Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Again, for what seems to be a very rare occurrence, I am giving a “behind the scenes” comment to something that I wrote about in the student-friendly version of this online journal today.

What is probably the greatest hindrance for the holding of the summer classes on the side of the school officials is the availability of the teachers.

First of all, even though the students are willing to forego their extensive summer plans, a lot of the teachers are not.

Of course there is a solution to this, which is my second point, and which may not be something the administrators are willing to adopt. I’m talking about the salary rate for summer classes being counted as overload, and thus coming out as a minimum of one hundred fifty percent higher than their normal pay. That’s half again as much as what they are getting per hour.

This means for a class that has the smallest possible allowable number of students for a non-regular offering, more of the tuition goes to the teacher than to the school as compared to a normal school term subject.

So the dean, the executive vice president and probably the director for facilities have to compute on whether it is feasible for the school to operate the air-conditioners, lights and such at no loss during that time. Will there be enough students paying to cover that AND the teachers’ salaries, at the same time make at least some profit?

That is why if the students are going to push for this, I have been telling them to look at all the options carefully. No one, not the school nor the students, can afford several of them who signify interest in this backing out at the last moment after the school has committed.

Either the school will offer these at a loss (not likely) or summer classes will be cancelled altogether and further petitions, even of a different nature, will be taken with several grains – if not teaspoonfuls - of salt before being considered or approved.

At the very least, this will probably entail extra work for the academic advisers, who will have to guide the students through the finer points of their last year of study (for the sophomores and juniors) so that they will be able to make the best informed decision.

When, after this careful consideration, the Student Council believes that enough the students have decided to sign up as willing to take summer classes, it will then be in the school’s hands whether or not to grant it to them. But what’s important is the procedure and proper dialogue.

Session 835 backs out from taking classes in summer at this point. Class dismissed.