Campus
Digest
A Merced College News Magazine
Tackling Issues The newly formed College Council
streamlines decision-making while moving forward
with key recommendations on communications and
ethics Page 2
Vol. I Edition 2
Published by the Office of Institutional Advancement
A Good Deal The Bookstore has bundled together a
special 50th Anniversary T-Shirt and sweatshirt for only
$20. Page 3
January 2012
Changing Rules Many students will be affected by
changes in eligibility for federal financial aid. Staff
should be aware of these new rules to assist students.
Page 8
A Solution
for a new
Semester
Glen Harvey, Instructional
Support Technician for Area 1
Biology, formulates a chemical
reagent, Benedict’s, which
will be used by students in
the Biology 1 lab. Benedict’s
determines whether a liquid
substance contains a reducing
sugar.
Photo by Robin Shepard
Page 1
Campus Digest
january 2012
College Council Accomplishes Several Goals
New Group Moves on Important Governance, Ethics, and Communication Issues
By Dr. Benjamin T. Duran
Superintendent/President
A
s a result of the work we have been
doing to respond to the recommendations of the Accrediting Commission and
to begin to address the Strategic Plan’s initiative on communication, we formed the
“College Council,” which will serve as the
College’s top-level shared governance body.
The Council has been meeting regularly
since it was formed last October and has
proceeded to work toward several important goals, one of which, of course, is the
creation of our Districtwide newsletter, the
Campus Digest.
It is our intent that the College Council serve as a clearinghouse and forum for
dealing transparently with crucial College
issues . . ..” Its fundamental purpose is to
provide information, facilitate communication, and solve problems related to shared
governance.
The work of the Council, its agendas
and action plans, and its membership roster can be found on our MC4Me portal at
https://mc4me.mccd.edu/MC_Council/
default.aspx, and I strongly encourage you
to visit the site often for current news.
Another important function of the College Council is to survey existing campus
committees, examine their various roles and
responsibilities, and to make recommendations for operational improvements. In the
case of the Council, its primary role has
required the cessation of two existing committees, the President’s Advisory Council
and the Board Agenda Review Committee.
In other words, we’ve streamlined these aspects of our shared governance operations
and that has allowed us to eliminate redun-
We also understand that our Strategic
dancy in decisionPlan needs to be completed, and we intend
making.
to accomplish that before the end of this
We recognize
semester. We will be gathering together our
the need for implanning group once again to develop our
proved communiobjectives, action plans, and timelines, and
cations across the
to identify those responsible for guiding
District. In fact, the
the institution toward its goals.
Accrediting ComMy overriding concern, and the focus
mission for Comof my remaining time with the District
munity and Junior
is to move us toward proficiency and susColleges (ACCJC)
Dr. Duran
tainability in
is requiring
areas of prous to address
gram review,
the need for “My overriding concern, and the focus of
student learn“dialogue that
ing outcomes,
is inclusive, my remaining time with the District is
and integratr e s p e c t f u l , to move us toward proficiency and sused planning
intentional,
tainability in areas of program review,
as
required
informed, and
documented student learning outcomes, and integrated by ACCJC.
Improving
and
about planning as required by ACCJC.”
our campus
institutional
climate with
quality and
improvement.” To that end, we have begun better communications, better governance
to discuss all aspects of our communica- structures, and better decision-making protions, from top-down, bottom-up dialogue, cesses will help us move off of warning and
to messaging directed to and from our stu- secure our full accreditation.
Merced College is now a half-century
dents.
We have also worked toward a Distric- old. As we celebrate our past during the
twide Code of Ethics, which was presented coming year, we need to look into the futo the Board of Trustees for a First Reading ture. Our future is our own responsibility.
during its January 17 meeting. The Code It is the result of the collective efforts of all
of Ethics is meant to express our collective of us. The College Council is a key compovalues, behaviors, and is a commitment we nent in defining that future, in creating the
all need to make in order to work together conditions for our success, and preparing
harmoniously and the with respect and the groundwork for plans and goals that
collegial spirit each of us deserves. It will will guide us in the next 50 years.
serve to remind us that we are all responsiI wish you all a wonderful and producble for creating the environment necessary tive new year, and I look forward to hearing
for dialogue that is transparent, inclusive your thoughts and concerns as we continue
to build our future.
and respectful.
