There may be naysayers who believe California’s budget cuts have bunged up the quality of counseling and other services on campus, but a survey of Santa Rosa Junior College students suggests otherwise.
The survey was given to 27 students and included questions regarding their experiences with the SRJC counseling department. Students were asked about their scholastic objectives, to rate their overall impressions of the counseling department, and to describe how the department has changed over the past two years.
The majority of students surveyed were under the age of 19, and 77 percent of survey respondents claimed they intend on transferring to a four-year college. Most students said they meet with a counselor once a semester. When asked to rate their experience with the counseling department on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being the highest, most students gave the department a 2.
This information is telling of how well the counseling department has coped with a reduced staff. The department went from 30 counselors to 24 last semester; a 15 percent drop over the past two years.
That’s 24 counselors for 32,000 students, and most of these counselors teach part time and are also involved in outreach at local high schools. These extracurricular activities further limit the department’s availability to best serve their students.
Some students feel slighted by the quality of services they have received. An anonymous student identified JC counselors as simply “mouse clickers,” and further commented they “have no real time to actually work with students.”
It’s true SRJC counselors work on a tight schedule. However, they are more than “mouse clickers.” Most of them are seasoned professionals with a graduate degree plus many additional certifications.
Furthermore, 50 percent of students said they have never received misinformation from the counseling department and have not had to stay at the Junior College longer than anticipated due to misinformation. More students had issues about not getting into the classes needed for transfer due to the elimination of class sections as a result of the budget cuts.
Steve Morris provided insight on the changes that the counseling department has endured over the years—both good and bad. Morris has been a counselor at SRJC for more than two decades and said the counseling department today dwarfs its meager state when he started at the JC.
During Morris’s tenure, the college has developed new programs such as Puente and EOPS, and expanded the Petaluma campus and Shone Farm.
Morris said the last two years were a reversal of previous progress. Instead of introducing new programs, the counseling department is just trying to cope. They are also without secretarial support, which is essential for new department initiatives.
The department’s hours of operation have also been shortened. It used to be open until 8 p.m. every weekday, and now closes at 5 p.m., staying open until 7 p.m. only on Wednesday.
It’s puzzling to think that 24 counselors can tend to 32,000 students. Truth is: they don’t. The counseling department used to require students with nine or more units to meet once a semester. Then, counselors only required students with 42 or more units to meet. Today, only students seeking financial aid, on probation or who are veterans are required to meet with a counselor.
The new requirements reduced the amount of students entering the counseling department and lightened the load on the counselors.
Counseling services are still available on campus, but Morris advises students to become more proactive about making appointments during less impacted times of the semester. Fifty percent of available counseling sessions are by appointment only, but the rest are drop-in. If a student needs more than 10 minutes with a counselor, they’re advised to set up an appointment three weeks in advance.
One might think that with the challenging conditions the counseling department is facing, that counselors might be leaving due to the stressful environment. This is not the case. Counselors have either retired, moved into administrative positions or have taken jobs elsewhere. Although they are overworked, Morris believes his colleagues still enjoy their jobs. At least, Morris does.
Morris estimates 30 percent of the department will retire over the next three years. So, if you can get into the prerequisite courses necessary to becoming a guidance counselor, this may be a good time to head down that career path.