The California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) will take effect beginning the Fall 2025 semester, aiming to make the transfer process as easy as possible for all students.
Assembly Bill 928, the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act of 2021: Associate Degree for Transfer Intersegmental Implementation Committee, states that the California Community Colleges facilitate the mechanisms for students to transfer and apply to a 4-year university for a bachelor’s degree.
However, not everyone is fond of the implementation of Cal-GETC, because humanities courses, particularly those in General Education Area C, are being cut.
“Cal-GETC is not just a procedural change; it threatens the very heart of what makes our campus unique,” said Associate Professor of Italian Studies Andrea Polegato. “Removing Area C3, which includes foreign languages, could dismantle the courses that encourage students to explore and sustain language studies beyond the introductory level.”
The current general education system at Fresno State has been in place since 2021. The implementation of Cal-GETC reduces the number of required GE courses.
Some students argue that establishing a universal path between community colleges and universities is a beneficial idea.
“I believe the bill would be helpful because without the right guidance from a counselor, you may take classes that you wouldn’t need,” said Noah Heryford, a student at Clovis Community College and member of the Bulldog Marching Band.
Andrew Jones, California Faculty Association (CFA) Fresno Chapter president, said students would face more harm than good from the system, especially in ethnic enrichment courses.
He said students would suffer specifically in language, losing reason to foster their cultural roots.
“This would weaken our foreign language courses and the rich cultural substance of our university and the broader Central Valley community,” Jones said.
The Academic Senate is responsible for establishing the roadmaps and the required courses for each degree. Chair Raymond Hall said the system is still being hashed out.
Jones also added that the CFA and the Academic Senate oppose Cal-GETC.
“Last year, the CSU Academic Senate passed a no-confidence vote against the chancellor and the board of trustees in response to the implementation of Cal-GETC, and CFA filed an unfair labor practice charge,” Jones said.
Polegato expressed concern for the lack of communication between the university and faculty regarding Cal-GETC, saying that there is a large amount of uncertainty going around.
“We are all anxiously awaiting final decisions that will shape the future of our courses,” Polegato said.
As of April 26, Gibson said that, to her knowledge, no course sections have been cut yet at Fresno State.
Jones said the CFA views Cal-GETC as a threat to faculty and lecturer employment, leading to increased workloads in order to accommodate the structural changes as well as the other activities brought on with the new system.
The reduction of courses will also lead to larger class sizes and faculty being required to take on more sections, something that is already happening due to the impending CSU budget cuts.
“I have yet to encounter a colleague who is embracing the implementation of Cal-GETC and saying it is going to have positive effects on our campus,” Jones said.
Aside from Cal-GETC, schools have their own support systems that help facilitate the transfer process.Lucas McGary, a junior political science major at Fresno State who transferred from Clovis Community College (CCC), said he faced a lot of uneasiness when transitioning.
“[It was] very difficult, I struggle with anxiety and so transferring into a 4-year university was filled with a lot of unknowns,” McGary said. “Dog Days was super helpful and alleviated a lot of anxiety that I was struggling with.”
Other students, like Brisa Bergfeld, a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo transfer student from CCC, said receiving her college acceptance letters was the best part about being a transfer student.
“Overall I think it’s the best thing anyone can do and I will never regret my decisions,” Bergfeld said. “After I got into SDSU [San Diego State University] and SJSU [San Jose State University] with a 3.8 GPA. Anything is possible.”
As well as the positives to being a transfer student, there is also a downside.
“The cons are you are two years behind everyone with building relationships within your department,” Heryford said.
While Cal-GETC was created with the intention of providing a singular path for transfer students to make their lives easier, some individuals point out that the integrity of humanities in education is at risk.
“This change would have long-lasting implications for the educational diversity we strive to maintain,” Jones said.
