Classrooms With too Much Class

For Sacramento State students a place to sit in class is quickly becoming harder to find than a parking space.

According to some Sac State students classrooms tend to be over crowded, especially during the first week when people are trying to add into classes. 

Far too often students have to sit on the floors or worse: outside of the classroom in the hallway.

Criminal Justice major Sam Martin, 20, a junior at Sac State, has experienced the effects of overcrowded classrooms first hand. 

He explained that even though he was officially enrolled in a class this semester he had to sit on the floor because so many students that wanted to add the class had gotten there before him.

He felt that the professor should have had the add-ins sit on the floor because that would be more fair.

Overcrowded classrooms are more than just uncomfortable, they can negatively affect a students ability to learn. 

The more packed a classroom, the harder it is for each individual student to get the attenetion or help they may need. 

It can also be a distraction to students; with so many other people to talk to and look at it can be hard to pay attention to a lecture or power point presentation.

If the classroom happens to be a computer lab, another issue appears: lack of computers. 

Some students have been asked to bring their own laptops if they wish to add a class where a computer is needed. 

This gives an unfair advantage to those students who own laptops and those who don't. 

If two people want to add a class where computers are needed but only one person can bring their own then that student will probably be the one to get into the class.

What can be done to solve the problem? 

A seemingly simple solution would be to offer more than one class per course, but with budget cuts and less faculty that solution may be impossible. 

Martin's solution was a first come first serve idea. 

He thought that teachers should not allow more students than seats available. 

Graduating seniors don't always agree with this outlook because being denied access to a class means they will be paying for another semester of schooling.