When perusing the Daily Forty-Niner article from Nov. 13, titled “CSULB to trim resources in response to $66.3-million cut,” I, unfortunately, found myself once again reading a fallacy that, while well-intentioned, I feel is shortsighted even in difficult economic times.
“Students may ultimately have to lengthen their college stays as a result of the cuts in the number of courses available to them,” the article reads, a statement which is then echoed by President F. King Alexander.
By and large, I believe the strongest force lengthening college stays for students is the students themselves, not the tragic effects of dwindling education state budgets. To say too strongly otherwise is negating what’s really going on.
When there are students still searching for identity, purpose or career options by changing majors three or four times, or even stocking up on academic extras year after year — a.k.a. taking classes not toward their major, if they have one, or even the lengthy GE requirements — this is what keeps them on campus longer.
And then there’s the other category: hoards of students cutting classes that were spared from the department’s chopping block, then failing them. And of course, there’s always those who just plain don’t want to get a “real job” in the “real world.”
Sacramento’s decisions have nothing to do with these types.
So even with the shrinking of class options because of budget cuts, I firmly believe that students who want to graduate in reasonable time can still do so. If you study the catalogues enough, talk to your counselors for any necessary substitutions, plan which classes you need and — most importantly — register for them as soon as you can, it can be done.
The problem is, too few of the students do enough of all that and end up wasting both their time and money (assuming they’re not the I-want-to-stay-here-forever types).
– Bradley Zint, CSULB Spring ’08 alumnus
Kodiak, Alaska