Students who don’t plan ahead for graduation can find themselves in sticky situations, which is why University department heads encourage students to give themselves plenty of time to complete requirements.
A number of journalism seniors specializing in public relations found themselves unable to complete their sequence of required classes, as too many students tried to cram into the only section of “Public Relations Campaigns” this term. As a result, the School of Journalism and Communication gave about eight students the opportunity to substitute the requirement with a journalism school general-requirement course.
“What we’ve done by offering the substitute is to make it possible to graduate within their time frame,” journalism school Assistant Dean for Student Services Greg Kerber said.
But the option to take the substitute course, which focuses on media management and economics, has left students worried they won’t receive the same quality of education.
“I’m taking a class that really has nothing to do with my interest,” senior public relations major Kerri Morgan said. “That’s somewhat disappointing and not the best use of my time.”
The seniors’ only other option is to finish the sequence in the fall.
Visiting Assistant Professor Tom Hagley, who is teaching the campaigns course, said the class is important for concluding the public relations sequence because it gives students the chance to work directly with community clients to create their own public relations campaign.
“The campaigns course gives students an opportunity to put their coursework into practice,” he said.
Kerber said the Public Relations Campaigns course requires a specialized instructor, which makes it difficult to add a second class to the schedule, but material will be added to the substitute class that focuses on public relations.
“Nobody over here wants anybody to feel shortchanged in any way,” he said.
Kerber said the journalism school requires students to finish their pre-major requirements by the end of their sophomore year to guarantee they will be able to finish their major requirements in time to graduate their senior year. He said the students taking this class likely tried to cram six terms’ worth of classes into too short of a time period.
“Those aren’t the people who become accommodated first,” he said.
Morgan said she understands scheduling conflicts occur, but she applied for major status just one term behind schedule and feels she should be given the same opportunities as other students.
She said she is frustrated that she has to pay the same amount of tuition for a sequence that has so few courses in it to begin with. She said the class would have been beneficial to her education, and she had been looking forward to completing it.
“It’s so disappointing when you look forward to something like that,” Morgan said.
Other department heads agreed students need to be working with advisers and planning far ahead to ensure they will remain on track.
Chemistry Department Head Tom Dyke said students should give themselves three to four years to plan for graduation in his department, and there is little he can do when students try to fit classes in at the last minute.
“Those kinds of problems are unfortunate,” he said.
History Department Undergraduate Coordinator Julie White said spring term occasionally brings scrambling seniors who need one last class, but most students give themselves plenty of time to finish.
“The professors usually, if it’s a graduating senior, will make an exception,” she said.
Academic Advising Counselor Carolyn Moravek said students need to get in touch and stay in touch with advisers to evaluate their progress toward graduation. She added that even though advising is encouraged, many students don’t take the advice.
“Everybody waits until the last minute on everything,” she said.
Moravek said if students come in late in their college careers, the damage is usually already done.