Maymester schedule approved by administration

Maymester 2008 will go forth as planned said Johnny E. Tolliver, vice chancellor for academic affairs. Stated in a memo sent from Tolliver to Southern University’s personnel, all students attending Maymester 2008 must register and pay fees on or before May 5.
Classes will begin May 12 and end May 29. Final examination period is May 30 and grades are due by 7 p.m. on May 31 according to the memo.
James Turner, a public relations graduate student from Kenner, said, “I’ve never gone to Maymester, but I believe it (Maymester) plays a major part in retention and graduating students.”
Tolliver said the vice chancellors of the various departments – including academic affairs, finance and student affairs – met on Feb. 28 and again on March 3 and decided unaminously to submit a proposal for the termination of Maymester all together effective 2009 but that to cancel Maymester 2008 at this late date would not be enough notice for the students, especially since the recommendation of cancellation may or may not appear on the Southern University Board of Supervisors’ agenda until March.
Albert Williams, a senior mass communications major from Baton Rouge said, “That’s good. I might go to Maymester and graduate sooner.”
“The concern is when you look at Maymester 2005, the enrollment peaked at 999 students. The students enrolled for 2007 dropped to 601 students. For 2007, the total revenue including tuition and room and board was $299,834 and the expenditures (utilities, personnel and security) totaled $367,102 leaving a deficit of $67,268; The expenditures exceeded the revenue causing Maymester to no longer be cost effective,” said Flandus McClinton, Jr., vice chancellor for finance and administration.
Out of 601 students who attended Maymester 2007, on campus students totaled 23. Seventeen were males housed in Grandison Hall and six were females housed in Bradford Hall, and these students were required to be on the meal plan, said McClinton. Because of these low figures, this year’s Maymester term will not include residential housing and food services.
In additon, “instruction will be confined to two buildings, Stewart and Higgins,” said Tolliver. “All of these changes are to generate savings.”
According to the notice, classes not meeting the required minimums will be deleted from the Maymester schedule on May 6.
Also noted was a statement asking all students to ensure that their contact information is updated on Jagnet because information relative to class cancellations will be disseminated using this contact information.
The required minimums for classes are: 20 paid students for single section undergraduate courses; 25 paid students for multiple section undergraduate courses; 10 paid students for single section graduate (masters) courses; 20 paid students for multiple section graduate (masters) courses; any section doctoral courses per approval by the dean of the college/school, dean of the graduate school and the Office of Academic Affairs.
If you are interested in attending Maymester, visit the Southern University official website www.subr.edu.