New COC Honors Program
Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

COC Honors…What Is It?

HITE…What Do I Do Now?

What About the TAP Agreement with UCLA?

What Kinds of Activities are Available for Honors Students?

How Can You Assist Us?

 

COC Honors…What Is It?

• HITE is transitioning into COC Honors. The former student club of HITE, which emphasized 18 units of contract-based projects, is being dissolved. In its place, COC Honors is being created as a formal academic Honors program which will emphasize Honors classes, not projects.
• COC Honors will include 15 units of Honors classes, as part of the COC Honors Program. To enroll in the program, students will complete an application process. (An application form will be available at the beginning of the semester.) In addition, students will need to hold a 3.0 GPA in order to join COC Honors, as well as maintain a 3.25 cumulative GPA at the time of graduation.
• COC Honors will be housed in Instruction, and will not be considered a student club, as was HITE. Rather, COC Honors will consist of a specific set of Honors classes which will emphasize greater reading, writing, critical thinking, and research skills. Honors classes must meet the approval process of the Curriculum Committee; hence, a department cannot automatically list an existing class as “Honors.” Classes will be designated in the schedule, as well as on transcripts by an “H” (e.g., Sociology 101H). Honors courses must be CSU and UC transfer level classes.
• COC Honors is offering two Honors classes this fall, including ENGL 101 H and HIST 111H. Future semesters will provide a wider array of courses, all of which will be rotated from semester to semester.

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HITE…What Do I Do Now?

• The transition from HITE to COC Honors has happened quickly; and, as a result, we do not want any student to lose HITE credit, especially if they are trying to meet the requirements of the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) Agreement with UCLA. Although new students are encouraged to begin taking Honors courses, there are cases where this may not be feasible. A student, for example, may be transferring in one year; enrolling in classes yet has taken existing Honors courses either as a college student or high school AP student; or, concentrating on certain disciplines in which Honors courses do not yet exist. And, of course, there are those students who have already started the HITE Contract process and are about ready to graduate. Although we plan to stop all contract agreements by the end of Spring Semester 2010, it is necessary to evaluate many of these situations on a case-by-case basis.
• Encourage students to join COC Honors and enroll in Honors classes. However, if such an option does not seem possible for a student based on any of the above reasons, grant permission to continue on with the HITE Contract.
• Students will be able to combine HITE Contract units with COC Honors classes, at least in the beginning of this process.
• If a situation seems unclear, please send the student to Patty Robinson (see below).

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What About the TAP Agreement with UCLA?

• The Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) Agreement will remain in place with the new COC Honors Program. However, new Honors students who wish to apply for a guaranteed read of their application packet, NOT guaranteed admittance, will now complete 15 units of transfer level courses with a “B” or better, not 18 units of project credit (e.g., HITE Contracts).
• Students with HITE Contract credit who apply for TAP this fall will still need to complete 18 units of contract, not course credit. 

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What Kinds of Activities are Available for Honors Students?

• Honors students are encouraged to join the Honor Societies of Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), under the faculty leadership of Tammy Mahan and Miriam Golbert, respectively. AGS is the California community college honor society which requires a 3.0 GPA, while PTK is the international community college honor society which requires a 3.5 GPA.
• Honors students are also invited to join the new COC Honors Club, which is in the process of forming. Not only will students meet fellow Honors students, they will also have the opportunity to organize Honors enrichment activities (e.g., faculty lecture series), as well as provide community service and receive Cougar Volunteer hours.
• Honors students will continue to be recognized at the Annual Honors Banquet and graduation, as well as at other events.

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How Can You Assist Us?

• Help us get the word out to students! Please ask current HITE students to stop by SECO-309, BONH-315 or SECO-311 to verify their HITE credits, since we are currently updating all student records.
• If you have a question, please contact Patty Robinson (362.3992), Lita Wangen (362.3058) or Sandra Hernandez (362.3310). Students can also pick-up needed forms outside STCN-111 (former HITE Office) or in the Deans’ Cluster located outside SECO-309.
• The former HITE website is also under construction and will be updated soon.
• Specific “go to” people on campus (e.g., counselors, advisors, etc.), will be listed soon.

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