By Alan Morales
The availability of quality guidance is a vital necessity for students today at any academic level. Attending college is a crucial part for the development of an individual.
Having good instructors and counselors is vital. Can you imagine walking into the counseling office on Monday and getting an answer that you need to come on Friday to make an appointment? This is not an uncommon occurrence at ELAC.
The counseling section of the college website sadly reads: “There is no guarantee of making a counseling appointment over the phone.” If you try calling, because you are unable to make an appointment in person, you will be told that there are no more spaces. Students get often caught in this cycle.
Our voices should be heard here at ELAC in order to demand our right to be counseled without them procrastinating for weeks at a time. A strong and healthy commitment with education cannot start tomorrow. It should start to be genuinely nurtured at this precise moment ELAC should ensure the best counseling department in the state. It should be one of the administration’s top priorities.
It is no different than coaching a community college football team and wanting it to succeed to win a title. This is a lesson that administration can learn from ELAC’s athletic coaches. Administrators need to be more aggressive in order to meet those goals.
Students at ELAC should have more accessibility to counseling any day of the week. Sometimes one day is enough for changing the life of a person forever and academic undertaking should never be compromised.
It can be frustrating for students to get a word of advice when it is most needed. Anyone can walk in to the counseling department and find out that some counselors can be hesitant on their answers or even give ambiguous information in some occasions.
Having counselors that are sure about the material that is given out without being misleading is crucial for the education of serious students. Students must insist on the fact that the counseling department is one of the areas that need to be revitalized in order to keep up with the growing demand.
It is critical to restructure the counseling system during this period of economic crisis. The students who attend ELAC cannot afford to wait any longer.
