The Academic Senate approved Thursday a new policy for the 2010-11 catalog that will keep some students from adding additional degree objectives.
The new policy states that students may earn up to 120 percent of the number of units required for the degree in their declared primary major. Any additional degree objectives, such as majors, minors and certificates, must be completed within the additional units allowed.
The policy was put into effect due to the 20,000 applicants Cal State Long Beach had to turn away due to the budget cuts last fall.
“I am concerned that this policy will impede students from having double majors,” said Lisa Vollendorf, chair of the Romance, German, Russian Languages and Literature department.
Lynn Mahoney, associate vice president for undergraduate studies, clarified that only students who try to change or add a major at last minute will not be able to. Students who are showing progress and are in good standing will be accepted.
The policy states that students requesting an exception to the limits in this policy should file an appeal, which must include a rationale and an adviser-approved plan to graduate.
There were 257 “super seniors” this year and out of those, all but 28 have applied for graduation, Mahoney said.
While the majority of the students did not intend to graduate, most of those students did not even know that they could apply for graduation, Mahoney said.
“We just want to get them on target to graduation,” she said.
The Academic Senate also discussed mini-grants and summer stipends, which would allow the colleges at CSULB to do research and host workshops for students. The Academic Senate tried to reach a consensus on how the funds would be distributed and how the colleges would apply for funding.
Even though the Senate did not reach a decision, it did agree to make it a single grant and to continue discussion April 15.