2008 Woodie Awards
Blind me with science
Beth Murdock
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: Opinion
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Any Puget Sound student who's ever talked to anyone affiliated with another institution of higher learning knows that our credit system is somewhat unusual. While other schools award credit based on hours of class time per week, UPS awards one unit of credit per academic class. A student with a full course load earns four credit units per semester and thus takes exactly four years to complete the thirty-two units required for graduation.
Of course, there are some students who stubbornly refuse to fit into this tidy formula. The University does its best to accommodate them and keep them from paying overload fees by making certain classes worth less than one credit. (This applies primarily to music majors.) PE classes, musical ensembles and activities like Model UN, Crosscurrents and Opera Scenes are worth fractional credit units that go toward the 1.5 units of activity credit that a student can put toward their total 32. Random extra requirements like weekly discussion hours for foreign language students and recital attendance for music majors are listed on their transcripts as being worth zero credit.
Music majors and other students who augment their schedules with activity units may complain because of how busy they are, but they benefit from the extra credits they earn. More credits mean higher class standing. Higher class standing means earlier registration times and lower housing lottery numbers.
This system seems fair enough. There's nothing wrong with rewarding students who choose to take on the workload of extra classes. However, not all students who spend additional time in the classroom at UPS are receiving these bonuses. There is, in fact, a sizeable contingent of students who endure anywhere from three to twelve extra hours of class time per week and receive no credit whatsoever. These infinitely pitiable creatures are known to most of us as science majors.
I am not a science major, and I normally don't give a crap about the needs of my fellow human beings, but with this issue I feel compelled to make an exception. As it happens, my beloved domestic partner (or roommate, if you prefer) is majoring in biology. She is currently enrolled in organic chemistry and cell biology, both of which come with weekly four-hour labs. The labs are taught by different instructors from their corresponding lecture classes and assign their own homework. Labs and lectures are listed separately on her transcript, but only the lectures are worth course credit. Essentially, she is taking six classes and only receiving credit for four of them.
Of course, there are some students who stubbornly refuse to fit into this tidy formula. The University does its best to accommodate them and keep them from paying overload fees by making certain classes worth less than one credit. (This applies primarily to music majors.) PE classes, musical ensembles and activities like Model UN, Crosscurrents and Opera Scenes are worth fractional credit units that go toward the 1.5 units of activity credit that a student can put toward their total 32. Random extra requirements like weekly discussion hours for foreign language students and recital attendance for music majors are listed on their transcripts as being worth zero credit.
Music majors and other students who augment their schedules with activity units may complain because of how busy they are, but they benefit from the extra credits they earn. More credits mean higher class standing. Higher class standing means earlier registration times and lower housing lottery numbers.
This system seems fair enough. There's nothing wrong with rewarding students who choose to take on the workload of extra classes. However, not all students who spend additional time in the classroom at UPS are receiving these bonuses. There is, in fact, a sizeable contingent of students who endure anywhere from three to twelve extra hours of class time per week and receive no credit whatsoever. These infinitely pitiable creatures are known to most of us as science majors.
I am not a science major, and I normally don't give a crap about the needs of my fellow human beings, but with this issue I feel compelled to make an exception. As it happens, my beloved domestic partner (or roommate, if you prefer) is majoring in biology. She is currently enrolled in organic chemistry and cell biology, both of which come with weekly four-hour labs. The labs are taught by different instructors from their corresponding lecture classes and assign their own homework. Labs and lectures are listed separately on her transcript, but only the lectures are worth course credit. Essentially, she is taking six classes and only receiving credit for four of them.
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