Unsigned Editorial – Profs, students need to embrace change

The registrar’s office, in an attempt to efficiently use campus space, made some changes to the scheduling system. These changes have led to a three-way disagreement between students, professors and the administration.

Among other stipulations, these changes mean there would be more Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes than usual, most of which would only be 50 minutes long.

On one hand, professors and students who commute are not happy because they believe it is unfair to require them to travel to Waterloo three times a week for only a 50 minute class.

On another hand, some professors and students argue that these changes should have been made gradually, and in consideration of the nature of more interactive, discussion-based courses, which require a little more time-allocation to be efficient. For example, math courses like calculus or statistics can be efficient when divided into three 50 minute classes. But, in programs like English or film studies, three 50 minute classes are too short a time span to properly educate students.

It is well known that since the closure of St. Michael’s campus, the university has struggled with campus space.

The changes that have been made to the scheduling system, although inconvenient to some, will optimize campus space. As a result, there would be a lot more room for student groups and activities.

As with other conflicts, the pragmatic line of action here is to reach a compromise. The university administration should recognize that the changes they have made will affect certain programs, like English and film studies, in an unfair manner. To prevent this kind of mishap in the future, they must ensure the changes made will affect vulnerable programs minimally.

That said, the inconvenienced professors and students must make their peace with the changes and accept that the need to optimize campus space is greater than the need to accommodate their inability to embrace change.