Southern University students have faced “obstacles” in the past year.
This year SUBR Chancellor James Llorens declared financial exigency, faculty eliminations and a four-day class week.
Kendrick Woodard, a senior political science major from Shreveport, said, “Being a Southern University student isn’t easy especially when you don’t get financial aid not to mention other various obstacles you face at SU.”
As result of the declaration of financial exigency many major and severe cuts in the upcoming reorganization process.
Instructors in departments such as English, math, and mass communication have to compensate for the lack of faculty.
Jasmine Tate, a junior education major from Baton Rouge said, “It’s very frustrating because the cuts that were made affected students as well because there are certain classes that we need to graduate and there’s no one to teach them.”
The lack of faculty isn’t one issue students have to overcome as they face the termination of some of the universities programs.
Earlier this month students and faculty faced the proposed closure of the mass communication graduate program.
“This is ridiculous, closing the graduate program in mass communication is just going to make it harder for us students who wanted to continue our education at SU,” said Michael Cobbs, a mass communication major from Atlanta.
Mahmoud Braima, chair of the mass communication department and professor cited how successful the program has been. “The department has 23 declared graduates and we graduate more than 50 students a year.”
Cobbs said he hadn’t heard anything about the closure until right before spring break.
“That’s another thing, when students need to know pertinent information, we find out about it too late,” said Cobbs.
Students face issues inside and outside the classroom.
David Jones, a freshman music education major from Baton Rouge, said, “This is my first year at Southern and it’s been hard adjusting to living on campus and adjusting to the four day class week.”
The Student Affairs division has plans to assist students in developing the resources available on campus.
The Associate Vice Chancellor for student affairs, Brandon Dumas said, “This summer, we will make more than $250,000 in residential facilities improvements.”
Dumas said that Student Affairs will also make $100,00 in facilities improvements to the Student Union. “We want to bring the central hub of student life into the 21st century in terms of technology and infrastructure.”
Student Affairs has recently moved from the J.S. Clark Administration Building Annex into the Smith-Brown Memorial Union. “I sought approval to relocate as we were isolated from our campus’s vibrant student life and the majority of student service offices,” said Dumas.
The union now holds the offices of the Associate Vice Chancellor, Dean of Student Life, and the Student Orientation & Leadership Development Coordinator.
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Students adjust to changes
April 25, 2012
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