PUHI — Alicia Gonzales plans to hit the books hard this year at Kauai Community College. “This is my first day back at school after transferring here from the Mainland,” Gonzales said. “It has been a while since I took
PUHI — Alicia Gonzales plans to hit the books hard this year at Kauai Community College.
“This is my first day back at school after transferring here from the Mainland,” Gonzales said. “It has been a while since I took a break to have a baby. Now, it’s time to get serious and buckle down.”
Gonzales is aiming to get her associate’s degree in liberal arts before focusing on child development and family studies.
“It’s been a while since I last attended class in college,” Gonzales said. “First day at school? I see a lot of high school kids. That’s a big reality check.”
Gonzales was one of 1,085 students in the unofficial census taken Monday morning when KCC opened for the spring semester. The count is 97 students below the opening day of last year’s spring semester, or a decline of 8.21 percent, the largest decline within the University of Hawaii Community Colleges system.
“We are down,” said Dorean Duhaylongsod of the Long Distance Learning program and a mentor with the Waialeale Project. “We still have until Friday afternoon at 4 for people to come in and register for this semester. We need to boost the enrollment.”
Semester hours, according to the unofficial census, total 9,086 semester hours, a decline of 7.55 percent from the 9,828 hours recorded in the 2015 spring semester.
“We opened the spring 2016 semester well-prepared to welcome our students on their journey to student success,” said Kauai Community College Chancellor Helen Cox. “We welcome all of our students, but wish we had more. The declining enrollment is part of a national trend because of the good economic conditions and high employment. Kauai Community College is right in the middle of the pack.”
Cox said the college is planning to start a program where students can earn an associate’s degree through classes scheduled during the evenings. This program is scheduled to start with the fall semester and would enable people to continue their employment while earning a degree.
Leina Gutierrez-Kelley of Anahola and Qiana Quinn of Koloa would find this a welcome addition.
“The first day was pretty smooth, although I did have some problems trying to find classrooms,” Gutierrez-Kelley said. “Right now, I’m with the Waialeale Project and have six credits, but three online so I can spend more time with my baby. Eventually, I want to get a certificate in psychology and a master’s degree in social services.”
Quinn, a second-year student in nursing, juggles her schedule at school and work at Hale Kupuna.
“I love it here at Kauai Community College,” Quinn said. “The students, and everyone is friendly. The teachers are easy to get along and are very understanding because of my balancing work and school.”
