Young Americans for Freedom have posted their side of the story.
World Net Daily provide links to several videos the Palm Beach chapter posted on You Tube. Reporter Bob Unruh might have reached Palm Beach information officer Grace Truman.
Palm Beach is a large college. The president's statement claims an enrollment of 52,000 at four campuses. Although the college began as a community college, and the principal function of the four campuses is conferring associates' degrees and providing general education, it has been adding baccalaureate programs. I was not able to locate institutional data on the college's website. This College View chart appears to apply to the Lake Worth campus, with about half the college's total enrollment. I'm not sure what retention rates of 68% among full-time and 47% among part-time students refer to, or how they square with graduation rates of 27% for men and 34% for women (it being possible to complete general education requirements and transfer to Florida Atlantic or the like without earning a degree). Of the approximately 1100 faculty, there are 28 professors, 19 associate professors, and 29 assistant professors. (If I had any confidence in these numbers I'd stress them as illustrative of the folly of applying the University of Phoenix model to any college or university with aspirations to academic excellence.)School spokeswoman Grace Truman said, "Club rush at Palm Beach State College is for officially recognized student organizations, and all of the clubs participating in the campus club rush are official student clubs. The process for becoming a recognized campus club applies to all and is published on the college website. This student has been informed of the necessary steps and is encouraged to follow this process."
She denied that there were any clubs recruiting who should not have been there and that Ford-Morris looked at anything on the YAF table.
As of this evening, Olivia Morris-Ford remains Student Activities Coordinator.
2 comments:
Since a Community College enrolls students who are in the middle and bottom third of a high school "graduating" class, students who were socially promoted and passed an 8th grade exit exam, it is highly unfair to describe it as a dropout FACTORY. The dropouts were produced elsewhere.
Our college has specific rules for what groups can participate in something like their "club rush". A one student club or off-campus organization would not qualify, but might manage to set up a table until someone noticed. Our "young republicans" club freely passes out literature containing lies, as is permitted by college policy and the constitution, just as other political groups do. Content is never an issue, but following the rules is always an issue. Our college has some organizations that exist independently of student affairs precisely because of the many rules.
Retention is measured fall to fall, for freshman. Graduation is measured over a three year period for AA degrees, which is the bulk of their business. It is unclear if these data are consistent with IPEDS reporting rules. Under those rules, grad rates would apply only to students who started full time at that college in the fall, not ones who started at another college or a university and then come to a CC to complete an AA degree, and students who transfer without completing an AA are considered dropouts. A non-traditional student who only attends part time will never show up in those data.
Your explanation of what counts as a student retained puts the retention and graduation rates at Palm Beach in a more positive light.
To the extent that community colleges are becoming the freshman and sophomore year of first resort for students who would otherwise have started at a four-year institution, the presence of unprepared students who slow down the motivated students does make that institution, whether it's a two year or a four year institution, a dropout factory.
Post a Comment