WHEREAS, A significant number of California community college students seek transfer to University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) campuses, and alliances such as UCLA’s Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) have been shown to improve transfer admission outcomes by enhancing students’ “ability to transfer to UCLA at the junior level from a participating California community college” [1] through honors program certification; and research further indicates that “those students who participate in community college honors programs experience minimal transfer shock” [2], demonstrating the value of rigorous honors coursework in supporting a successful transition to four-year universities;
WHEREAS, Access to honors level learning opportunities is not equitable across all California community colleges, resulting in unequal preparation for transfer among students, “finding that low-income (11%), older (6%), Black (9%), and Hispanic (13%) students transfer and complete bachelor’s degrees at even lower rates than students overall” [3] highlighting the need to expand honors course availability [5] and standardize honors contract policies to promote greater academic equity and inclusivity across the California Community College system;
WHEREAS, Participation in honors courses and contracts has been shown to enhance students’ academic preparedness for upper-division coursework after transfer, with honors students earning higher GPAs, persisting and graduating on time at greater rates than their peers [4], while also fostering increased engagement in campus life, leadership, and community service that strengthens civic responsibility and the academic community as a whole; Now, Therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges advocate to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and local academic senates for equitable access to honors-level learning opportunities by requiring that all UC- and CSU-transferable general education courses offer an honors contract or honors modality option, and encouraging the expansion of honors contracts or honors modalities within major-specific transferable courses, thereby ensuring that students across all majors have the opportunity to engage in rigorous academic work in preparation for transfer; and
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges support statewide efforts to expand and standardize honors course and contract policies across the California Community Colleges system in order to promote greater academic equity, transparency, and consistency in transfer preparation opportunities for community college students.
Citations:
[1] https://admission.ucla.edu/apply/transfer/ucla-transfer-alliance-program
[2] https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nchcjournal/146/?
[3] https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/press-releases/new-reports-all-backgrounds…?
[4]https://psibetajournal.org/wp-content/uploads/Tsai.pdf
[5] https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081524.pdf
Student Senate for
California Community
Colleges