CUC proposal to limit add/drops to four after two weeks proves misguided
The Center for Undergraduate Curriculum proposed in April that students be limited to four dropped classes between weeks two and seven during their four years at Rice, with any extra drops being indicated by a ‘W’ on their transcript.
The Thresher believes the CUC’s proposal does not address difficulties in registration at their root and, instead, unnecessarily penalizes students.
Instead of tailoring a solution specific to the problem, the CUC has crafted a policy that will broadly and negatively impact the entire student body. The CUC proposal unfairly punishes students with exigent circumstances that force them to drop classes after the week two add deadline, as well as those who drop classes that are not at maximum capacity, an action that does not contribute to other students’ inabilities to register for classes in any way.
If the issue is students front-loading their schedules with distribution classes they plan to drop, then the CUC should focus on changing students’ thought processes during registration, not their dropping proclivities.
But the real problem is students being unable to get the classes they need, and the cause, which has conveniently been ignored in the CUC’s proposal, is Rice’s stagnant number of professors and course sections offered, despite a growing undergraduate population. Students should be offended that the administration is placing the burden squarely on their shoulders for purportedly registering for too many classes.
Measures have already been taken that discourage over-registration. For example, it is now nearly impossible to register for more than 20 credit hours. The administration should demonstrate effort towards changes that would not negatively impact students.
More sections of popular Distribution II introductory subjects, such as sociology, psychology and economics, should be offered to ensure that students are able to fulfill distribution, while also allowing those majoring in the social sciences to take the classes they need.
More humanities courses should be classified as Distribution I, thereby providing options for non-humanities majors and decluttering popular humanities distribution classes.
Students pay for a Rice education. The Thresher believes that students should not have to worry about another imposition on their class selection, especially since creating such a burden would not address the underlying problems surrounding a growing student population and a stagnant academic program. The CUC should recognize that students need more courses and more professors, not more bureaucratic restrictions.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff. All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece’s author.
More from The Rice Thresher
Students of conscience should boycott Local Foods
Local Foods has served, for many years, as a casual Houston restaurant option for Houston residents, including Rice students. Folks on campus will notice that this option has become more proximate, as a Local Foods location claims space on campus in the Brochstein Pavilion.
Insurance options for Ph.D. students are overpriced and insufficient
Doctoral students at Rice are given insufficient health insurance options especially compared to institutions with graduate student unions. Aetna’s graduate student health insurance plan leaves students with significant costs compared to the minimum annual stipend. Additionally, the available Aetna plan offers insufficient benefits when compared both to medical insurance plans at peer institutions and to the non-subsidized Wellfleet plan – Rice’s alternative option for international students.
Keep administrative hands off public parties
Emergency Management is hoping to implement a new system that has students swipe their IDs when entering public parties to cross-check their name with a pre-registered list. This idea is being touted as an effort to reduce check-in time and lines at publics. The thing is – we are tired. After bans on events, APAC and dramatic changes in party requirements, we want hands off the public party.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.