A change to minimum class sizes this fall means some students and educators at Anne Arundel Community College are expecting to be dealing with canceled classes a week before school starts.
The school’s board voted to increase the minimum number of students in a course from 12 to 15, less than two years after the minimum was raised from 10 to 12. The change means many could be dealing with canceled classes since registration began months ago.
An online petition demanding that the minimum stay at 12 had 767 signatures as of Friday after launching earlier this month. The petition argues the change makes it harder to graduate and will hit majors that tend to have smaller classes, such as plant sciences, creative writing and photography.
Mary Ruesen, the student who organized the petition, says the change will have a cascading effect. It may also lead to fewer options in class times. Ruesen and others argue the college should cut costs in areas that are outside the classroom, such as deans.
“It seems like if they have to cut things, they should be focusing on things like that versus classes that affects the students,” Ruesen said.
Riverhawk Educators United, the recently formed union for professors, asked members to sign Ruesen’s petition in its summer newsletter.
In a statement, Alicia Renehan, a spokesperson for the college, said 15 was the number required for a class to automatically stay on the schedule for the semester, and and that faculty can seek an exception with their deans.
“It is routine operating procedure for the college to make decisions each semester about which classes will run and which sections will need to be canceled,” Renehan said.
So far, 9% of classes have been canceled this year, compared with 13% in 2024. The college declined to answer how many classes have been canceled specifically due to the policy change.
Students said they are skeptical that exceptions will be granted and worry about getting their credits.
The 15-student minimum is higher than Howard Community College’s minimum of eight, and many community colleges in the area, including in Harford and Montgomery County, do not have publicly stated minimums.
Alex Bradford, an Anne Arundel plant sciences student, said she is worried about the change.
“This really speaks to a philosophical shift that the college is making in their mindset, away from catering to student interests and having these specialized courses that are so impressive, and towards being profit-motivated,” Bradford said.
Bradford dealt with classes being canceled last year and said she expects it to happen again this year. Students are worried about graduating, she said.
Bradford, Ruesen and other students and professors are demanding a reversal from the board of trustees.
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