If the Applied Communication Program (ACP) and Camosun were married, this year would mark their 40th anniversary. And what better way to celebrate than with a possible divorce?
Yes, ACP has done its last intake of students who will finish next April, but that’s not where it ends. Actually, that’s not even where it begins. The college has been humming and hawing over this decision for at least the past year, leaving both teachers and students in the lurch.
The ACP website says the program is under review and they won’t be accepting students for the fall. Meanwhile, students who have started the application process are being advised that ACP won’t be offered in the fall. Students currently in first year will return in September for their second year, but it’s unclear how the program will look next year.
Last spring, ACP faculty and staff were advised of the program’s suspension and were told to come up with a replacement program. The proposal, submitted to the college last summer, has yet to gain budgetary approval. Any new program wouldn’t start any sooner than fall of 2013, due to the length of the college’s academic approval process.
The only option to salvage ACP, or another media program under a different name, is for the college to approve changes to the curriculum proposed by the teachers.
To be fair to the college, the program was due for an update. The face of media is changing, and if the program can’t adapt fast enough there’s no reason it should remain. Cost is also a factor. Camosun has fairly low tuition, which is great for students, but not so great when it comes to paying the bills.
ACP students have access to the school’s radio station, various cameras for photography and video, and a couple of computer labs equipped with high-end software. With upgrades and repairs, the cost of the program begins to add up quickly.
Essentially, Camosun is weighing the cost of the program versus the proposed new program, but how long does that need to take? The college’s indecision is unfair to the students, doubly so to the staff.
With summer approaching, it would be great if the college would make its decision quickly, so that those of us affected can make the necessary arrangements, but who knows? It could be another year in waiting.