By Katlin Sweeney
Editor-in-Chief
The ASI Board of Directors has moved forward with endorsing the implementation of the Student Access Initiative’s proposed scheduling changes, as long as U-hour is preserved in the revised time blocks.
The Student Access Initiative (SAI) proposes moving some three unit classes from twice a week, 75 minute blocks to 50 minute blocks, three times a week. The proposal has been a subject of contention this semester as more members of the campus community became aware of the way it will potentially impact their schedules. The affected courses would vary based upon how department chairs choose to allot time slots based on subject matter, as well as professor and classroom availability.
Some students and professors have argued that the revised time blocks could potentially create scheduling conflicts for lecturers teaching at multiple campuses, force them to spend more money in gas and parking permits to be on campus extra days each week, increase professor workload and affect the pedagogical structuring of some courses. Others have argued that the SAI will decrease class conflicts, help solve space problems that have occurred with a growing campus and accelerate graduation rates.
On Nov. 21, ASI BoD passed the “Resolution in Support of the Student Access Initiative with the Preservation of University Hour.” The decision was made after viewing a presentation about the SAI by Vice Provost Kamel Hadadd, discussing questions and concerns with students interested in learning more about the initiative and reviewing the Q&A posted by the Office of Communications to the student body on Nov. 21.
“Kamel came to present at our first Board of Directors meeting in September, because we were concerned that he was going to get rid of University Hour,” ASI Executive Committee President and CEO, Haley Perko, said. “That was our main concern at the time. The Student Affairs Dept. was able to work with him and find an alternate way to put the schedule together so that both more classroom space was utilized and U-hour was preserved. This was the main purpose when writing the resolution in support of this initiative.”
Since these discussions with the BoD, the SAI now proposes retaining U-hour, but moving it from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. to the new time slot of 12:50 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. In their resolution, ASI requested that if U-hour were to be moved again, it should remain within the high-impact time of 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., when most students are on campus.
The resolution said that the preservation of U-hour is an integral part of ensuring that Student Life and Campus Climate, which are two of the five institutional strategic priorities included in the University Strategic Plan, remain primary issues at CSUSM. It cites the one hour time block as an important way of preserving time for students to organize meetings, attend events and engage in peer collaboration.
While ASI BoD have decided to support the SAI, the resolution calls for more discussion about the proposal and how it will benefit, or hinder, the campus community.
“We did have discussion at our board meeting and decided with an ever so evolving campus we need to learn to adapt so that the students are not hurt by our rapid growth,” Perko said. “So we saw some flaws in this initiative, but in the long run it is there to help offer more classroom space, to hopefully offer more class sections and ultimately hopefully facilitate a faster graduation rate.”
Students that are interested in expressing their opinions can contact the ASI Board of Directors or submit comments to the SAI FAQ form at the Planning and Academic Resources web page.