There are many policies at UCLA that have been put in place with
good intentions which have not been best for students. The BAR
statement is a painful reminder of one such policy ““ the
recent fee hike. And as students scramble to choose classes in the
coming weeks, desperate to find relevant classes with the right
number of units, we are forcefully reminded that class registration
is affected by another such policy: Expected Cumulative Progress
Requirement.
ECP took effect for students entering as freshmen in 2001 and
after, and for all students who transferred to UCLA in 2003. This
policy imposes strict quarterly achievement standards on students,
which harms their chances to participate in extracurricular and
employment activities ““ and even more troubling, may
jeopardize some students’ ability to obtain an education at
UCLA.
In addition to requiring students to take at least 13 units per
quarter, ECP also sets a minimum number of units that students need
to have taken after every two quarters. This number of units
continually increases through a student’s college career.
For example, after two quarters at UCLA, 27 units of credit must
have been achieved. After four quarters, 56 units are necessary,
meaning that 29 units must have been completed during that period.
Thus, the number of classes that students must take every two
quarters keeps increasing. Eventually, it is virtually impossible
not to take four classes every quarter.
Why is this policy harmful? According to the UCLA Student
Retention Center, it harms students who are seeking to enrich
themselves outside of the classroom. For those of us who believe
that college is designed not only to provide us with an education
but also to help us grow and develop as leaders and individuals,
there are numerous outside opportunities that are worth pursuing.
Joining a club, whether social, political or religious, provides
opportunities for leadership development, personal growth and
developing networks and connections that will be useful in the
future.
Additionally, taking an internship in an intriguing field is not
only helpful in gaining direction, but is often vital for future
employment. However, ECP makes engaging in such activities much
more difficult. Because students are forced to take so many units
per quarter, they often find little time for anything else.
It is certainly true that UCLA is a competitive university and
academic pursuits are perhaps the most important aspect of
attending school. However, stifling any other important avenues of
development and expression is highly counterproductive, because
these less traditional aspects of education also contribute to a
student’s growth and future success.
While many students may want to pursue opportunities outside of
the classroom, others may find it necessary to take jobs in order
to support their families and pay for their education. This can
require long hours of work even while in school. While financial
aid is certainly available, the Student Retention Center has
pointed out that UCLA is not a homogenous campus and many students
have not only struggled to be able to attend a university like
this, but they must struggle to continue attending this
institution.
If students do not meet the ECP requirement, they can be placed
on probation and if they fail to meet the requirement again after
another two quarters, they can be dismissed from UCLA. There are
few exceptions to this policy; thus, the penalty for not taking the
minimum number of units is very steep. For many working and
lower-income students, being forced to take this many units in
addition to employment has the potential to create such intense
academic difficulties that they may be forced to leave the
university.
However, like any policy, this was put in place for a reason. As
a new influx of students into the UC system occurs, there are more
students competing for a few spots. Each student who remains at
UCLA is taking the place of a potential student ““ which means
less funding for the school. This begs the question: why have more
UC campuses not been built in recent years ““ especially
during the economic boom of the 1990s?
Another alternative to ECP would be to offer a greater variety
of summer courses, so that students would not be forced to shoulder
such intense burdens during the academic year. This would not only
bring in revenue for the school, because students would pay to take
such classes, but would help students spread their workload more
evenly over the school year.
ECP is a harmful policy with far-reaching consequences for many
students. However, ECP should not be understood as an isolated
policy, but rather as part of a systematic series of challenges
that UCLA students face as a result of regressive administrative
policies. The recent fee hikes and attacks on comprehensive review
are excellent examples of the continuing disregard UCLA students
face from both campus administrators as well as the UC Board of
Regents.
As the regents meet on campus this Wednesday, many students will
protest to bring these issues to light. ECP ultimately affects you
as a UCLA student, which raises the question: What do you plan to
do to change it?
Bhaskar is a third-year political science student. E-mail
him at sbhaskar@media.ucla.edu.