Lady Devil Water Polo Player Recognized as Statewide Athlete of the Month
Following up on a great season, Lady
Devils water polo player Kailiponi “Poni”
McGee was selected by the California
Community College Sports Information
Association and California Community
College Athletic Association as the November 2011 Athlete of the Month.
Page 2
McGee led the state in scoring with 91
goals, 46 assists and 52 steals. In November she helped lead the women’s water polo
team to the Coast Conference Tournament
Championship with wins over De Anza,
Ohlone, and Cabrillo.
McGee scored 10 goals including 8
in the championship game, 3 assists and
2 steals. At the State Final Four she had
4 goals, 1 assist, and 3 steals in wins over
Diablo Valley and Sierra College. She was
named MVP of the Cost Conference, the
Northern California MVP and was selected as an All-American.
Campus Digest
january 2012
Professor Uses Games
to Help Students Learn
Students may not consider their college education to be all fun
and games, but for foreign languages instructor Dr. Caroline Kreide, college courses should incorporate games to enhance learning.
“Pleasure is the best facilitator for learning to take place,” wrote
the German and Spanish professor in the November edition of
Connections, a journal of the Foreign Language Association of
Northern California.
“Empirically, we know that enjoyment helps us assimilate new
material with practically no effort, and psychologists have corroborated this fact by considering play an essential feature in any child’s
cognitive development,” Dr. Kreide wrote.
Games have long been part of a child’s education, but when
they enter college as adults, games all but disappear from an instructor’s bag of teaching techniques. Dr. Kreide’s experience is that
games are powerful motivators.
“Games have not been used in the college classroom because
of two assumptions,” she said, “the first one being that they fail to
transmit sufficient depth in an academic content, and the second
one being that most college students are expected to be motivated
and self-disciplined.”
The reality, she said, is that college students struggle with their
own boredom and lack of motivation, which prevents them from
becoming effective learners.
Dr. Kreide has had her share of unmotivated students over the
years. To learn about their struggles in the classroom, she began to
use questionnaires at the end of each semester to ascertain which
activities worked and which ones didn’t. Games were always at
the top of the list for the activity that worked the best for learning.
She discovered that whenever a game was played in class, students who were tuning out and nodding off would be transformed
into focused and involved participants. Game playing allows students to leave the class with a positive feeling about the subject.
Dr. Kreide uses several board games in the classroom such as
“Memory,” “Jeopardy,” and “Battleship.” She has been able to tweak
these games to get the most out of them as teaching tools. Her rule
for her foreign language students is that English is not allowed.
“For a teacher, the sweetest moments of classroom games are
those when students passionately feud over how to answer a question correctly,” she said. “In those instances the class explodes in
spontaneous discussion about the subject matter.”
Games create decentralization in the classroom and deconstruct the traditional hierarchy by spreading attention and power
throughout the classroom. Students become more active agents in
their own learning, she said. In foreign language classes, Dr. Kreide
said, “games help to get language under a student’s skin.”
Dr. Kreide’s article includes several examples of successful
games that she has used in the classroom. If games are used well,
she said, “the competitive spirit will sooner or later rouse even the
less motivated student, resulting in pleasurable learning.”
(This atrticle was first published in the Merced Sun-Star)
Page 3
An Offer You Can’t Refuse
Photo by Robin Shepard
Student Alejandra Bustos wears a 50th Anniversary T-shirt.
The Bookstore is selling anniversary T-shirts with a
sweatshirt, both for only $20! Get yours today!
Accreditation Work Progresses
By Dr. Anne Newins
VP of Student Services
Work continued on the Follow Up report over the holiday hiatus. Writing team members have created preliminary drafts and
plan to have final drafts ready for editing by February 2. The most
complex sections to write have been Recommendations 1 and 3,
which address program review and integrated planning.
In related activities, College Council meetings have been
scheduled for the coming semester. Significant topics will include
the Strategic Plan, revisions of our planning handbooks, and ongoing discussion about the role of the Educational Master Planning
Committee. Committees have been designated and members now
are being chosen for participation.
Training opportunities are being provided during Flex Days
and within departments. A group will attend Accreditation Training in Anaheim sponsored by WASC and the Academic Senate.
Campus Digest
A New Web Page
and More Library Hours
By Dr. Susan Walsh
Interim Co-Associate Vice President
Technology & Institutional Research
Merced College has a new public
web page.
