inthisissue
ST. PETE
CHEAT SHEET. >>>>>>>
Looking for ways to take advantage of being a student? Find shops, bars, restaurants and services that cut USFSP students and faculty a break in this issue.
COLLEGE NIGHT
Your guide to recycled clothing shops.
A handy primer to making your money stretch downtown.
See online.
Page 4
thecrow’snest
tuesday, jan. 17, 2012 www.crowsneststpete.com
USFSP to offer new language courses
SECOND LOOK
Fees to increase next academic year
By MEGHAN HOODHOOD Contributing Writer
Foreign language requirements may seem like a chore for students who feel the university has few programs to offer, but this semester, additions to the newly named Department of Society, Culture and Language may bring some relief. The only language courses that USF St. Petersburg has offered to students have been Spanish, French and American Sign Language. Students can also add Arabic to their options and eventually consider Chinese in the fall. “Language courses and minors complement any degree, and prepare students for the global world they are inheriting,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Frank Biafora. More options for satisfying foreign language requirements increase the potential for new minors, clubs and majors. As a result, the department is developing a new bachelor’s degree program for USFSP students called Foreign Language and Culture. Under the program, students will select a language and study a broader area of topics revolving around culture and literature. “We recognized that many universities have narrowly focused language degrees and we were looking for a program that would be attractive for students and yet still distinctive enough to hold their interest,” Biafora said. New programs are built around student demand, community needs and their relevance to contemporary global issues. “Arabic and Mandarin connect with people in the two most important emergent regions of our planet,” said department Chair Jay Sokolovsky. Fulbright, a state department sponsored program, provides funding for foreign language teaching assistants to work in universities like USFSP, which is facing budget cuts and other financial set backs. “An opportunity with Fulbright knocked on our door and since see LANGUAGE, page 6
Daniel Mutter | The Crow’s Nest
USFSP Student Government and Senate met for their first meeting of the Spring 2012 semester.
By CHRISTOPHER GUINN News Editor Pre-credit fees will go up again in the fall with the majority of this increase being used to fund the new student health clinic in the Campus Activities Center. The university can choose to increase the "combined fee" by
5 percent per year as long as the total cost of the fees stays under 40 percent of base tuition, currently $41.32. This group of fees is comprised of activities and service, athletics and health fees, which costs students $30.27 per credit hour. Now the USFSP campus board, the governing body of the univer-
sity, will decide how the additional $1.51 will be spent. To assist in the decision, the board turned to the Student Fee Committee, which is made up of students, faculty members and administrators. The committee agreed unanimously to recommend an allotment of $1.26 to the health fee, 25 cents to the A&S fee and no
increase to athletics. Student Government passed a non-binding resolution in support of the allocation with a near unanimous vote, with only one abstaining member. As the debate during the Jan. 11 General Assembly meeting heated up, Student Life Director Matt Morrin reminded the senators that their vote was not about whether or not to establish the clinic, but rather to fund it. “We’re way into the game, already,” he said. However, he added, “Your support means a lot. Our board takes your voice seriously.” He asked the Senate to decide based on the question: “Would the average student be willing to pay $15 per semester to see a nurse?” The decision to build a health clinic goes back a decade, said Student Achievement Director Diane McKinstry. “We came close 10 years ago,” she said, but “it just didn’t happen.” The issue “percolated” again over the last three to four years, she said, as the university has provided on-campus housing. Parents looking to send their kids to USFSP ask “Where’s my kid going to go when he has a raging fever,” McKinstry said. Despite an abundance of local hospitals, “it’s not the same,” she said. About 30 percent of students had no health insurance as of a few years ago, she said. The federal see FEE, page 2
Classes try new online system this semester By JANE MCINNIS Contributing Writer Last week, 600 USF students were notified their online courses wouldn’t be taught through Blackboard. Ten courses across three USF campuses will integrate Canvas, a new learning management system. USFSP students made up 200 of those, with the remaining from the Polytechnic campus in Lakeland and the university hub in Tampa. Canvas, created by the educational software company Instructure, came on the scene 18 months ago. For USF, Canvas debuted in fall 2011 when the university used
a free sandbox version of the system with 70 students and four faculty members. This semester begins a full-year pilot, which the St. Petersburg journalism department bought for $7,500. This is a long time coming for Associate Professor Mark Walters, who helped research and extend the subscription to the rest of the USF system. There’s a beautiful difference between Canvas and Blackboard, Walters said. “For every 20 clicks on Blackboard you have one click on Canvas.” He compared Canvas to Blackboard as “writing with a ballpoint pen versus coal.” see CANVAS, page 3
Students trying Canvas this semester will find a new interface to use for their classes.