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Super seniors to submit plans By Aaron Warn The Collegian Though the Fresno State administration is striving to get students to graduate at a higher and faster rate, university officials said the emphasis on a quality education is not lost. With talk of streamlining graduation, some people feel that the administration is focusing too much on quantity rather than quality. However, Paul Oliaro, vice president for student affairs, said the only thing being done to speed up graduation is the contacting of students who are eligible to graduate, but who have not applied for graduation. “The purpose is to have them submit a plan identifying when they will graduate,” Oliaro said. “Any efforts to encourage students to graduate earlier will not adversely affect the quality of their experience, but it could improve the quality of other students’ experiences if they can more readily get the courses that they need every semester.” Students that fit under this phenomenon are often called “super seniors,” which refers to students who have completed 120 credits, but have not yet met
the requirements for a degree. These students can find themselves spending multiple years, more than the traditional four, trying to earn their bachelors degree. Chasity Maske, an occupational therapy major, is a super senior. She has completed 123 units, however she is still 18 units shy of earning her degree. “I didn’t know what I wanted to major in, so I figured it would take longer [than four years],” Maske said. Also, like many students, Maske changed her major, which had much to do with the surplus in units. “Students need to work at their own pace,” Maske said. “I have never met a graduate that took too long. As long as they graduate, that’s the most important thing.” Oliaro shares this sentiment. He said while it is important to get students to graduate in a timely manner, the most important thing is that they walk away with the highest quality education possible. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs William Covino said six years is the target for which stu-
dents should earn their degree. “We want students to complete their education here in a timely way so that they can start their careers,” Covino
graduating instead of how fast they earn their degree.” As for talk about restricting electives and allowing for fewer dropped classes,
said. Maske feels the “six-year plan” is very attainable. “Six years is a pretty reasonable goal,” Maske said. “But the focus should still be more on the amount of students
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See SUPER, Page 6
Students see graduation delayed
Some students lack knowledge Widespread cuts across Fresno State have adversely affected when voting some students’ abilities to graduate in a timely manner By Kelly Mason The Collegian
Significant class cuts have caused problems for some students who originally planned on graduating with a college degree in four years. Less money, fewer teachers and fewer courses are delaying the graduation process for some students. “It’s really frustrating to be stuck in a system that doesn’t leave me with very many options,” kinesiology major Kasey Van Grouw said. Van Grouw was originally a biology major, but with several of her classes cut from the 2009-10 scholastic schedule, she had to change her major to stay on track for a four-year-graduation plan. “It was really difficult planning my schedule when all the classes got cut,” Van Grouw said. “The kinesiology department only offers certain classes every other semester, so if I don’t get the classes I need for next fall, I will have to wait a whole year to try and get those classes again.” According to the College Board,
entry into classes is based on registration times. While upperclassmen fill the available spots, some freshmen and sophomores could be left out in the cold. Some courses are prerequisites that must be completed before students can take more-advanced classes in their major. “After planning out my course schedule in fall 2008 and realizing that the prerequisites I needed were not offered until spring and fall 2009, I discovered that I was going to have to change my graduation plan,” dietetics major Hannah Deeter said. Deeter enrolled in fall of 2007 as a dietetics major and had a plan to graduate in spring of 2011. Her graduation plans have since been postponed an additional year. Now she will not be graduating until spring of 2012, if she can get into all the classes she needs. Fresno State used its one-time $2.9 million federal stimulus money in February to restore some classes in the fall 2010 semester. But, with fewer classes offered, students like Deeter, who declared majors their freshman year, have to stay one
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semester to a year longer on average. In turn, they end up paying more tuition than originally planned. “For my next four semesters, I will not even have enough major classes to fill my 12-unit, full-time student requirement,” Deeter said. “I will have to take random elective classes I do not need to graduate to stay a full-time student, which I need [in order] to stay on my parents’ health insurance.” Emily Hitchcock, a health science major, recently switched from a dietetics major when she found out she was going to have to stay a year longer. “I had to take two required classes for fall 2010, but both of those courses were only offered once, and in the same time slot,” Hitchcock said. She wants to graduate in four years because she is not staying in Fresno and wants to start her career. “I would have been graduating a year late and Fresno State only has a 50 percent dietetics intern rate,” Hitchcock said. “So, I was not going to stay a year later to have only a 50 percent chance.”
By Megan Morales The Collegian Young voters are a constant target when it comes to voting recruitment; but the question is, do these young voting prospects even know what they’re voting for? With the mass media consistently throwing political messages in the faces of young voters, it can be difficult to create beliefs and opinions without a major outside influence. Kinesiology major Korey Gerdts, 22, says he doesn’t believe in voting for something just because the favored party says to. He takes pride in going against the grain when it comes to being influenced. “I don’t just believe in a popularity vote,” Gerdts said. “People shouldn’t vote if they aren’t educated in politics. I’m tired of ignorant people who listen to the media and don’t know the first thing about what they’re really voting for.” Young voters can become lost in the media shuffle and lose track of their initial position on an issue. See VOTING, Page 6
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