By John Eppard
IV Leader A and E Editor, Oct. 6, 2011
“What did you think of the transition from high school to
college?” Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon asked a group of students at IVCC on Sept. 27.
Most of the responses were about the same, with students
saying that they felt like they weren’t prepared.
Simon was speaking to a room of around three dozen students
and faculty on her 36th stop as part of her 48 community college tour.
Students explained how they were placed in lower classes than
they thought they would be in, and also while taking these classes, they
realized that they were having a hard time understanding those classes.
One of Simon’s goals as state Lieutenant Governor is to
increase the college completion rate from 40 percent to 60 percent, and after
hearing about the students’ difficulties, Simon said how she would like to see
high schools make their senior year more challenging and difficult so students
would be more prepared for college.
As for the students who are still having a difficult time
understanding the material, she said she would like to see students working with
counselors more often.
Simon also said community colleges are beneficial to
students. Students also agreed as they went on to explain how they can get in
contact with their teachers fairly easy to receive help. Teachers also spoke up
and agreed how they are helping students.
The cost of tuition was also brought up during the meeting.
When asked about the chance of tuition going down, Simon said that the state is
on a budget and it won’t be going down.