By Jordan Ward / Staff Writer
(Illustration by Stacey Patino)
By Jordan Ward / Staff Writer
Cookies, lemonade, laughter, and stories marked the first Honors Open House. On Thursday Sept. 6 the RCC student body was invited to Quad 207 to learn the benefits of the Riverside Community College Honors Program, and to be a part of an atmosphere that fosters freedom of thought and expression.
The RCC honors program is uniquely different from many courses offered on campus as outlined during the open house. The program offers smaller seminar styled classes that promote active participation in order to facilitate in more in depth discussions. The reduced class size prevents students from simply hiding within the class, while encouraging critical thinking over topics and opinions.
Attendance was centered on giving prospective honor students crucial information in developing an educational plan for their future success. Through the encouragement of meeting current honors program students, those interested in the program came to understand the pros and cons of the curriculum and their respective instructors while sharing their hopes, opinions, and academic prowess.
Thatcher Carter, RCC Honors Coordinator, went over the RCCD Honors: Student Handbook during a brief orientation. The orientation emphasized the types of classes, activities, and core values of the Honors Program.
“The main goal of the Honors Program is to prepare our students for success in four year universities,” said Dr. Carter in a recent interview.
Along with the main goals, the Honors Program is an essential opportunity based on what it means for those in it. Bill Fergus, current honors student, describes the point of the program for students unable to attend a four year university because of extenuating circumstances.
“The program provides students with the same challenges of a four year university,” said Fergus. “It puts them in an environment with more challenging classes-more interesting classes- that’s conducive to those who are more focused.”
