HUGE PROBLEM AT UNT

EagleChick03 · October 25, 2002

There are some MAJOR problems at UNT that are not getting fixed and will result in lots of angry students which eventually results in no support for their school after they graduate which we all know has to stop.

Early registration for spring 03 began this week. My scheduled time to register is Saturday. All the classes I need to graduate are full. Every single one.

I am a journalism major and the journalism department is struggling with their student population growing faster than they can handle. The dept is short three professors and according to my jour prof this morning, has run out of money for adjuncts. So, they have no way to provide additional sections for the classes that filled up on the first day of registration. There were atleast 25 other students in that class alone that cannot get into jour classes for the spring. My prof said if she was not trying for tenure, she would organize a student protest to Austin to rally for more funding from the state.

UNT is passed over in the legislation over and over. I am sick of it. All the money is given to the "flag ship" schools, UT and A&M and the rest of us are left with no money and having to turn away student from the education they want. My prof was saying how infuriating it should be to us that we pay so much money and fees continue to increase yet I cannot register for ANYTHING. There is literally nothing I can take in the spring unless, by some miracle, the Jour dept is able to open more sections. What am I supposed to do, take the semester off?!?!? I will email the new president of this university with that question, along with the state legislature.

If you care about this school, and I know everyone on this board does, please please please write a letter to Austin and let them know we are sick of being passed over and need funding for our school if we have any chance of ever being competive with the big guys.

But that is just it. No one down there wants us to ever be competitve with the big guys. So they look over us and think, its just UNT.

I heard the other day that we are excpected to reach 50,000 students in the next ten years. This is not good news. In the current state, this school CANNOT handle this type of growth, even other the long run without a significant increase in state funding.

Stan R · October 25, 2002

Might be a good Idea to speak to the Dean of your college. They (I would think) might try to squeeze in some extra spaces in to those classes if this prevents you from graduating.

ScreamingEaglesFan · October 25, 2002

I agree there is much that needs to be changed, but the key is organizing, there is strength in numbers. However work within the system.

I agree with Stan there were full classes I needed to graduate but my advisor was able to get me into "full"classes with the stroke of a key. Just talk to the dean and the main advising person and they should be able to help.

As far as contacting legislators i'm already working on finding the intricacies of the system to get UNT what they need/deserve. Details forthcoming....

PlummMeanGreen · October 25, 2002

With UNT's enrollment growing from last year's (just over) 27,000 and then this Fall approaching 31,000 students and with the state of Texas formula for funding its public universities tied with a school's enrollment, UNT stands to gain (dramatically) in additional funding for all areas of our school (and that would include additional funds for new instructors and eventually our requests for more classroom space).

Growth at a Texas public university does have its special kind of percs.

NT80 · October 26, 2002

I think with the recent downturn in the economy more students than were expected went back to college. UNT was not expecting 30,000 this fall and it has resulted in peak demand. Growth is hard when it comes this fast, but the reverse like many other schools are having (TWU, ULM, etc.) is much worse. Hang in there, I bet they open additional sections.

GrayEagle · October 26, 2002

Although, sadly, this wouldn't do you any good this spring semester, I think that one thing that would help would be to organize several departments into a School or College of Communication. Combine Journalism, Radio, TV and Film and Public Relatiions into one school with a dean. That would allow for planning and give the communications area more clout than individual departments will ever have. I'd also like to see Channel 2 moved to the campus (where it was originally licensed) and run by students.

I believe that these changes would help Chancellor Jackson obtain more operating funds. UT and A&M have the PUF that could be used for part of their funding while North Texas, Texas Tech and Houston all need increases and the Texas University colleges do as well. Most of these colleges are growing but North Texas seems to be increasing faster. If anyone can gain more state funds, it's Lee Jackson.

Cerebus · October 26, 2002

Gray,

I would like to see channel 2 run by the school, I would also like them to televise some of the FB/BB games. However I think the departments would actually hurt themselves if they left the College of Arts and Sciences, it is the 800lb gorilla on campus. About half the students and half the building on campus are CAS, and pretty much every student on campus has to pass though the CAS core (english, health classes, etc) to get thier degree.

Its a disgrace that UNT isnt getting more of the state fund pie...

shaneb · October 28, 2002

Hey EagleChick. I understand where you are coming from. If you ask me it the the J depts own fault, not the university or the legislature.

The JDept has several faculty members and MANY alumni and students who have been pushing the school for years to tighten the requirements for entrance to the department classes. The journalism department is way too liberal in its admittance and and retention policies.

They have far to many students who haven't the desire or the ability to be journalists in those classes and for the most part they are just taking up room that serious journalists could be occupying. A lot of them are ad and pr students (NOT YOU!!) Who haven't a clue what to do with their life and PR sounded like the nice generic solution.

I know that Susan Zavoina has started portfolio reviews and interviews for upper level journalism classes to get the non-serious students out of the photojournalism dept and into something else.

It also degrades your degree to have a bunch of morons out there with degrees from the same school.

