The Observer, September 7, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 2
Editorial: Unclear graduation requirements present seniors with confusion
Before there was SAGES, there was the SAGES pilot program. Launched in 2002 with just 150 students, this three-year trial paved the way for what would eventually become a permanent fixture of the Case experience. The pilot program gave a limited number of students each year the opportunity to participate in an experiment in interdisciplinary education.
The last of these guinea pigs are now seniors who represent just a small number of students at the university. The majority of the senior class does not participate in SAGES; the rest of the undergraduate community – juniors, sophomores, and freshmen – was given no choice.
Because of the two different groups coexisting within the senior class, there is much confusion regarding graduation requirements. SAGES juniors, pilot program seniors, and non-SAGES seniors are using the exact same classes to fulfill completely different requirements.
"There are a few glitches while we're switching from one [general education requirement] to another," said Peter Whiting, director of SAGES. "We're trying to make everything as clear as possible."
Regrettably, that hasn't been the case. The English department, for example, is using what used to be simply the senior seminar as both a senior seminar and junior departmental seminar simultaneously. One professor of this class must now revise the syllabus into three different sets of requirements, one for each group of students.
The geology department had a similar problem and ended up making the class worth either two credit hours or three, depending on each student's academic status. In the physics department, the senior seminar and senior project class were separated to accommodate both SAGES and non-SAGES students.
On one hand, it is up to the student to know his or her individual graduation requirements. On the other hand, we don't pay an exorbitant amount of money to walk ourselves through a bewildering curriculum.
There are many people at this university paid exclusively to provide academic counsel to students. Please, recognize the fact that most seniors won't still have the student handbook they received as freshmen – and won't even be aware that it is available online. Make requirements perfectly clear to both groups of seniors and faculty to avoid confusion. Take care of those students who served as guinea pigs for the SAGES program and ensure that everyone planning to graduate in May will be able to do so.
Sure, this is the last year we'll have to deal with these differences – but for seniors, it's the last year of their college experience. Let's not forget about them too soon.
