November 3, 2020 . Volume 75 . Issue 8
SU Reinstates Pass/Fall Grading
Debrandin Brown Digest Managing Editor
Last Spring, the Pass/Fail option provided students with a choice of forgoing a traditional letter grade in favor of a “P”, “F”, or “Withdrawal”. This allowed students to protect their GPAs in scenarios where remote learning methods may have negatively affected their learning processes as far as final graders were concerned. On October 27th, students learned the same options will be available in the Fall.
Digital Dash: Southern Introduces A.I. Program for Student Recruitment Evan Funchess The Southern DIGEST
“We don’t want to hurt anyone’s [academic] reputation because of something environmental because they can exactly help that. I’m excited that the Board of Supervisors have approved this because it’s something that the student body needs,” said Vadrine in regards to the motivation of both himself and the administration worked under as they sought to finalize the decision. from academic and student affairs, This issue specifically was brought among numerous other student multiple times during the groups being in attendance, the Transition Meetings that have main goal of these meetings was been taking place throughout the to open dialogues and clear lines semester. With representatives of communication between the
On Friday, the Southern University Board of Supervisors held its annual meeting to discuss inquiries and concerns made from those within the university. One of the many issues that were discussed was concerning the use of A.I. technology in recruitment. The Online Service Director, Tracy Barley spoke about the use of the new strategy, noting how Fall 2020 recorded a nine percent growth.”
different departments.
For many students, the transition to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been an arduous one that’s left many members of the student body
DIGEST ART
fearing for their academic future as they attempt to complete their necessary credit hours via new mediums of education. See PASS OR FAIL page 3
An Acknowledgment of Excellence: SU Elementary Prep Program receives Plaudits Debrandin Brown Digest Managing Editor
Southern University’s Department of Education has a storied history of producing diverse educators through means of their training and educational programs. The Elementary Preparation Program has recently been acknowledged as one of the top programs in the country by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ).
effective mentor teachers, often due to lack of quality control by their partner school districts. The effort that these top programs have made to ensure alignment with their local districts so they can offer strong clinical experiences will have lasting positive impacts on their teacher candidates, and more importantly, their candidates’ future students.”
As explained by Dr. Verjanis Peoples, the challenging work that goes into their Prep Program Out of thousands of teacher prep makes the honor even more programs from a multitude of exciting. With only a fraction different universities around the of the prospective teachers who country, Southern University’s entered the program completing Elementary Preparation Program it, Peoples noted that those was one of thirty-three that who do have the potential to be was chosen to be recognized. some of the most well-trained According to Kate Walsh, educators in their field. president of NCTQ, this honor According to Peoples, there are is not one to be taken lightly. three main phases of the teacher “Too many teacher prep programs struggle to make clinical practice a meaningful learning experience for aspiring teachers—especially when it comes to selecting
prep program that focuses on different aspects of the education process. These phases include Admissions, Teacher Education, and Clinical, all of which must be
This growth came as good news being that there is a decrease in college enrollment across the United States. This is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected many schools in diverse ways. With the economy being in one of its tougher spots overall, enrollment nationwide has gone down three percent.
To counteract the decrease in college enrollment, Barley explained that “We must expand recruitment both regionally and nationally,” using a presentation with the theme necessities for consistent efforts in recruitment. During the presentation, she discussed looking into setting up credentials as well as the micro-credentials of college registration. She also emphasized the importance of certification programs which would lead to graduate degrees.
Other schools around Southern have a larger online student population growth. However, Barley says the bottom line of these population growths is that “Those schools invest millions of dollars initially and outsource.”
PEOPLES
completed before you can obtain certification.
“We’re the only program at Southern that requires admissions requirements. You can’t just come on campus and say you want to be a teacher; you have to meet those admissions requirements, which are set by the department of education,” said Dr. Peoples in regards to the admissions process.
To increase the enrollment numbers Barley recommended that Southern invest at least $600 per student in terms of recruitment. Southern University board member, Dr. Domoine D. Rutledge comments saying that “If you want to know where a person’s priorities are you are asking for their checkbook.” In terms of goals for the next semester Barley noted that the department is looking to bring in 500 more students. Being amid a pandemic, it is worth noting that
See EXCELLENCE page 3
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
See A.I. page 3