FSEC discusses new gen ed program

By DONNA LONGENECKER
Reporter Assistant Editor

Two members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee voiced concerns at its Jan. 23 meeting for students currently enrolled in classes that now are required but will be dropped from the general education curriculum this fall when the new SUNY-mandated program is implemented.

Peter Gold, associate dean for general education in the College of Arts and Sciences, summarized for senators the revised general education program. He asked faculty members who will be affected by the changes to refrain from announcing the new requirements to students until the program had received final approval—which is expected in the next couple of weeks—and publication in March of the Fall 2002 course schedule.

"I don't think it's the fair thing to do," Gold said of telling students about the expected changes. "You can't on the first day of class (this semester) try to get a message out when it hasn't appeared in print yet."

Charles Fourtner, professor of biological sciences who teaches a "Great Discoveries" general education course that no longer will be required under the new program, said he would like to inform students in his class as soon as possible about the upcoming changes so they can make the necessary adjustments to their schedules.

"I think it would be fair, with all due respect to the students, that they be given the option to be told that they don't necessarily have to take this course," Fourtner said of the 70 students enrolled in his class. He added that students should have the opportunity to enroll in a required math class or a music class that will be required under the new program in lieu of the class he is teaching.

Bernice Noble, professor of microbiology who also teaches a "Great Discoveries" course, agreed with Fourtner, saying that the changes should be implemented as soon as possible. "Over the years, the enrollment cap has been escalated to the point where it's practically impossible to conduct the course the way that I would like to and the way it should be," Noble said." I'd like the chance to see how many people really want to be in that room that I could interact with the way that I would prefer. It couldn't happen soon enough."

Gold and Kerry Grant, vice provost for academic affairs and dean of the graduate school, worried that announcing the changes to students before publication of the fall course schedule would create "chaos" in the Office of Records and Registration if students bail out of classes this semester and attempt to register for courses that are required under the new program.

Gold admitted that some students graduating in May are going to be affected by the new requirements.

"We're looking at a way not to disrupt the semester, although there are some students that get caught up in this and we're trying to figure out how many there are and what to do about it. Those are students who are about to graduate in May," Gold said, adding, "I don't think we can get the information out there properly.

"We're just near the beginning of this process as we wrestle with this question of how you implement it (the new gen ed program)," he said. "There is no clear way to have an effective implementation date," he added.

Grant asked senators "to continue your (class) commitments through the end of this semester."

"I'm angry about this," Noble responded when asked by Gold and Grant not to announce the gen ed changes to students in her class.

Concerns also were expressed about how the changes will affect transfer students who make up a sizable portion of UB's student population, and who, according to Gold, had been "excused from math and writing requirements under the current gen ed program. "That's ended" under the new program, he said, adding, "We have to be careful not to lose these transfer students in implementing the program."

"The transfer issue is worrying everybody," Grant agreed.

He noted that UB hadn't "been particularly successful in serving the needs of transfer students," but added that the university would remain the choice for students transferring from area community colleges.

Grant said that students with degrees from community colleges had received waivers from general education requirements in the past, and although every SUNY president wrote in favor of continuing those waivers, SUNY Provost Peter Salins had not yet responded to their request.

Under the revisions in the general education program, students will have to demonstrate proficiency in a second language, although the language requirement has been dropped from three semesters to two. The required number of math and science courses also will be dropped from two semesters each to just one, with an additional course in language, math or science also required.