After years of adding information and graphics to the old Merced
College Web Page, it had grown too
cumbersome to navigate efficiently. In
2011, a Web Page Design Task Force
was called together to design a new,
easier to use web page. Working with
Merced College Web Master Mike
Smith, the group developed a new
look, which was fine-tuned in last fall.
The new web page became Merced College’s home page this month.
Thank you to Mike Smith and members of the Web Page Design Task
Force. Your hard work has paid off.
The Merced College Library is very
pleased to announce extended hours
for the spring 2012 semester.
Thanks to one-time funding from
the Student Success Task Force, the
library will be open two more hours
on Fridays from noon until 2 p.m.,
and 14 Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday dates are: Jan. 28, Feb. 4, 11
& 18, March 3, 10, 17 & 24, April 14,
21 & 28, and May 5, 12 & 19.
Thank you to ASMC for advocating for extended hours. Thank you to
the Student Success Task Force for
putting more library open hours in to
your Action Plan.
january 2012
MC Hires Two New Academic Deans
Merced College
has welcomed two
new academic deans,
John Albano and Dr.
Kevin Kistler.
Albano,
who
is already familiar
to the campus and
community, assumes
the role of Dean of
Albano
Humanities and Social Sciences., while
Dr. Kevin Kistler
comes onboard as
the Dean of English
and Child Development.
Albano, who has
been teaching music
at Merced College
for 10 years, has developed new courses
Kistler
in jazz history and
music appreciation.
He created the College’s Guitar Orchestra
and has directed its Jazz Ensemble. He has
developed and promoted several well-received events, including the World Guitar
Night, Glorious Gospel Jubilee, hARTsfest, World Cultures Week, Autumn Affaire, Faces of Merced College photography
project, Wahneta Hall Trust Fund performances in Applegate Park, UOP Brubeck
institute Jazz Quintet master classes and
performances, and much more.
As a musician, Albano has performed
throughout the US and Caribbean with
Grammy-Award Atlantic recording artist Steve Tyrell, including numerous TV
appearances such as The Donny & Marie show. His music is heard world-wide
through VH-1 video as well as Capital
Public Radio in Sacramento. He has performed with the Stockton and Merced
symphonies, The Sons of the San Joaquin,
and has recorded and produced original CDs including “Collage,” “The Road
West,” and “Conversations,” featuring
Finnish clarinet master Rauno Tikkanen.
Dr. Kevin Kistler, formerly a dean at
the College of the Canyons and assistant
to the vice president of Instruction, began
his Merced College career in January. Dr.
Kistler’s career in education started as an
instructor of junior high school math and
language arts. He developed a passion for
teaching basic skills when he was worked
on literacy and reading skills with incarcerated and at-risk students. Dr. Kistler
further developed his classroom and online skills by teaching college success skills
and composition classes at the University
of Phoenix, where he had taught part-time
since 1996.
His experience teaching in the English
Department at the College of the Canyons
added to his litany of valuable professional
experiences. He was a curriculum consultant with the U.S. Department of Education from 1990-1996 while working on a
grant for literacy and curriculum standards.
Dr. Kistler started his college education
as a first-generation, academically underprepared and economically disadvantaged
student. Through loans, full-time work,
and study, he completed master’s degrees in
Divinity, Business Administration, and his
Ph.D. in Education, as well as a law degree.
Sheriff’s Department Donates Police Cars to Criminal Justice Program
In an effort to promote and support
two important goals in the College’s
Strategic Plan (“assuring student access
and success” and “partnering with the
community”), Criminal Justice Professor Bob Gregory collaborated with the
Merced County Sheriff ’s Office Operations Commander B. J. Jones to obtain a
donation from the Sheriff ’s Department
of two police patrol cars for the College’s
Page 4
Criminal Justice program at a cost of only
one dollar per car.
“These cars will surely help with enhancing the Criminal Justice Program by
allowing our students to have access to the
cars for the purpose of engaging in precision driving and scenario training,” Gregory said. “We’re very grateful for the donation and excited about the opportunities it
presents for the Merced College Criminal
Justice students and staff.
Gregory noted that the support and
continued partnership with the Sheriff ’s
Office is especially appreciated during
these lean budget times.
“The police cars will certainly level the
playing field by providing sustainability
in the Merced College Criminal Justice
Program as it relates to equipment and resources,” Gregory said.
