COMMENTARY If Quality at PSH Is So Good, Why Do I Feel So Bad? By Barbara Gertzen Capital Times Assistant News Editor I'm not exactly sure why this year's tuition increase particularly irked me. After all, it's not like tuition increases are anything new. Tuition and other fee hikes are a fact of academic life students come to expect, and considering that I am a part-time student at Penn State Harrisburg, the increase in my semester bill was negligible. I think what galls me most is the realization that if I do not pay my tuition, I do not go to school. It is that simple and unavoidable, regardless of any sense of outrage I feel. Because I have a goal in mind I would like to finally complete my B.A.— I did find the additional money for my tuition. With skillful budgeting and an exploration of financial aid options, I anticipate funds for future semesters will be available as well. What I need to remember is that the difficulties I face today in order to attend classes at Penn State are balanced by the investment I am making in my future career. A key component of that equation, of course, is that I get the best-possible edu cation for the money I am spending. Unfortunately, when I reviewed the class es I took in my first full year at PSH, I food for thought Classes have started and already we've developed opinions about our professors and the students in our classes. When it comes to rating students, I have a tendency to classify them according to the type of emotion they express. Emotions like: 1. I'm only here because I have to be. 2. I didn't read the assignment; I hope I can fudge, if called on. 3. Boy I had a rough night/day, I can't wait till class is over. 4. I hope I can remember the material well enough to answer the professor's questions. All of us experience No. 3 from time to time, making us more understanding of others in that situation. For me, the most irritating remark on the list is No. 1. There's the old saying that opposites attract, but when you put No. 1 together with No. 4, attraction is the last thing that happens. When I'm in a class with a "No. 1" who doesn't hesitate to show their boredom, I always wonder, "Who's footing their bill?' What's given on a silver platter just doesn't have the same meaning as the things we have to work for in life. If by chance you're one of those people receiving your education on a silver platter, be grateful and please don't be a downer to those of us who work hard for what we get. missing your e-mail? According to a note in This Week, lIT is concerned that students are listing email addresses other than the university assigned psu.edu account. They urge students to forward their psu.edu e-mail to their existing e-mail account. This will insure the receipt of information on PSH news, policies, assignments, etc. Information on how to forward your PSH account to your existing e-mail account is avail able in the Computer Center or by calling (717) 948-6553. could not honestly say that all of them benefited or enhanced my education. I can say most of my classes this past year were mentally stimulating and enriching; several courses I took chal lenged my abilities, along with my belief systems and some preconceived notions I held. Invariably, my classes were headed by extremely knowledgeable and involved professors who generously extended their time and expertise both in and outside the classroom. Unfortunately, I also endured a class where the professor repeatedly did little more than give me and my classmates a hand-out and some instructions about our next assignment, which did not require library research, before we were dis missed barely one hour into a scheduled 2.5 hour class. One evening I was shocked to notice I was leaving campus only 45 minutes after I'd arrived for class; it had barely been worth my time to drive to school. Equally disconcerting was another class where the professor was apparently assigned to the class section a few weeks before classes began. For the duration of the semester, the professor did not seem to grasp the subject matter the course was designed to cover. My classmates and I limped through the semester referring to By Connie Goodell Capital Times Staff Writer an outdated text as the professor groped for topics relevant to the course descrip tion. While class discussions did occa sionally diverge on interesting tangents, more frequently, the topics raised were barely applicable to the class, and some times bordered on the tawdry. In both classes, the professors alluded to the long commute they faced between school and home, and I got the feeling this fact sometimes contributed to each class' abbreviated length. I certainly understand the tediousness of a long commute because I have one myself, and I readily admit there were many times I went to class tired and hoped we would be dismissed early. If I elect to leave class early because I am sick or tired, that is my decision and the consequences are mine to bear. If I miss classes repeatedly, I know I am only cheating myself. But an average weekly class meeting time of one hour (with a paucity of learning occurring during that hour), is patently wasteful; an instructor unfamiliar with the course material he or she is designated to teach is obvi ously unfair to the students in the class. I know there is usually a range of aptitudes present in one classroom and instructors must accommodate the vary ing competency levels of the class. I also concede it may be difficult not to react to the attitudes emanating from students. But the indifference of some students should not be the barometer by which a professor determines the motivation and productiv ity level of an entire class. I left both of these classes feeling I had been cheated, and that I had wasted my time and money. In my first year at Penn State, my pro fessors always printed their office hours, phone numbers and e-mail addresses on their syllabus and they usually stressed how they could be reached during the first class meeting. I rarely used these means to question my professors, to ask for clarifi cation on issues or projects, or to offer suggestions or comment on the atmos phere I encountered in the classroom. I no longer feel reluctant to do so. This is my education, and I plan to maximize the experience and the time remaining for me at Penn State by accessing the experience, insight and wisdom of my professors. I want to ensure that I get the full-value edu cation I am working so hard to attain and that I deserve. I know there is a wealth of knowledge and experience at PSH to tap into, and there's no mason why I shouldn't avail myself of it. After all, I am paying for it.
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