There are an estimated 400 Early College High School students on the main Fairfield Campus. These high school students are a minority here at Solano Community College, but their daily attendance on campus makes them seem like a majority, even with the increase of in person classes the past few semesters.

Despite their loud presence on campus, they are not on the same level as the full time college students, because K-12 Students, Early College High School students, or ECHS students, have the lowest priority registration for classes. Meaning that they are able to register for SCC classes about 2 weeks after the first group of people are able to register.

Amalia Calvo, a senior, stated that “Especially if there’s a dual enrollment program, I feel like we should have higher priority.”

The sentiment that ECHS should be able to register earlier is shared throughout the program. There are many stresses that students have expressed when it comes to lower registration status, like popular classes filling up before ECHS students even get a chance to register.

Another aspect is ECHS lunch. All high school students in the state of California are guaranteed free lunch. ECHS lunch is served near the south door of the main cafeteria, usually with a queue of students lining up out the door. They can also enjoy their lunch in the main cafeteria area, though when events like the recent Falcon Fest are held in the entire cafeteria, some issues can arise.

ECHS Students were given notice the morning of, that the cafeteria would be closed for lunch and would instead be served in the lobby of the cafeteria. With the smaller space, larger tables, having to move the serving area, and the large amount of students getting lunch, the lobby of the cafeteria fills up quickly.

“It gets like really overwhelming,” said Mack De La Cruz, a sophomore, about being in the cafeteria lobby for lunch.

ECHS students understand why they can’t have lunch in the cafeteria during events like this, but a few of them have expressed how inconvenient it can become, especially for underclassmen, who spend the majority of their day on campus.

Students who are part of the Early College program are aware of their status as guests on this campus, but that doesn’t stop their frustration about their low priority. These ECHS students have become an integral part of life on campus, their registration priority should reflect that.