Campus Digest
january 2012
Student Success
Continues to Grow
Reprographics Installs New Printer
Study Central Recognized
as a Model Program
By Tomasia Drummond
Director of Student Success
Our Office has been busy getting ready
for the spring 2012 semester. On January 12,
our program held a comprehensive training workshop that was developed through
faculty and staff collaboration. The training
was a huge success with nearly 80 students,
tutors, and SI leaders in attendance. Faculty
members from various disciplines presented
topics such as tutoring strategies to assist
students in English, Math, and Science. In
addition, campus police presented campus
safety tips and procedures.
Increasing technology topics and improving accessibility to workshops has been
another goal for the Student Success Program. In addition to creating a new website and placing all forms and promotional
material online, we have taken steps toward
making digital recordings of workshops
available online. The online videos will give
students the ability to access workshops
and academic resources from anywhere,
anytime. A Student Success Program webpage has also been developed on Facebook
to connect students with all programs and
services available at Merced College.
We encourage everyone to “like us” on
Facebook and communicate any questions
or concerns. We are also taking steps to recognize the key individuals who have been
critical to student success. Students, faculty, and staff now have the opportunity to
nominate a tutor, peer guide, or SI leader,
for outstanding tutoring services.
All of last year’s hard work has definitely
paid off ! Study Central has been identified as a model program by Pima College
in Arizona and the Chancellor’s Office RP
Group. Thank you to everyone who has
helped make our program such a success.
In addition, printing services are now
available in Study Central. Students must
purchase Study Central (green) print cards
in Student Fees or the Bookstore for $1 per
50 copies.
Page 5
Photo by Robin Shepard
Reprographics Supervisor Richard Manifest (left) and Lead Technician Jose
Flores examine the latest addition to Print Services, the HP Z6200, a photo
quality, wide-format printer capable of producing posters and banners up to 60
inches wide and over 100 feet in length on a wide variety of media.
Los Banos Campus Offers Non-Credit Classes
By Hannah Glenn
LB Campus ASMC Senator
A new semester has begun at the Los
Banos Campus, and with it an influx of traditional and non-traditional students.
Although many of these students will
attend the campus to finish a degree program, others may choose to attend noncredit continuing education classes.
Non-credit classes charge no enrollment
fees, execept for material fees, and they are
open enrollment.
Classes available at the Los Banos
Campus include English as a Second Language (ESL), Computer Lab and Beginning Quilting.
For more information, call Nancy
Brown at 209.381.6540. A list of availableclasses can also be found online at: http://
www.mccd.edu/programs/cont_ed/schedule.html.
Campus Digest
january 2012
Grant to Increase Student
Transfers in STEM Areas
By Cherie Davis
Director of Grants and Research
Merced College faculty will join faculty from San Joaquin
Delta College and CSU Stanislaus (CSUS) on a special project
designed to improve community college student transfers to CSUS
and other universities.
Funded by a five-year, $5.5 million federal grant awarded to
CSUS, the project will engage administrators, and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) faculty and deans to align
curricula and provide student support to ensure smooth university
transfers, ultimately leading to successful degree completion.
Merced College, a federally eligible minority-serving institution, will receive approximately $863,219 through this “Hispanic
Serving Institutions STEM Articulation & Transfer Program.”
Dr. Douglas Kain, dean of Science, Engineering & Math, is
the institutional lead at Merced College for this “Central Valley HSI Cooperative STEM Articulation and Transfer” project.
He will be joined on the project by Dr. Valerie Albano, Dr. Paul
Fregene,Kathleen Kanemoto, and Mai Meidinger.
Grants & Institutional Research staff will provide data for
higher-level analytics for the project, develop and conduct assessment surveys, and provide other grants and research support for
performance management, project evaluation and dissemination.
Los Banos Campus Scores a Hit with Movie Night
One day, though, tragedy
strikes, and Walter must make a
Los Baños Campus Movie Night Presents: choice: to take an active role in the
lives of Zainab, Tarek, and Tarek’s
Tom McCarthy’s The Visitor
mother (Hiam Abbass), or to re(2008) tells the story of Waltreat back into a safe but solitary
ter Vale (Richard Jenkins), an
existence.
economics professor still grievWriter-director Tom McCaring after the death of his wife.
Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.
thy spent several years studying
Passive by nature, Walter finds
Room A103
the American immigration system
himself cut off emotionally
Free Screening - Refreshments Provided
before writing The Visitor, and his
from those around him, and offilm offers both a firm critique of
ten he seems content to let life
that system and a vibrant celebrapass him by.
When he returns to his New York City apartment after an ex- tion of America’s ability to play host to genuine cross-cultural untended absence, he finds a young immigrant couple, Zainab (Danai derstanding. Filmed on location, The Visitor develops an inviting
Jekesai Gurira) and Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), living there; they are portrait of New York’s lesser-known neighborhoods and their imunaware that they are illegally subletting the rooms from a crooked migrant populations, but it also demands a stark examination of
broker. After his initial confusion wears off, Walter finds himself the bureaucratic systems that intersect with those communities. At
moved by the couple’s plight, and he invites them to stay for a few the center of it all stands Richard Jenkins’s involving portrait of a
decent man who is gradually developing a social conscience. His
days until they find another apartment.
Tarek and Walter soon become friends, and Tarek, a musician, performance won Jenkins a 2009 Academy Award nomination for
teaches Walter to play the djembe drum in the outdoor drum cir- Best Actor.
After the movie, Professor Meg Withers will lecture about
cles of Central Park. Learning to play the djembe brings Walter
out of his shell, and he begins to see the beauty and vibrancy of the some of the issues raised by the film within the context of her English A class, which deals with borderland and immigration topics.
city and people around him.
Page 6
By Willam Baker
Professor of English
The Visitor
Campus Digest
january 2012
Dr. Cary Coburn
is Top Instructor
Krusty the Snowman Visits Campus
Voted Professor of the
Year for LB Campus
The Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society selected Biology professor Dr. Cary
Coburn as the 2011 Los Baños Campus
Professor of the Year. The award recognizes
excellence in teaching and a commitment
to students.
Professor Coburn is an alumnus of
Merced College where he earned his associate of science degree in Life Science. He
then complete his bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in Biology at CSU Chico before
earning his doctorate in Environmental
Toxicology at UC Riverside.
Dr. Coburn primarily teaches courses in
general biology, human biology and environmental science. He also stays busy serving as a faculty adviser to both the Pre-Med
Club and the Military Veterans of Merced
College club.
When not in the classroom, he spends
time with family and a variety of outdoor
activities such as backpacking, camping, fishing, disc golf and target shooting.
He also likes relaxing by shooting pool in
downtown Merced.
A veteran Marine, Dr. Coburn says
he also serves as scientific advisor to the
American Legion Post #83 where he
“monitors quality control of the beverages
served in the lounge.”
When asked why he thought he was selected, he remarked, “I don’t know why, but
the recognition is deeply appreciated. I like
my students and respect them and knowing
they appreciate my efforts in the classroom
is very satisfying.”
Photo by Robin Shepard
You just know someone’s going to get a lump of coal in their stocking whenever
Krusty the Snowman’s around. Krusty (Vince Piro) substituted for his brother
Frosty during the campus holiday party on December 15. We miss you, Frosty!
New Business, Industry & Community Services Director Enjoys Work and Play
Say Buenos Dias to Becky Barabe! The
new director of Business, Industry, and
Community Services says she is thrilled to
be part of the Merced College team.
Her undergraduate degree in comparative literature and master’s degree in administrative leadership has served as foundations for a great career in grant writing,
Page 7
community programming, and leadership
development.
Barabe specializes in adult education,
business resource assistance, and vocational
training, as well as community partnerships.
She is an accomplished trainer, facilitator,
grant writer, and community developer
working to improve the lives of valley resi-
dents. On a personal note, she loves spending time with her son, family, and friends,
and enjoys walks, reading, traveling.
After spending a semester abroad in
Mexico, she developed a love for and all
things Mexican (dancing the salsa, cumbia,
and merengue, as well as enjoying the food
and getting to know the people).
Campus Digest
january 2012
New Regulations Affect Student Aid Eligibility
Students Should be Aware of Rules on Course Repeats, Other Changes
New regulations state that students can
receive funds only one additional time for
classes taken previously and where a passing grade was received. (For financial aid
purposes “D” is a passing grade.)
In cases where courses are repeatable,
financial aid will be disbursed only for two
passing grades no matter how many times
the course may be repeated. The regulations
also apply to equated courses and courses
taken while a student was not yet receiving
financial aid. All courses on transcripts will
apply to the repeat limitations.
