angus said.

Gordon Gilgan, Dean of the
Academic Division addressed
some of the concerns of staffing
brought forward at the informa-
tion session.

In particular, one staff member
asked if field base secretaries
would be required to work on the
weekends.

Gilgan told the group that he
didn’t ie ome that it would be
necessary. "Clerical services may
be placed with the switchboard
operator," he said.

In addition to the bookstore,
cafeteria and library remaining
open on the weekend, a proposal
for academic advising is in the
works and management will be
represented as well.

"There will be a weekend ad-
ministrator for Friday evening,
Saturday and Sunday,” said Gilgan.

Responding to the possibility
of expanding the weekend offer-
ings, Gilgan stated that for now at
least, the pilot program would
remain relatively small.

"Our objective is to allow a stu-
dent to complete their first year,"
Gilgan said, "if there is a great
demand for a complete two-year
program we may look at restruc-
turing Weekend College."

"We don’t expect it (weekend
college) to expand dramatically,"
said Gilgan. "We're aiming to give
students the most mobility." @

 

Dw You Know...?

@ e e eDouglas College's grand
opening in November, 1970 was
plagued by mishaps. "It was
like a conspiracy. Everything
went wrong," recalls Bruce
Clarke, a charter student who
now works for the College’s In-
structional Media Services
Department. Concrete was
rained upon and didn’t harden
on time when it was poured,
bookends were ordered for the
library and burned on the
delivery truck, cables snapped
as workmen lowered one of the
pre-fabricated portables and
the building crashed to the
ground.

Do you know any interesting
facts about Douglas College?
Please send your suggestions
via campus mail to the Inside.

 

 

 

 

ag.