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.