The Soapbox:
'Sorry, this class is full'

Well, a new semester has begun and thousands of students are making their way through the maze of seemingly unfamiliar buildings and overcrowded classrooms. And all too often, it seems to me, those students are hearing the words, "I'm sorry, this class is full," when trying to add that last class they need to meet CSUS's graduation requirements.

This is not a new phenomenon. And what else is not new is that no one -- administration, faculty or student -- seems to be able to really explain how this happens year after year.

I realize that only in a perfect world, a world with infinite funding for classrooms and faculty, could students expect to get every class they want, when they want it. But it seems to me that instead of solving the problem, some members of the administration are more inclined to blame the victims. When asked, they say students are not using the registration system correctly and therefore classes are being cancelled for a lack of enrollment.

Huh? Can you explain that one to me again?

Perhaps the university, or the entire CSU system, needs to reexamine and modify the graduation requirements and the registration system to reflect the realities of the situation. More students are in the system, and more are on the way, than the university is either able or willing to handle in a manner that promises some hope of letting them graduate in 4 years instead of the current average of about 5.6 years

The solution? I don't know. I don't think anyone really knows for sure what will solve the problem. But I have some ideas that I feel may bear on the issue and should be the subject of study by both CSUS and the entire CSU system.

1) End the arbitrary cap of 17 credit hours when registering through CASPER. All too often, students are forced to wait until the week before school starts to get the last class they need because he or she will cross the 17-unit barrier. And all too often this means the class they need is full when CASPER plus opens.

2) End the limitations on which classes from a major or minor may be used to meet the general education requirements. If a class is listed as fulfilling a certain section of the GE requirements, why should a student then be penalized for taking the class if he or she happens to have a major or minor in that discipline.

3) Finally, maybe the system needs to stop paying lip service to the idea of "students first" and really commit the money needed to building the classrooms and hiring the faculty needed to provide CSU students a reasonable expectation of finishing their college education in four years. (Oops, obviously I had one beer too many when I thought about that one.)