Plan amends minors problems

By Nada El Sawy
Staff writer

A transitional plan has been put into effect to try to eliminate some of the confusion that resulted from new minors that were added to the university curriculum.
The new minors, combined with the new general education requirements, have put the university in a transitional state because the requirements resulted in different complications for students depending on their year of enrollment.
Before the new transitional plan was established, students would have had to combine their majors and minors within the same catalog year. This meant students who had been working on a major for more than a year would have to conform to any new requirements of that major when adding a minor.
But the new plan does not force students to change their catalog year when they are adding a minor. It allows undergraduates to follow the degree requirements of any catalog year from their first year of enrollment to their last. If students are interested in the new minors introduced in the 1997-98 course catalog, they can follow the set of degree requirements from that catalog.
Joe Hellige, vice provost of Undergraduate Studies, recently met with school officials in the Registrar's Office to address the issue. School deans, department chairs and undergraduate advisors all had the opportunity to examine and comment on the transitional plan.
"Everyone agreed that this would be the fairest and the simplest way to allow students to select minors," Hellige said.
Before the introduction of the new plan, continuing students would have faced problems when transferring units, since the limit was changed from 80 to 64 units, or if their major requirements had changed significantly.
Hellige addressed a memo Wednesday to all university officials and administrators announcing that the transitional plan was finalized and ready to be put into effect. Hellige's memo also said the plan will have few inconveniences to accommodate all students who would like to pursue a minor.
To encourage students to choose a new minor, the plan gives the opportunity to those who enrolled in 1996-97 to complete all requirements for their catalog year and for the new minors. The policies on transfer units and other requirements depend on the catalog year the student chooses.
Previously, continuing students would have had a problem meeting the new requirements. Hellige said that with the new plan, students who might have had difficulty in the past, are "presumably already meeting the requirements."
Proposals for introducing additional minors for the spring semester are being discussed. During this last spring semester, 20-plus new minors were approved by a committee.
The committee will continue meeting for one more year, said Ken Servis, dean of Academic Records and Registrar.
"I anticipate that additional minors will be added for the coming year," Servis said.
Many students said they support adding minors, despite any problems the minors may have previously presented.
"Minors are a way to tailor your major," said Sara Tekula, a senior majoring in psychology .
"My business minor serves as a background to my communications major," said Charles Carbago, a senior.