Texan Mosaic

Story By Katie Brackens/COMM 2311/News Writing
Photos by students in COMM 1316/News Photography

So, how did it go?

The first week of classes was probably different for everyone. Professors tried to make sure their Blackboard class sites were set up correctly. Students tried to get into Blackboard and find where their face-to-face classes were located.

Many students commuted to school and parking lots filled up fast.

Fall 2023 classes started on Aug. 28 at all five SPC campuses: including the new Lubbock Downtown Center, Lubbock Career and Technology Center, Levelland, Reese, and Plainview.

Wherever classrooms were, many students had to hunt for pencils, paper, and books.

In technical programs, some students used different school supplies.

Briana Constable, who is a first year SPC student, says one word to describe her first week of classes is “misleading.” But she goes on to say she uses that word here in a good way.

“I thought it was going to be more stressful,” she explains.

Constable might be one of the lucky ones. Other students might use a different word to describe their first week like “hectic” or “busy.”

Even Constable says she thinks it’s going to be difficult, as the semester progresses, to be without my family during birthdays and other events.

The SPC director of Advising and Testing, Lola Hernandez, has a few pieces of advice to offer all students as the semester begins.

First, Hernandez suggests students make sure they can log in to their student accounts like TexanConnect, MySPC, Blackboard and SPC email. She says students should remember to regularly check all these accounts too.

“We will only email students via their SPC email address,” she says.

Another suggestion is for students to be sure they are aware of important dates on the SPC Academic Calendar. For instance, while the Add/Drop/Late registration ended on Sep. 1, the fall drop date isn’t until Nov. 30.

Adjusting to being away from friends and family throughout the semester can be a hard part of getting into the rhythm of college too. For many students, there may be times when they have to deal with issues like stress, anxiety, or sadness.

Students should know SPC offers counseling services free of charge to students. In person counseling is available for the Levelland campus and Lubbock Downtown Center. Virtual appointment can be made for all campuses. For more information check the Health & Wellness tab under Student Services on the SPC
main website.

With the first weeks of the semester done, professors are still trying to remember student names. But at least students should know where their classes are. Even during the first week, many students found ways to just have fun.

Lola Hernandez has one more piece of advice for students as the semester gets underway, and it’s straightforward.

“This is your education,” she says, “and you should take full responsibility for it.”