New SMC policies set forth during fall A.S. meeting

The sixth Associated Students Board Meeting of the fall semester, held on Oct. 3, brought changes that will affect the Santa Monica College students. Early on in the meeting, A.S. Councilor Benny Blaydes announced that the latest-payment policy will be adjusted.

Starting winter 2012, students will have to pay their fees within three business days of enrolling.

So if a class is added on Friday, all fees are due Wednesday.

For students trying to add a class that is full, there will be a wait list for the first five students.

When a spot opens up, students from that list will have 24 hours to add the class. This will also be effective this winter.

Repeat policies are likewise set to change.

Starting this summer, students who receive a “W” for not dropping a class before the deadline will only be able to retake that class a maximum of three times.

“Be aware, a lot of students don't drop their classes in time,” Blaydes said.

The A.S. is considering a new bicycle policy where any bike not locked up at a proper bike rack can be impounded and held until its owner pays a fine.

The fine, according to a representative of the SMC Police Department who declined to provide their name, is $5.

“A couple of colleges actually have bike-sharing programs, where the Student Government funds bicycles that members can use to get from, say, here to Bundy and [the] A.E.T. Campus,” said Harrison Wills A.S. President.

One of the benefits of this program would be bicycles provided for students for a fee, enabling them to avoid traffic and the uncertainties of public transportation, while supporting the college’s environmental goals.

This subject will be discussed in further meetings.

The AS also touched on sustainability at SMC, and, as a move towards it, a possible transition to duplex printing, where printers on campus would automatically print on both sides of the page.

Duplex printing would save both money and trees.

Although some professors have yet to express any support towards the idea of grading two-sided assignments, the A.S. still plans to look into a possible policy change.

For now, students interested in conserving paper must change printer settings themselves.

The A.S. office will be the first to switch to duplex printing, meaning that all AS documents for meetings will be printed on both sides.

“In the end of the year, we spend $20,000 on paper; we would save at least $2,000. That's student money,” said Wills.