Recent legislation was passed which reduces student eligibility for federal aid from
the equivalent of 18 full-time semesters to
the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters.
This is a lifetime limitation, not a limitation per school, and will affect all financial
aid applicants beginning in 2012-2013, not
just those who received a Pell Grant for the
first time on or after July 1, 2008.
Ability-to-benefit (ATB) options for
establishing general student eligibility for
federal student aid will be eliminated for
students who first enroll in a program of
study on or after July 1, 2012.
All students seeking federal financial
aid must have a high school diploma, GED,
or have been home schooled to meet academic qualifications for general eligibility.
There are new verification rules for
2012-2013 applications (application period beginning Jan. 1, 2012). All applicants
selected for verification must provide requested documentation. This may include,
but is not limited to, verification of income
or benefits received.
Students/parents are encouraged to use
IRS data retrieval to automatically move
income figures directly to their financial aid
application. With no changes, no further
verification of most income situations will
be required.
Paper tax returns can no longer be used
to verify income.
Therefore, students are encouraged to
review, follow and update as necessary educational plans to ensure that eligibility is
maintained through to the completion of
educational goals.
Page 8
Q: What is Title IV Aid?
A: Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, amended in 2010, establishes
general rules that apply to the student financial assistance programs. For purposes of
Title IV Funds and Merced College these programs include Pell Grants and Federal
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG). Merced College does not
participate in any loan programs at this time.
Q: How will the new Financial Aid repeat regulation affect one’s enrollment status?
A: A student’s institutional enrollment status will continue to be determined by
including all enrolled units. This new regulation will only affect the calculation of
units for eligibility for Title IV aid.
For example if a student needs to be enrolled full-time (12 units or more) in order
to: 1) remain on their parents insurance – all enrolled units counted; 2) participate in
varsity athletics – all enrolled units counted; 3) receive military educational benefits
– all enrolled units counted; 4) qualify for a work study job – the type of work study
will determine how full-time status is determined (federal work study requires that 12
units must be Title IV eligible based on the repeat criteria stated); 5) receive full Title
IV aid - 12 units must be Title IV eligible based on the repeat criteria stated.
Q: How will the new repeat regulation affect financial aid awards?
A: All registered units will be used to award and disburse State grants and waivers,
and scholarships. The most common are listed below. If awarded: 1) BOGW (Fee
waiver) – All enrolled units are waived; 2) CAL-Grant – All enrolled units are counted in awarding and disbursing; 3) EOPS/CARE – All enrolled units are counted in
awarding and disbursing; 4) other state grants & scholarships – All enrolled units are
counted in awarding and disbursing; 5) Pell Grant - Only qualifying Title IV enrollments are counted in awarding and disbursing; 6) SEOG - Only qualifying Title IV
enrollments are counted in awarding and disbursing; 7) federal work study - Only
qualifying Title IV enroll¬ments are counted in awarding and disbursing.
Q: How does one know which courses are counted toward financial aid eligibility?
A: Programming changes are in progress that will allow students to view on their
registration statement within WebAdvisor. Until that programming is completed,
students will need to review their academic history at Merced College to determine if
current enrollments will be considered repeats that are ineligible for financial aid.
Q: I wasn’t a serious student when I first attended. I received financial aid at another
school for 2 years and Merced College for 2 years. When I finish at Merced College will I be
still able to receive financial aid at a 4 year college?
A: The limitation of 12 full-time semesters applies to all college coursework.
For example: 1) attended another college 2 years = 4 full-time semesters; 2) attended Merced College 2 years = 4 full-time semesters (total eligibility used for AA =
8 full-time semesters;) 3) remaining eligibility for BA/BS = 4 full-time semesters.
This limitation is a federal requirement. The government will be monitoring student status; therefore this limitation cannot be appealed.
Q: If a student doesn’t receive financial aid for certain courses, does that mean that those
courses won’t count toward his/her Satisfactory Academic Progress?
A: No. All courses must be used in the computation of a student’s GPA and completion rate for SAP regardless of his/her eligibility for a disbursement based on those
classes. In addition, if students have attended other institutions official transcripts
must be submitted to the college evaluator (in Admissions and Records) to determine
units that will be accepted toward a degree or certificate at Merced College. These
units will be used in the calculation of maximum units attempted.