By Talia Gerard
Opinion Editor
New College and Career Center Counselors Judy Park and Caryn Ramirez have brought in college admissions representatives to speak to students who wish to find out more about the colleges they are applying to. However, because some students take these meetings as an opportunity to miss class with an excused absence, there needs to be new restrictions on CCC meetings.
The CCC visits allow a representative from a university to inform students about their school. It gives students the opportunity to find out more information about the college, such as the application process, campus life or scholarships, without having to travel to the campus or individually contact their admissions representative.
According to a survey of 100 students who have attended these meetings, 33% said they have gone to miss a class. Given that 1/3 of those surveyed admitted to intentionally ditching class, the honor code needs to be stressed to students, and new regulations should be put into place if this problem continues.
Also, it is selfish for students to take advantage of a representative that comes to Costa to speak to the student body. If any of the students that are attending the college visit are not interested, it is a waste of the representatives’ time, as they could be speaking with students who are genuinely interested in the school. If students are simply using the visits as an opportunity to skip class, that is disrespectful to those who organized it.
According to Principal Dr. Ben Dale, a way to make sure students are not abusing these college visits to miss class is to have teachers ask students what college they are going to see before they can go. If students cannot answer this simple question, they should not be able to attend. However, this solution would not be very efficient, as all students have access to Naviance, where they can locate the names of the schools coming any given day.
Only students who are truly interested, not intentionally ditching class, deserve an excused absence. These college visits are beneficial because they give students the opportunity to learn vital information without being penalized for lack of attendance. The students that go to these visits for the right reasons are thinking ahead for their future; therefore, they should not have to worry about missing class.
According to Park, the process for signing up for these visits is currently based on the honor system; however, if it becomes apparent that there are students abusing this trust, then the college counselors will have to limit the amount of students who are allowed to attend each visit.
A viable solution to stop students from skipping class is to force them to sign up in advance on Naviance to receive an excused absence. Those who simply walk in and lack the foresight to sign up online do not deserve the same treatment as students who responsibly plan ahead.
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