By Justin Muszynski
Student Government Association President Eric Bergenn presented a general education proposal to the Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee in which he voices students’ views of what the new system should look like.
Bergenn submitted his plan at both open forums Thursday which were the last general education meetings the Ad Hoc Committee is holding before they finish their proposal.
“What I decided was best for general education was to broaden it and have more options in categories that make a little bit more sense based on what you’re studying,” said Bergenn at the first meeting on Thursday.
A majority of the meeting involved discussion that was related to Bergenn’s proposal. Some of the concerns were related to the broadness of it. Candace Barrington, of the Ad Hoc Committee, expressed her fear that the new system not give too many options to students.
“How much of our responsibility as educators do we abdicate if we say, ‘here’s hundreds of courses out there, pick what you want it’s a cafeteria?’” said Barrington. “Part of our ethical, fiduciary duty is to say as a faculty these are the important skills to have as an educated person.”
In Bergenn’s proposal he condenses the current number of study/skill areas, eight, into just four categories. In those four, he lists several classes in each that he believes will benefit most students when they’re finished with their education. However, he understands that list is just what came to his mind and wouldn’t be upset if the specific classes were changes as long as his basic outline is kept the same.
Another worry in regards to Bergenn’s proposal was in relation to mathematics. In his plan, it’s grouped into a category called, Natural, Physical and Computer Science. The main concern was that something as significant as math should have its own category.
Liz Braun, vice president of the SGA, agrees that the importance of math in a student’s education needs to be encouraged.
“I would be more apt to want a separate category for math,” said Braun. “As an academic coach I see probably every person who’s on academic probation that math 099 or math 101 is the one that brought their GPA down.”
Another issue that came up was CCSU’s low graduation rates. Bergenn sees it as a major problem and addresses it in his plan. Robert Wolff, chair of the Ad Hoc Committee, agrees that whatever the new general education system looks like, this needs to be taken into consideration.
“We are both trying to deal with practically the same issue,” said Wolff who seemed very pleased at the meeting with Bergenn’s involvement. “The large quantity of double counting that we’re trying to incorporate is to get at that problem.”
Bergenn is hoping that his plan or one similar will be passed in the form of a resolution at today’s SGA meeting to express to the Ad Hoc Committee student body support. Should it be approved at SGA, Bergenn says he hopes someone on Faculty Senate will make a motion to accept their proposal as opposed to the latest plan that has been drawn up by the Ad Hoc Committee.
He also says he wouldn’t be completely upset should his proposal not be accepted as long as there’s a compromise between what faculty and student’s want.