Students slam new Vanderbilt summer transfer credit policy – ​​The Vanderbilt Hustler

Vanderbilt University’s new Summer Transfer Credit Policy prohibits students from taking summer courses from other institutions when the class is offered at Vanderbilt University.

Vanderbilt students are warned On April 3rd, you will be notified by email that any summer transfer credit course approvals requested after March 30th, 2020 will be denied if the course was offered by Vanderbilt.

This policy provoked harsh criticism from many students, partly because it was economically exclusive. generally It does not apply to Summer Courses and Vanderbilt Summer Classes, but prices for 2020 have not yet been set.Costs $1,625 per hour 2019the cost of . online class Nearby Middle Tennessee State University costs $300 per credit hour during a typical semester for in-state students.

“I think this change will strengthen class disparities on campus,” senior Rasul Dent said in an email to Hustler. It will discourage you.

Dent has several friends who have taken more affordable summer classes elsewhere to catch up or switch to a major with a long list of prerequisites, as is often the case in science and engineering classes. I said yes. Vanderbilt already had his six-credit hour limit on summer transfer credits, so there was no risk that much of his work at Vanderbilt would be replaced by summer credits elsewhere, Dent said. Stated.

Another student and second-year student, Tamim Hamdan, said he believes the policy adds another stress factor for the upcoming era. online class COVID-19 has already put a strain on many students. Hamdan said Vanderbilt’s implementation of this policy does not mean that it can further hinder student success.

In a message to Hustlers, Hamdan said, “It is inconsiderate to impose yet more new restrictions on students when we are all struggling with economic, technical and educational restrictions.” , dealing with and trying to cope with the current world situation, it is ridiculous to implement new requirements that only create more stress and difficulty for students.”

Vanderbilt said that during this crisis that left so many unemployed, forcing students to take only exorbitantly expensive summer classes in schools would actually cost these billions Typical of how dollar institutions don’t give a single fuck about us!! Anger! ! ! ! ! !

— efrata (@efratatecle) April 2, 2020

A Vanderbilt spokesperson said the administration felt it was important to change its transfer policy to “guarantee the best possible education” during this extraordinary summer.

“With the university moving to online learning this summer and the landscape of higher education changing, we wanted to provide as much flexibility as possible while still allowing students to continue their education at Vanderbilt University. That is why we have made additional courses available in the summer to compensate for the sudden change that happened this spring.”

Additionally, the spokesperson said some schools are lowering the normal minimum enrollment for courses offered in the summer, saying, “The move is aimed at students who need these courses and who are teaching them. Help teachers,” he added.

A spokeswoman did not respond to inquiries about students’ claims that the policy is economically exclusive or represents an attempt to generate more revenue for the university.

Other students were directly affected by this policy. His first-year Sherry Girgis, who is dependent on financial aid to attend Vanderbilt University, said he would not be able to afford to take summer classes at Vanderbilt University because Vanderbilt University does not approve summer classes. , I’m afraid I’ll have to miss the summer course I was about to take.

Engineering freshman Ester Teper is also grappling with the new policy. She applied for approval for her summer classes at another location on her March 18th, but did not receive approval. When she sent her email to her VUSE Registrar, she was told that she would have to submit a new petition for the course to count. After emailing Cynthia Pascal, Senior Vice Dean of Undergraduate Education, for further clarification, Pascal repeated the instructions from the email announcing the policy change and asked Tepper to proceed with the petition process. Recommended.

“I really hope so [administrators] They’re going to put their feet up and try to help us more,” Teper said.

There may not be a graduation ceremony, but at least I didn’t let Vanderbilt tell me to pay 8,000 for summer online math 1!

— Orfeu cor (cœur) de mijo (@MercuxiOhNo) April 2, 2020

Dent said mandating $9,000 for classes such as Calculus 1 and General Chemistry 1 is overkill for an institution that claims to allow low-income students access to higher education. increase. According to Dent, everyone he knew who had completed a summer course on the Vanderbilt University campus had to aggressively petition for situational financial aid, often denied or receiving large loans. did.

“Maintaining limited summer financial aid while taking advantage of the increased course offerings through the online nature of classes in 2020 will openly manipulate the crisis to save Vanderbilt more than $2,000 during a particularly difficult time. of tuition/credit hours to pay students,” Dent said.

The email alerting A&S students to this policy states that A&S students Academic Service OfficePeabody students should email Marina Harman Petition their exception.Engineering students may also petition for an exception to this policy or email their respective representative with a question. Academic Service Office Contact us.blair students can Email Rachel Hobbs Even in the office of academic services.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that engineering students can request an exception to the policy change. The correct link to the Engineering Academic Services Office has also been updated.