As the case has been since 2003, enrollment at Bakersfield College is up. First day enrollment rose from 16,129 students in fall 2007 to 17,630 student in fall 2008.
Numbers are up at the BC main campus, the Delano Campus and the Weill Institute in downtown Bakersfield. The number of students enrolled in online courses also increased since this time last year.
“When there is a recession and a period of workers being laid off, a lot of people tend to go back to school, and, so, community college enrollment tends to increase in these times,” said Ann Morgan, director of Institutional Research and Planning.
Along with the recent economic woes of society are other forces that drive a person to enroll in college. Some such forces can be professionally driven, personally driven or playfully driven.
“People are worried about their jobs, and they want to get some other skills. There are kids who would have gone to four-year schools, but their families can’t afford it,” said Sue Vaughn, director of enrollment services.
The increasing number of students enrolled at BC affects students and staff alike.
For students, an increase in fellow students means fewer parking spaces, fewer seats in classrooms and more competition in classes.
For teachers, an increase in students means more papers and tests to grade, more bodies in classrooms, and more hands to be needed.
“We’re just about to reach the point where we have no option but to hire more staff,” Vaughn said.
Outside of the admissions office, a line of students waited to get last-minute schedule changes and enrollment issues straightened out.
Of the 17,630 enrolled for the fall 2008 semester, 60.3 percent are female, 43.4 percent are under the age of 21, and 59.8 percent are from minority groups.