Beginning as early as 1949, segregation of students within the departments began to appear. There were the engineering degree students (on four year track , the technical certificate students (on three year track), and the vocational certificate students (terminating upon completion of two years of the three year track). The mathematics, physical science and major courses for the non-degree students while parallel in general content, were at a lower level than for the degree students. Offering two levels of major courses was a burden for the departments. It was difficult for the faculty to teach similar courses at different levels of academic achievement simultaneously. The general result of the dual track concept was to transfer the academically weak student to the certificate curriculum, leading to its being known as the dumping ground for the engineering program. There arose a status problem and a feeling on the part of the certificate students that they were second class citizens.
Technician training seemed to be more operative in the fields of electronics and radio. There was a need for test people and repair people in business and industry. The available jobs were non-unionized for the most part. In the electrical world, the need for technicians was not so great and those jobs which existed were unionized.
The EE Department quietly met this problem by 1) making the two curricula in the major decidedly different; 2) counseling the engineering flunkies out of the department (successful for the most part); and 3) advising any potentially good student to not consider the certificate program. The consequence was a drop in enrollment below which it was not feasible to continue funding the EE certificate program.
The EL&R Department's beginning approach was a common program in the major for the first two years. The transition in the third year to a rigorous engineering program was a traumatic experience for many of the students. During the Christmas break many of these junior students would transfer to the Mathematics Department. One year almost a third of the class transferred.
Other engineering departments were also having problems with the three track, then two track system. As a consequence, it was abandoned only to re-emerge in 1968 as the engineering technology major. This major resulted not from a philosophical base, but rather as an expediency on the part of the Dean of Engineering, The new dean came in 1967 with specific charge by the President to secure ECPD accreditation of the engineering majors. He held the very strong opinion that the engineering departments faculties must be purged of any member not possessing a recognized engineering degree and professional engineering experience. With their holding tenure, opening a major in engineering technology with them as the initial faculty came as a solution. While it may have been a solution to a conceived personnel problem, it has brought back many of the problems from an earlier time,
The students in the 1950's were open, enthusiastic, hardworking go-getters, and cooperative. With a little encouragement, interest and leadership by the faculty, they were great participators in a wide range of extra curricular events. Many weeks of effort went into the preparation of big, interesting and crowd pleasing Poly Royal displays. The Poly Royal exhibits with total student body participation was a very effective new student recruitment device. Homecoming was another major event on the student calendar. The Poly Phase Club always entered a float in the Homecoming parade held in downtown San Luis Obispo. The entries numbered close to one hundred year-after-year. Poly Phase would work year around on their entry which always had moving parts. For several years running they earned the sweepstakes award.