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By Marcelle Richards

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

If increased summer session enrollment continues over the next decade, the University of California expects that it can alleviate the crunch caused by Tidal Wave II.

Reduced fees, summer financial aid and participation in the incoming transfer incentive program by the six largest academic departments at UCLA have led to a 20 percent increase in overall summer enrollment and a 45 percent increase by UCLA students, according to summer sessions director David Unruh.

UCLA is one of two campuses expected to be hit hardest by Tidal Wave II, as roughly 60,000 additional students will enter the UC over the next decade. By offering more required courses for students to take over the summer, the University hopes to speed progress and free up classroom space during the academic year.

If summer enrollment continues to climb at the systemwide level, the UC could save $200-400 million because of classroom and facility space that will not need to be built to accommodate the new students, according to UC reports.

“The plan of reduced fees is working better than anyone expected,” Unruh said. “Students are really taking the courses that count toward requirements, and that should help them get through faster.”

In May 2000, Gov. Gray Davis entered a contract with the state legislature to phase in state funding for the summer quarter if the UC upholds its end of the bargain by meeting 40 percent of the enrollment that is accounted for during the regular school year.

A 4 percent annual increase in the state general fund, along with a 1 percent increase toward full funding to eliminate “budgetary shortfalls” in maintenance and facilities are incentives for the UC to enter the agreement.

The University’s shift to fees on a per unit basis has made financial aid availability possible, pulling the UC into year-round operation, Unruh said. Because summer sessions now run under the same guidelines as those for the regular academic year, students qualify for the same financial perks as those during the rest of the year.

This means that students eligible for work-study during the regular school year may take advantage of the program during the summer for the first time.

“We’ve sent out 600 referral forms,” said Elizabeth Paniagua, work-study coordinator. “We’re actually looking for more employers to sign up for our program.”

Another financial incentive is a fee waiver of up to $500 for new transfer students.

The School of Engineering and the psychology, English, political science, economics and sociology departments are participating in the incoming transfer incentive program, which enrolls transfer students in Session C to satisfy as many requirements as possible.

Since prerequisite courses are in such high demand, summer sessions have relieved crowding in these courses over the remaining three quarters, said Laurie Okimoto-Wheatley, student affairs officer for the psychology department.

Each department is given 25 slots, which they may fill on their own criteria. Students are notified by phone or e-mail if accepted by the program.

“To be eligible, they have to enroll full-time in the fall,” she said. “If they don’t, they have to pay the money back.”

The English department, as with most of the other departments, currently has 12 to 15 students enrolled.

As of now, spaces have been given on a first-come, first-served basis because the university did not have sufficient time to plan how it wished to implement the program, Unruh said.

Because this is the program’s first year, it is still in its piloting stage and will be reassessed after transfers complete the session.

To further accommodate the changes in students’ needs, starting this year and for all summer sessions thereafter, the university will cut some upper division courses and offer more lower division courses to meet the demand of students taking prerequisites or general education courses.

“We’ve increased the number of classes available by 10 percent,” Unruh said. “But we’ve been filling seats that were empty last summer.”

Lab courses and composition courses are among the top in enrollment.

Since January, the university has hired more teaching assistants and faculty to teach these courses. Unruh said the ratio of non-tenured to tenured faculty will remain consistent with ratios during the year.

Summer Sessions has also worked with campus resources and facilities – namely libraries and computer labs – to extend hours this summer for students.

“We want to make sure we have the academic support services available for all who will be here,” Unruh said.

UC Anticipates Reduced Fees Increased enrollment with students taking up to 40 percent of regular coursework loads during the summer may minimize space crunches from Tidal Wave II SOURCE: UCLA Summer Sessions, University of California Office of the President Original graphic by VICTOR CHEN/Daily Bruin Web adaptation by MIKE OUYANG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff