Almost every college in the University has an introduction class that new and transfer students are required to take.  Classes like ALS 103 or E 101

are designed to familiarize students with all of the resources that are available at the University. 

“It’s one thing to bring students here, we need to make sure they graduate in a timely fashion,” Gerry Luginbuhl, assistant director of the College of Agriculture and Life Science, said.

Hunter Sampson, a freshman in animal science, said the concept was noble, but didn’t see it’s practical necessity.

“It’s a good idea but it’s too time consuming,” Sampson said. “It would be easier to find campus resources through a reference Web site.”

Emily Haggard, a freshman in management, echoed his sentiments. 

“Sometimes we talk about topics that pertain to my college, but a lot of time is spent on outside topics like diversity.”

Luginbuhl said the classes are intended to help students acclimate to college. 

“We make sure that you get some basic skills under your belt,” Luginbuhl said. “We want everyone to make the most of their four years here so they can be successful students and alumni.”

Luginbuhl hopes students will view the class not only as an educational experience, but also as a resource. 

“CALS has the class because we believe it contributes to student success; making sure the students have basic knowledge.  If nothing else, the students know someone they can come to if they have a problem or a question.”

The class also offers new students to explore opportunities they might not have otherwise considered.

“For the most part, students come to this university with a declared major, but we know some students change their major, and we want to help students make sure that their major is right for them,” Luginbuhl said.  “As the instructor, I have my own biases but I hope that it is truly helpful to students.  We do want to make sure that we are not wasting your time by providing valuable experiences every class,” Luginbuhl said.

Many students like Elizabeth Wayne, a freshman in engineering, don’t see it this way. 

“I think that these classes are okay in some ways, but I really think that they are just way too much for one credit hour.  I’d much rather be spending my time focusing on classes like calculus and chemistry,” said Wayne.

Students like Joann Crawford, a junior in animal science, have come out of this course without seeing many benefits. 

“It’s not really beneficial.  The only thing I found to be somewhat beneficial was learning to navigate MyPack Portal,” Crawford said, “But it basically wasted my time.”

In the current economy, the importance of every class is    Luginbuhl said ” If it comes down to having to eliminate something, this would be open to consideration,” Luginbuhl said. ”Certainly, you have to have classes like biology to fulfill requirements, but we feel that this course does contribute to a student’s success.”