Given the recent abrupt semester-long class cancellations, we at The Equinox feel Keene State students have received highly inadequate communication, resulting in academic, financial and emotional burdens.
At the beginning of the spring semester, some students received emails that one of their classes was canceled for the semester due to low enrollment. These notices were sent out very shortly before classes started, causing some students to panic about their ability to graduate on time as the canceled course may have been a requirement for their major.
Keene State has explained the reasoning for canceling courses on such short notice was in hopes that more students would enroll and the college was giving them time to do so.
We at The Equinox feel this is a disappointing excuse and think there should be stricter protocols in regard to class cancellations.
Such short notices cause severe academic stress to both students and faculty. Students often choose classes based on interest or major requirements and these cancellations force them into substitutions that do not fit either, such as internships, independent studies or unrelated courses.
It causes even more stress when students have already purchased course materials that are non-refundable, resulting in a waste of money.
This is especially true for upper-level classes, as many contain fieldwork components that cannot be made up by a substitution. Furthermore, waiting for these substitutions can cause anxiety in upperclassmen who worry about their ability to graduate if they do not receive the required course credit.
These substitutions only make up the credits. They do not account for the missed experiences these courses deliver.
In addition to students, faculty are tasked with rescheduling an abundance of students or preparing courses last-minute, sometimes ones that they have never taught. Additionally, faculty are not always compensated for independent studies or internships.
Some students face burdens in other ways as well.
Full-time students are put at risk for falling under the required 12-credit minimum, and some full-time students risk losing their financial aid.
Additionally, athletes find similar struggles in falling under the required number of credits they need to compete.
We believe this calls for a policy change. Students deserve a warning well in advance explaining the classes’ potential to be canceled based on low enrollment. This gives students time to plan and prepare for potential changes to their semester.
Holding out hope for students to enroll is not a viable excuse for last-minute notices that cause extreme anxiety. Students and faculty deserve better communication to avoid the chronic stress the college works so hard to avoid.
