Department chairs are being asked to reduce the number of sections offered for different classes in response to budget cuts. In an interview with The Picket, Dr. Betty Ellzey, professor of English and chair of the Department of English and Modern Languages explained how the cuts will affect Shepherd students, specifically as it relates to English classes.
According to Dr. Ellzey, the reduction in class size is a way to make sure the classes being offered are filled to capacity with students. There will be more students in fewer sections. This does not mean, however, that there will be one hundred students in a class. The cap for the amount of students permitted in each class will be twenty and overrides past that number will not be permitted.
One of the benefits of this change, as Dr. Ellzey explains it, is that there were more professors hired to teach full-time. There will still be adjunct professors, but 50 percent of 100-level English classes will be taught be full-time faculty workers.
Dr. Ellzey made clear that there will still be “plenty of spaces for all students at all levels.” Her advice is to sign up for classes early next semester to make sure that you get the time and classes that you want. When going in for advisement, have several options available. Advisement starts on Oct. 23, and a week before that date students should get an email from their advisor.
The student opinions at Shepherd are mixed when asked about how they think the change will affect them. Margret Faiver, an English major, feels that “economically, they have to do it. For quality of education, it’s a step backward.” She notes that there is already an abundance of material that has to be crammed into a short semester. Faiver also worries that we “may lose depth of education.” She is not alone in her opinion, but there are some Shepherd students who see this change in a more favorable light.
Bonnie Abbott, an English and music education major, feels that more students in a classroom would be acceptable if the cutoff number is under 25. She feels that a class should not even be available unless there is a certain number of people who are going to be enrolled in the section.
Tamira Patterson, another student at Shepherd, echoed that statement when she said that she did not care about the change unless the class size got out of hand. She said that one of the problems that people could run into, however, is if they were trying to make a class schedule around a job or other obligations. The people who have other commitments may need more class sections available to work with their already busy schedules.
The reduction of class sections offered at Shepherd University is a change that will affect each student differently. Some may not notice the change. Others with jobs and busy schedules may have a more difficult time registering for classes. Either way, register for classes early and have options available when scheduling.
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