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news
Decline
stifles access, success
By Adrienne Figueroa
On-line Forty-Niner
Decline in student
enrollment, limited access to computers and the need for more
instruction have stifled the success of students within the
chemical engineering department, according to junior chemical
engineering major Uduak-Joe Ntuk.
President of the Cal State Long Beach student chapter of the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Ntuk said that he
and other chemical engineering students have faced repeated
difficulty in gaining access to department-related software
as well as certain professors for additional, out-of-class
instruction.
"They don't promote an environment of learning,"
Ntuk said.
Students are given the opportunity to work on computers programmed
with software designed for those in the major, but it is usually
only offered during class time, he said.
If students wish to use the computers outside of the allotted
instructional period, they are referred to the North Campus
Center, a site that does not have the same software as the
chemical engineering department, Ntuk added.
Some students have also become increasingly frustrated with
the lack of course offerings, several of which are available
only once a year and none of which are available during summer
and winter sessions, Ntuk said. This lack of courses poses
a problem to students who must drop a class or take a failing
grade because it may be some time before they are able to
repeat the course.
Furthermore, there is currently a 30 percent decrease in enrollment
in the chemical engineering program, he said.
Such obstacles can be attributed to budget constraints affecting
the College of Engineering, according to Lloyd Hile, chairman
for the chemical engineering department.
One of the smallest departments at CSULB, the chemical engineering
department has an enrollment rate of about 100 students a
year, with 25 of whom graduating annually, Hile said.
Because state funding to the college is based on figures of
enrollment, the department can carry only one part-time clerk
and five faculty members, all of whom have posted office hours,
Hile said.
If the amount of students in the program increases, the department's
funding is subject to rise, which could cover the cost of
salaries for additional instructors to teach more courses
as well as the purchase of more computers, Hile said.
The College of Engineering presently has three computer labs,
and each one contains about 25 computers with chemical engineering-specific
software, Hile said.
The department has attempted to tackle the low-enrollment
dilemma by reaching out to prospective chemical engineering
students in the local area. Their endeavors include visits
to community colleges within a 20-mile radius and workshops
encouraging recruitment of more women, an underrepresented
group in the field, Hile said.
Hile also hosts a science show every year to middle school
students at Kaleidoscope's Academic Day, which consists of
a visual display of chemical reactions.
Targeting young people is important because their interest
in science must develop early on, increasing their chances
of pursuing a future career in the field of engineering, Hile
said.
However, the budget issue is a problem that is likely to continue.
"I don't think anyone knows the answer," Hile said.
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