Originally published February 22, 2000
by Adam Zurn

I've been holding my tongue since the semester I first declared my major. I didn't want to step on any toes or get caught in the middle of inter-department politics. However, being fairly close to graduation, I figure now is a good time to speak my mind.

Like most other full time students here at the Ville, I'm taking 15 credits. What separates my 15 credits from most others is that for those 15 credits I put in 30 contact hours. I am not alone either. All TECH majors put in six contact hours for three credits in the department.

I'm sure that the Art students sympathize because the same holds true for them. Technically, by 10 a.m. on Wednesday I've put in a full week of class. At this rate, I should be done with the semester, hour wise, by spring break.

Due to poor planning, I'll take part of the blame for my current situation. I was undecided my first year. During that time, I only took Gen. Ed. classes.

In my last semester before student teaching, I was left with no choice but take five classes in my major. I should mention that my situation isn't unique. Every semester several students face this same difficulty.

Thirty hours a week of class, double what most students have, does have its benefits. I'm getting a lot more bang for my tuition buck. I also receive more instruction time and gain in-depth, hands-on experience. Not to mention, I'm too busy to get into any trouble.

Thirty hours a week of class also has its downfalls. Usually, I'm so exhausted from my class load, time spent in open lab, assignment work, and my other extracurricular activities that I don't make it through the first episode of "The Simpsons" Friday evening without falling asleep.

More importantly, I'm left with less free time. Less free time means less time for a job to pay for college. Less time for assigned readings and out-of-class work. Less time for social activities. Less time to preserve my sanity.

If the reasons above aren't good enough, the dollar and cents one should be more convincing. Professors are paid by the credit, not by the hour. Under this model, they are in fact working for two thirds the pay as other professors. If I were a TECH professor, I'd find that a little hard to swallow.

In addition, the University also gets cheated out of some dollars. The University receives reimbursement from the state for the credits a student is taking, not the hours. In short, the University loses money on TECH students, but I guess they pass that cost on to the TECH professors.

The word on the street for next semester is that instead of six hours a week, we will only be spending five hours a week in class. That's an improvement but still two hours too many.

I understand how hard it is to change things, especially if this is the way it's always been done. But sometimes you have to bite the bullet and do what needs to be done.

I simply want the credit I deserve for the time I spend in class. At the very least, one more credit if not an additional three. Students in the science department receive three credits for their three-hour lecture class plus one credit for a two-hour lab. Why not the same thing in the TECH department?

In short, I want one of three things to happen:

1. Three credits for three contact hours.

2. Six credits for six contact hours.

3. More hours in the day.