Switch to semester needs student input

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When USAC President Karren Lane and Academic Affairs
Commissioner Bryant Tan meet with Vice Provost Judith Smith next
week, they should make clear to her that including as much student
input in the process as possible is crucial ““ after all,
students, not administrators, will be the ones most drastically
affected by switching to a semester system.

Though Tan and the Academic Affairs Commission have been doing a
good job of trying to outreach to students and learning their
opinion by polling them, the administration needs to participate as
well so that surveying students can occur at a greater level. Of
course, the debate over the semester system isn’t just
limited to the individual interests of students, systemic factors
like overcrowding and resource shortages play a role as well. But
this doesn’t make students’ abilities to get a quality
education a matter of secondary importance ““ all of these
factors are interrelated. Overcrowding at UCLA, for example,
won’t be instantly solved by switching to a semester system;
students could be hurt academically by being in the same large,
broad classes for longer periods.

Several universities have transitioned from a quarter to a
semester system, but the needs of each school are unique.
Determining these needs requires a careful assessment of both
individual student needs and the needs of the university overall.
Without aggressively pursuing feedback from students who experience
this university’s current education and the problem of
overcrowding first hand, UCLA won’t know if it’s making
the right choice until it is too late.