Recently, I received an e-mail I did not expect to receive as I set out to write this article. It said that, for emergency reasons, my class that meets once weekly – an “intensive class” – would most likely not be meeting next week.This is the second week in a row that this class has not met, and it is the fourth time this semester that, for some reason or another, class has been canceled. Class has not always been canceled for emergency reasons either.

Intensive classes are supposed to be what they describe themselves to be – intensive. I registered for the class with an understanding that meeting once per week would be difficult. I do not perform strongly in classes like this. It is therefore very important for me, and I am sure for many others, that the class does in fact meet on a weekly basis. Since these classes last longer than regular classes, when one is missed, it is like missing two classes.

Traditional students pay $295 per class. So far, at least for traditional students, there is now $1,180 worth of class time that we are paying for, but have not received. For CCE students taking an intensive class, these numbers are lower: $86 and $345, respectively.

I mention this particular example because it is affecting me right now. It is not, however, unique. I have had intensive classes before that fit this pattern, and much like my current class, it has severely affected my ability to do well in the class.

I intend to drop this class. I will receive a “W” on my transcript and I will pay for the course in full. Intensive classes have the same date to drop without penalty as regular classes do. This means we are given two classes to decide if we want to drop it or not. For regular, non-intensive classes, we have four to six classes before we lose the opportunity to drop without a grade. If I had known by week two that the majority of classes would not actually meet, I would have definitely dropped this course.

I hope that the registrar, or whomever solidifies these dates in the future, will reconsider and extend them on the basis that two classes, no matter how many hours of work is put in, is not enough to judge how the class will function week-to-week. Students do not have the proper opportunity to judge a class’ workload or get a feel for a class in only two sessions.

I also hope that professors will prioritize intensive, once-a-week classes when scheduling other things in their life. When we students sign up for a class, we are aware that we cannot schedule anything else during that time. Professors should give our time the same respect.

I hope that professors realize the power they have. When students miss class, they are affecting their own ability to get a good grade. When professors miss class, it can only negatively affect students.

When professors don’t prioritize intensive classes, we students pay with our money and our GPA. But, we should also have more of an opportunity to not get locked into a class we can’t afford to pay for.