Students wrestle with course concerns

The main discussion at this week’s Student Senate Meeting was FYI courses.

Spike Jordan, senator at large, said that the Academic Review Committee discussed students with failing grades in FYI courses. The current concern is that students who do not pass their FYI course will not be able to take the course again for two semesters to two years. This would mean a failing FYI course grade would remain on a students transcript for two years.

Jordan said that the Academic Review Committee discussed letting students take a different course to replace a failing grade. Jordan asked for feedback from Senate.

Susan Schaeffer, Student Senate adviser, said that students can appeal a grade for FYI classes if they believe they deserve a different grade. However, Schaeffer said that based on the nature of the courses, if a student is receiving a failing grade in an FYI course, they are probably failing their other classes as well.

“The class is to introduce students to the culture of being in college,” Schaeffer said.

The students, however, expressed that freshman are not always aware of how a first year course might affect them, so might not try as hard in an FYI course. Several senators voiced the opinion that students be given another chance to redeem their grade by taking a different FYI course, rather than waiting two years to re-take the same class.

T.J. Thomson, vice president, thanked the senators for their interest in the discussion and said that students will be kept informed on the subject.

Senate also discussed moving the foundation account off campus. Bank of the West, Security First, Chadron Federal Credit Union and First National Bank of Chadron were the four banks put forward. Senators voted to table the discussion until they had more information.

In other business, Ashley Swanson, treasurer, said that the dates for budget packet hearings have been set. Clubs asking for less than $1000 are to schedule their budget packet hearing for March 14 or 15, and clubs asking for more than $1000, March 21 and 22.

Swanson also said there is $86,114 in unallocated funds.

Morgan Nelson, student trustee, said that Chadron State College’s fees are good compared to Wayne and Peru’s, according to information at the last Board of Trustees meeting. Wayne has lower student fees, but higher event fees than Chadron, according to Nelson. Nelson says this is good because that means that the students here have more of a say in where their money is going.

Nelson also said that summer enrollment at Chadron was up 15 percent, “which is good news for all.”

Finally, Nelson said that Randy Rhine explained the Kaleidoscope project, funded by Bill and Melinda Gates. The project is about getting open educational resources for students, which would save students money.