On Tuesday, the Academic Senate voted 24 to 12 to approve the updated General Education (GE) requirements put forth by the University Educational Policies Committee (UEPC), which have been in process since last August.
The approval of the new requirements will have a big impact on the way that faculty advisors do their job and the breadth of education that Stan State students receive.
Faculty expressed their frustrations with the Chancellor’s Office upon receiving Executive Order (EO) 1100, which is where the need to change the requirements originated.
Dr. Betsey Eudey, Professor of Gender Studies, explained that “the purpose of the EO is to help students progress to graduation faster.”
According to Dr. Richard Weikart, Professor of History, the problem with the EO is that it takes away the breadth of a liberal studies education. This is something that faculty feel is necessary for students to have upon graduation, and something that faculty “needs to fight for.”
The majority of the debate on this issue was how exactly faculty should be fighting to maintain the breadth in the graduation requirements.
Dr. Eudey said that working within the constraints of the EO is an option.
“The Chancellor’s Office is becoming more restrictive with what we can do with GE, but it does not prevent us from doing things outside of GE,” Dr. Eudey said, “There are opportunities within major requirements to make [students] take courses from a list of things that could add to the liberal arts education.”
On the other hand, some faculty felt the best way to oppose the EO was to vote against the resolution brought forth by UEPC.
Dr. Bret Carroll, Professor of History, “decided to vote against this resolution” because it is not in the best interest of students to accept it based on the effects it would have on the breadth of their education.
Ultimately, faculty voted to pass the resolution, which means faculty will have to work within the constraints of the EO.
President Dr. Ellen Junn, seemed hopeful about the power that faculty has through advising and creating curriculum to “exemplify diversity and broad education.”
“As a department and as a faculty, you can set up your own courses within your discipline,” President Junn said.
The most notable change to the GE requirement program was the removal of Area E.2, physical education activities.
Area D.1.b, United States Constitution and California State and local government, and Area G, Multicultural Requirement, will become University requirements rather than a GE requirements, which would result in little change for students.
Some of the other changes to the GE program include the renaming of several of the areas, that better reflect the purpose and goal of each requirement.
If students have concerns regarding the changes to the GE program, they should seek help from their academic advisor.