November 13, 2000 The Lion’s Eye Page 5 Moonlighting at Delco? HB Penn State Delco students are being offered more and more night classes. Some students aren’t so pleased to be burning the midnight oil. By DORIS RUIZ Staff Writer As many students decide what courses to take for the upcoming spring semester, a thousand thoughts flutter through their heads. Does this count as an elective? Is this course a major requirement? Is this per- son an easy grader? But the majority of the Sudonts here at Penn State Delco, a commuter campus, try to schedule ‘their courses around their busy work schedules or around other courses that they really need in order to graduate. One major concern surrounding students this semester is the abun- dance of night courses that are required for their major. One major that is included in this category is Speech Communication. ~ Although it is a program that has been around for a while, its major require- ments often are not offered as day classes. As a result, aspiring students have to stay in school until way after 9 p.m. ; Dr. Wayne McMullen, associate pro- fessor of Speech Communication, ‘offered a bit of an explanation when asked about this dilemma. “The way in which the courses are offered has to do with very limited fac- adult students who work during the day and would not be able to complete Speech campus waiting [for classes]”, Communication states: student Photo by ANTEIA CONSORTO Confused about what classes to take? Just look at all the material Siudenis have available to help them schedule courses and plan to (hopefully) graduate. to “wait, because there’s nothing else to do.” ulty,” McMullen said. As of this semester, there are only three professors in the field of Speech Communication who teach at this cam- pus. This leads to other thoughts: Are the campus administrators catering to the professors’ needs? Or more impor: tantly are they making these decisions with the students in mind? McMullen said courses were origi- nally offered in the day but the enroll- ment was too low. Also, he said most of the Speech Communication majors are their degree if it weren't for the evening classes. This may be fine for adult students or part-time students, but what about the fulltime students who begin their studies around 8 a.m. or so? And what about student who have to take public transportation and don’t get home until 11 p.m.? These students are left with no other choice but to take these night courses because they are not offered as frequently as elective courses. “I'm a commuter student, and I have to spend countless hours here on Cherjon Bailey. > This “waiting” presents another problem for students. Many of the important “major” required courses are only offered once every few years. What happens if a student misses this cycle? Either they extend their graduation date by a couple of years, or they have to go through the grue- some process of taking the course at another institution and then try to see if the credits are transferable. Students like Rebecca Webb, an HDFS major, are frustrated but have Many upperclassmen are waiting for the necessary classes to be offered. As a result, they have often had to postpone their graduation date. Others have had their financial aid reduced because they have to take fewer credits and are put into a part- time status. : When asked about the course avail- ability, McMullen responded, “We are trying to offer more courses in the major. So, that may help give students more choices.” The only question that remains now is: When? Having a ball Photo by BARBARA DANIEL A student plays hackey sack during some free time between classes. Is Common Hour doing its own disappearing act? By ANTEIA CONSORTO Staff Writer Well, it’s a disappearing act all right. Even if it is a very slow one, it’s a disappearing act just the same. Common hour is a student’s time to unwind, meet with friends or . professors, and, of course, to eat. On a commuter campus such as this, it is important to have time when clubs can meet, schedule conferences with professors, and generally socialize with fellow students. Some of you may have noticed that you have classes scheduled into or during common hour. As the campus programs and classes grow, ~ the hours in which they can be scheduled are becoming minimal. This is why some of you may encounter a course scheduled during the common hour. “Common hour is an excellent idea and is very important,” said Ed Tomezsko, the campus executive officer. According to Tomezsko, in order to keep the hour totally open, the students’ day would have to be extended - resulting in classes being - more spread out. For students who work off campus this would be a big problem, he said. The Registrar’s office is work- ing hard to find alternatives rather than scheduling classes during common hour. The only classes that are scheduled are usually labs or classes with unusual components, such as a freshman seminar. : : “We do our best to avoid it and it’s only done when there is no other reasonable choice,” said Joyce Rigby, the registrar at Delco. Currently, there are no classes scheduled during the hour on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. But, there is a chemistry lab on Tuesdays that runs until 12:20, a personal defense course and tennis on Tuesdays and Thursdays during common hour, and there is also a freshman seminar/English class on Thursdays. Next semester, students can ex- pect to see a physics class on Wednesdays during common hour, which will be a double period to avoid conflicts with other classes the students need. an Common hour is an excellent idea and is very important. ED TOMEZSKO, CAMPUS EXECUTIVE OFFICER 9 There will also be a four-credit math course on Thursdays and a freshman seminar on Tuesdays scheduled during the hour. All in all, this may not seem bad to many of you who are not affected by the scheduling of these classes during common hour. Some of you may not even care. But just think of all the things you get done during that hour; be it sleep, eating, working on homework or socializing.
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