With a record setting amount of freshman students, the Fresno State English department struggled to accommodate every student that needed to take freshman composition.

Fresno State has the largest freshman class in the university̢۪s history with 2,655 students, all of which need to complete their general education. Students are required to take a freshman English composition course as part of the Area 2 general education requirement.

“The students that we couldn’t place were probably thinking we don’t care,â€Â English department Administrative Support Coordinator Laura Gribben said. “We just couldn’t accommodate every request.â€Â
While freshman are the overwhelming class enrolling in the introductory English courses, it is transfer students and upperclassmen who are the priority when filling a class.

“Students came to us wanting to add classes, we probably collected over 100 plus requests,â€Â Gribben said. “We looked at all the other students that had three semesters or more before we even would even try to go to first-time freshman.â€Â

The lack of English sections effected more than this year’s freshman class, as seniors are also attempting to complete their upper-division general education requirement of a ‘W,’ or writing intensive course.

“A lot of the seniors that are requesting to get in need it so they can take their ‘W’ course,â€Â Gribben said. “In order to take your ‘W’ course, you would have to of completed the area two foundation.â€Â

Because of the lack of past semesters̢۪ beginning English classes, many sophomores, juniors, seniors and beyond are waiting to take a simple general education course. In order to remedy this, those years will be accepted into needed English classes first.

“The advantage of the process this year is that students with the greatest need for the class weren’t turned away for lack of available spots,â€Â beginning English instructor Debora Palmer wrote in an e-mail interview. “I recognize that there are students with great need for a class – like those who need the class to graduate.â€Â

If overcrowding of classes was not enough, the English department is dealing with pressure from other departments as well.

“The students are also being told by their major departments that you have to have English 10 this semester or else you get dropped from the program,â€Â Gribben said. “We have first time freshman coming in saying my major told me I had to take English 10 this semester. We just don’t have the room to accommodate in that matter.â€Â

Due to the amount of students needing a beginning level English class, and with the added pressure from other departments, the English department is offering a potentially record breaking number of beginning English classes.

“It’s certainly sitting at the record level,â€Â English department Chair James Walton, Ph. D, said.

According to a class size summary document for this semester̢۪s English classes, there are over 110 sections of first year writing classes such as English 5A, English 5B and English 10. The English department scheduled these classes as early as 7 a.m. and as late as 8 p.m.

“We had a lot of sections that were left un-staffed, the chair had to go and help hire more staff,â€Â Gribben said of the part-time staffed instructors that were hired to teach up to five sections.

Fresno State is not alone in their struggle to accommodate large numbers of students into beginning English courses. California State University, San Jose̢۪s English department administration is also experiencing trouble accommodating students to beginning English classes.

San Jose State English department Chairman John Engell said that due to an also record setting amount of freshman,12 lecturers were added to cover various sections of beginning English courses.

While the overcrowded classes and early class times are taking a toll on CSU students, instructors are also feeling the effects of the English class problems.

“What I dislike most about large numbers of students is that it is more difficult to get to know individual students and their work and spend time helping students develop their work,â€Â Palmer wrote. “It pained me to turn students away.â€Â

As for the students still trying to enroll, English department administrators said it might be wiser to wait it out.

“As a teacher, my biggest concern is that student who add after the first day or two not only have a backlog of work to catch up,â€Â Palmer said, “but they’ve missed things that are hard to regain.â€Â

Before You Enroll:

There will be an increase in the number of English 5A and English 10 classes offered for the spring 2008 semester. A total of 41 sections will be open for English 5A and another 41 sections of English 10, in comparison to the only 32 sections offered currently in the fall 2007 semester.