Page 6, October 5, 1988, Capital Times MET Students May Expect a Fifth Semester By Tom Glazewski Mechanical engineering technology students, whether they like it or not, may have to come to expect a fifth semester. Fifty percent of all incoming MET students will be at Penn State Harrisburg five semesters or more, according to MET program chairman William K. Aungst. "Some schools prepare students better than others. If they don't know things they are supposed to coming in, they are at a serious handicap." "There's no way I could have handled 18 credits a semester to graduate in four semesters," one engineering student said. To make things easier and less tense, about one-third of engineering students will take 15 or less credits, professor Aungst said. This, most likely, will require an extra semester or two. "It's an academically tough program. The faculty are serious about what they do," Aungst said. In 1986, 32 students were dropped from the school. Thirty-one were from technology; of those, 18 were from engineering. The Student Assistance Center, with help from Aungst, is working to design a stress reduction program, which will help the students learn and practice techniques to help identify and cope with feelings of stress at school, home and on the job. Aungst praised the success of the study effectiveness training workshops sponsored by the Student Assistance MET students may feel the stress of a heavy work load Center during September. "We have an excellent reputation with our graduating students and we want to keep it that way," Aungst said. The average starting salary for an engineering student coming out of school is $26,000-$27,000. "They are expected to know something," said Aungst. A major problem, according to Aungst, is that incoming students are not well-prepared. "Some schools prepare students better than others. If they don't know things they are supposed to coming in, they are at a serious handicap," he said. One fifth semester student said that he could have graduated in four semesters, but he was a couple of courses behind coming in. Instead of burdening himself, he spread the work load out over five semesters. A student who is dropped for academic reasons may come back, but can only take 12 credits until he or she gets the grade point average up to 2.0. "That's the boat I'm in. My problem is in deficiency points. I won't graduate until I level that out," a potential seven semester student said. The deficiency point system works like this: If a student gets a "D" in a three-credit course, that's an accumulation of three deficiency points. An "F" accumulates six deficiency points. Quality points counteract deficiency points. A "B" in a three-credit course is three quality points, which eliminates three deficiency points. An "A" eliminates six deficiency points (double the credits of the course). A "C" is neither considered deficiency or quality points. To graduate, the student must have a 2.0 grade point average. "When someone is dropped for academic reasons, it really slows them down," Aungst said. The stress reduction workshop will be held on Tuesday afternoons during November and the first Tuesday in December. Interested students should register in the Student Assistance Center b Monda , Nov. 7. Students Seek Input for Engineering Surcharge The concerns engineering technology students have at Penn State Harrisburg with regard to the surcharge are well justified. The engineering surcharge has been in effect for three years. Total money collected from the engineering surcharge for the 1988-1989 year will be in excess of $170,000. The surcharge is currently $2OO per student per semester. The engineering technology department at Penn State Harrisburg, unlike other majors, requires the need for expensive, sophisticated equipment. Students must pay the surcharge in order to have the equipment, said Dr. Graham, associate provost and associate dean of faculty. No money has been spent outside the engineering technology department," he added. Many students have expressed the desire to have more input when it comes to deciding how their surcharge money will be spent and also to be given some sort of list that would describe just what equipment has been purchased. Jeff Hake, senior electrical engineering technology major, said, "I think the surcharge is a good idea as long as the engineering students have something to say about how our money is spent." Another student , Pete Perciavalle, said, "Why not have an annual report on equipment purchased made available to the' students?" Dr. Graham would like to encourage input from engineering technology students to gain insight as to individual and departmental needs. Students should see their program chairman and let them know exactly what would improve their situation, he said. As of yet, there is no formal mechanism for studnets to become involved with what is purchased, but departments are and have been working together to see that the students' needs are met. Dr. Welsh, division head of the engineering technology department, said that he has been working on a list that would describe how the students' money is spent and if enough students are interested in seeing this information, it will be made available to them. Both Professor Aungst, program. chairman of the mechanical engineering technology department, and Welsh have confirmed that plans are being made to allocate money to each area of engineering technology depending on the number of students. At the moment, the electrical engineering technology division comprises the greatest number of students and; therefore, it would be allotted the most dollars from the surcharge to be spent on equipment. As department head, Welsh furnishes Graham with a list of equipment needed and then it is up to Graham to decide how the money will be spent; he has final say on the allocation of funds. John Yagecic By Lisa Cutler Student Enrollment Up on Campus By Teresa Shultz The semester is in full swing and midterms are right around the corner. Familiar faces, and some faces of new students which are not familiar, are wandering the halls and filling classrooms to capacity. There just seem to be more people at Penn State Harrisburg. According to Dr. Graham, associate provost and associate dean of facutly, enrollment has increased slightly over last fall. Approximately 3100 students are attending PSH--1900 undergraduates and 1200 are graduates. Exact figures are not available, however, until mid-October when they will be released by University Park, according to Dorothy Guy, registrar. Graduate enrollment continues to increase. PSH is anticipating enrolling 20% of the University's graduate students in the future, according to Graham. The approval for a new doctorate program in Public Administration will boost the increase. Over 100 applications have already been made to the new program. Since there has been such a great response, some students will begin study as early as the spring semester. The program was slated to begin in the fall. As for undergraduates, a surprising number of students are transferring to PSH from what seems an unusual place -University Park. Most students transfer from other Penn State branch campuses, HACC, or even other universities and colleges, but from University Park? According to Graham, approximately eight percent of PSH's students have chosen to leave University Park and come here to work toward graduation. "It's not as uncommon as most people think," Graham says of students transferring here from University Park in their junior or senior year. One student, Kirk Thoman, who will probably graduate at the end of the semester, recently transferred from University Park. Thoman, a public policy major, decided to come here for several reasons. It is much less expensive for him because he now lives at home; at UP he paid $l5O to $2OO per month for rent. Also, he was previously a non-degree student, and wanted to gain admission to a college. But most importantly, he claims he became disillusioned with UP. He did not enjoy the size of classes and being simply a "number." Thoman, like many other PSH students, appreciates the size of Capital and the feeling of community. "I like the smaller classes at Capital," he says. "Teachers actually know your first name." Despite, or maybe because of increasing enrollment, it appears PSH remains a top choice for feeling a part of the University without getting lost in a crowd.
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