Eastern Gateway Community College, open since 1968, is pausing enrollment for its Fall 2024 classes, leaving many students at Lowellville High School stuck between a rock and a hard place. For the past four years, EGCC’s College Credit Plus (CCP) has been an option for students in grades 8-12. Just recently, however, the school announced a pause. This suspension affects not only students but also some staff here at Lowellville.
Dr. Jared Hale, a Lowellville staff member, also happens to be on the staff at Eastern Gateway. Although Dr. Hale claims, “It’s a minimal effect for me personally so far,” he will still have to file paperwork and transition to another school, such as YSU or Kent State.
Other affected staff include our school’s counselors because of their involvement in the relationship between colleges and students. To ensure diversity in CCP classes, alternative paths had to be implemented. One of these alternative paths the counselors are looking into is partnering with Kent State University. Mrs. Killingsworth, the coordinator of CCP for Lowellville students, announced that Kent State’s CCP is at the same level of difficulty as any other class in addressing students’ concerns.
She explained, “Kent and YSU are comparable, as all CCP courses are college-level and are transferable to any state school in Ohio.”
In an interview, she stated that only one student will refrain from taking CCP next year because of the swap. As of publication, 40 students plan to participate in College Credit Plus in the fall semester.
Kaden Primous, a sophomore, planned on taking many classes through EGCC in the fall. He had previously completed seven semesters through Eastern Gateway, including writing, history, foreign language, and biology. In the fall, he prepared to take three other courses but was forced to switch to YSU’s CCP option. He explained his concerns in an interview. He said, “Yes, I feel that EGCC’s CCP courses were much easier than what YSU will offer. [The workload] will be much greater.” Now that he has enrolled in YSU’s College Credit Plus program, he plans on taking English, Government, and Anatomy in the 2024 fall semester.
While the suspension of admission for EGCC affects many students at Lowellville, luckily, some strong backup plans have been implemented. As Lowellville continues to try and work with other colleges, the goal is to make this shift from Eastern Gateway to Kent State as seamless and stress-free as possible for any students or staff involved.