Seeya,

Shane

Green92 · October 28, 2002

Hey Eaglechick03, hang in there. I'm sure they will work with you to either let you in the classes you need or substitute something. So you are going to graduate in May ’03? An exciting time, don’t let this get you down. I’ve attended 4 universities over the past 14 years and they all have their problems. With you registering this early, you will get first dibs on overflow. Plus, some people will drop the classes anyway.

Good Luck!

MeanGreenTeeth · October 29, 2002

No offense shaneb, but journalism majors calling ad and pr majors a generic solution strikes me a little as the pot calling the kettle black. Not that I have any strong feelings towards any of 'em...

shaneb · October 30, 2002

You'd have to see if from inside the department Teeth, but it was my experience (5 years worth) that there are far more PR and Ad people who never use their degrees (and many who never intend to) than News Ed or PhotoJ majors.

But the problem is rampant in the department. That is why the photoJ profs have really gotten hard core about weeding people out early or late or whenever need be.

Again, I am not addressing anyone in particular and certianly not anyone on this board.

I guess I should also say, in the interest of full disclosure, that all those people have a Bachelor's degree in Journalism at the end of the day. Your course of study is what determines your concentration. Also, my gf has a PR concentration and will probably never use it. She is a newspaper reporter and probably always will be. And I think it was unfair for her to fill PR classes knowing that she wouldn't use them. She should have swtiched when she realized she had no interest in PR.

Seeya,

Shane

SilverEagle · October 30, 2002

Don't we have an agreement with TWU to let some of the overflow students in various departments attend classes there. I don't mean Eaglechick, but some of what you (shaneb) referred to as the "less serious" students.

If this continues to be a problem "across the board", then the issue of "merging" UNT and TWU might come up again. And sooner than some people think.

shaneb · October 31, 2002

The alumnas of TWU (the very very very very rich alumnas of TWU) will never stand for the two universities to be merged. They almost had a coronary when they allowed men to attend.

NT students can take some classes at TWU but they son't offer the same J classes we have and most of the classes on that list are classes like Sign Language (very hard to get into at NT)

Seeya,

Shane

SilverEagle · October 31, 2002

" The alumnas of TWU (the very very very very rich alumnas of TWU) will never stand for the two universities to be merged."

I knew that there were very "vocal" (GOD! are they VOCAL) and "influencial" alumni of TWU, but I didn't know there were any very very....etc. rich ones.

Once men were allowed to regularly attend at TWU, the justification to call it "TWU" became moot. My wife is a TWU graduate and she essentially dis-owned them after men were allowed to attend, rather than the "special circumstances", as it was in the past.

We'll see about the "merging" issue, when the next state educational funding crisis "hits the fan".

FirefightnRick · November 2, 2002

I attended three universities and this happens to nearly everyone unless it's a private school, and that's a major waste of your money. Hang in there. Remember, the squeeky wheel gets the grease. You made the right choice and it will pay dividends down the road.

Rick

FirefightnRick · November 2, 2002

I know three personally. All are working and have good jobs. One works for the Dallas Morning News, and two for the Star Telegram. One of them in particular is considered by many in his specialty of choice to be, if not THE best, ONE of the best in the Nation. None of these three gentlemen have degrees.

Just more proof that it's not where you get your degree or skill, but what you do with it.

Rick

GT(N)T · November 2, 2002

Suggestions:

1) Complain strongly to your department chair. If he/she fails to satisfy you make an appointment to talk to the A&S Dean. These officials don't want upset students.

2) Talk to the undergrad advisor. As several in this thread have pointed out, the enrollment limits on some of your courses may not be set in concrete.

3) Talk to the professor. Some of them may be willing to let you take the course as a 'Topics' course. It will probably mean attending the same class meeting and taking the same exams, but it will allow the prof to get some credit for having an extra student.

4) Be ready to drop-and-add. Opportunities to enroll nearly always arise.

5) Don't be upset. Just be adamant about getting it right.

6) If worse comes to worse, remember that an extra year or two at university can be fun!

God bless Texas!

EagleChick03 · November 5, 2002

Hi guys,

I just wanted to say thanks for listening to (or reading, I guess) my complaints.....and give you an update...the J dept opened up a new section for one class, in part, I think, due to a petition we sent around with nearly 30 names on it of students who could not get into any classes they needed.

I still need two other classes so hopefully something will work out with that too. The good news is the class I did get is the more important and would have been impossible to get into without the additon of another section.

But thanks for all your suggestions and support. I'll let you know if I ever get into the other two classes.

-Jen

shaneb · November 5, 2002

Rick, I happen to know the Dallas staff very well and was wondering which one you know who doesn't have a degree. I know of three, out of about 35 staffers that don't have a degree of one kind or another. Not all are in photojournalism.

Not sure what you wanted to say in this post. But if you ask around, most newer photojournalists will tell you that it is a very difficult field to break into without a degree and an internship or two.

The world of photojournalism is quickly changing and UNT, WKU, Mizzou, Fla and a few others are leading the way. But you are right. You have to do something with your degree and (in the case of a photojournalist) your vison to get anywhere in life.

There are many journalists who do not have degrees in journalism, but there are many more who do.

Seeya,

Shane