Athletes should not get priority registration for several reasons.

While I do respect athletes, I believe that they should not be treated differently than any other student who is struggling to get the classes they need to transfer or get their degree.

Currently, the people who get priority registration are those who are disabled, EOPS Students and Veterans.

This information is listed in the Cerritos College catalog.

However, no where in the catalog does it say that athletes get priority, yet they still do.

I think if it was listed in there, there would be far more dispute over it.

It is understandable that they need to plan out their classes so that they have time for their practices and games, but that is the only valid reason I can think of.

Even then, there should be a different method for athletes to plan out their class schedule without just rewarding them with priority registration.

Some might say that they get priority because they need to get good grades, they make our school look good, etc.

The sad truth is that not every single athlete is the same, just like not every person is the same and there still are some that end up not transferring or doing well in their classes.

Athletes aren’t the only ones who deserve to get the right classes. Many students have jobs and they need classes that won’t interfere with that.

It was the athlete’s own decision to take part in an extra-curricular activity in the first place, therefore he should be able to take the responsibilities that come with that.

Even the pep squad doesn’t get priority registration and there they are with the teams at every game.

The school needs to find a better, fair way to decide who gets priority registration.

Perhaps the school should base the registration priority on academic standings.