There seems to be an upset on campus in response to several changes that have yet to be implemented. The rumors circulating have been validated and, beginning in the fall of 2014, classes that are typically held on Monday and Wednesday will be extended to hold an additional day of classes on Friday. The total combined duration of these classes will not be affected, but rather each course meeting will be shortened and the added third day will make up the time cut from the two previous days.
“It’s a complete inconvenience for us,” states Kris, an undeclared freshmen who commutes to campus each day. Kris believes that allowing the classes to be shortened each day will not encourage an environment for young minds to grasp the material that is being taught. He argues that the school is taking time away from the students while they are already in class, only to throw off their schedule with an additional meeting time that will also be rushed because of time.
“Not only does it shorten our time learning each day, but it also throws off any student who has a work schedule to adhere to,” said Kris, who works outside of campus as well as in Estero. This argument is in no way unique, though, as several other students share similar thoughts on the subject. One student who wishes to remain anonymous pointed out the fact that, as a biology major, there are a large number of students in each class and an insufficient amount of time to teach them all. She explained that her courses are typically set up to review any information that was taught in the previous class meeting prior to covering any new material. She indicated that at times it feels as if there is just enough time to touch on one new subject each class because the necessary review consumes so much of their time, and so to shorten each meeting would only decrease the amount of time that the students could actually spend learning. Either side of this argument has a similar goal of creating a fulfilling educational experience for students. The impact that these new changes will bring to the student body is uncertain and will remain so until the upcoming fall semester. Although the modification to this class schedule will be an adjustment for some students, the ultimate objective is for the student body to gain and retain knowledge and information by any means necessary, which may possibly include meeting three times a week.
Joe Yzaguirre is a senior majoring in communications with a concentration in public relations. When he is not working on a project for either of his three minors, he can be found writing or spending an obnoxious amount of time on tumblr.