Amista Mariana Lujan, Staff Writer
The issue of the financial crisis that was left after School Year 2022 to 2023 has impacted a lot of people here in the Saint Martin’s University. We at the Saint Martin’s Bell tower have highlighted the impact it has had on the faculty and staff, and we have presented the uncertain future for those who have decided to stay teaching here on campus. However, we have not presented how the budget cuts have impacted the students here on campus. Especially, those who are in the School of Education, School of Arts and Sciences, and Exercise Sciences.
These departments have faced a 20% pay decrease and we have lost some faculty due to these issues. The students interviewed had stated their frustration and their concerns. I have asked the question of “what is your major?” which my interviewees stated, “Political Science, Secondary Education, Criminal Justice, Exercise Science, and Literary Studies.” These majors listed are but just a few that had their programs impacted since the budget cuts were implemented at the end of Fall 2023.
When asked “How has the budget cuts in your major program impacted?” The responses varied; one student has not taken classes within their major as they had other courses to finish this semester, so they have not felt the impact just yet. One student said “I haven’t felt the effect of the budget cuts yet thus far, but if our department receives any cuts that leads to departures of the Education staff, the effect would be felt all through the department regardless of the concentration or degree. Each of the professors in our department specialize in a particular subject within education, such as lesson planning for Elementary, Secondary, or Special Education. Missing a single professor would mean missing a whole subset of classes and can potentially delay students from graduating on time.”
Another said “I’m not 100% sure how the budget cuts have impacted my program. I didn’t know there had been budget cuts. I do know, there are not a lot of history classes being offered right now, especially surrounding American history or European history. Looking at classes for fall 2024 quite a few classes that have the history code have been cross listed from communications and literature. Quite a few of the history classes are also online asynchronous. When looking into professors for classes, many of the professors listed under the history department on the Saint Martin’s website, no longer work at Saint Martin’s. The only history professor listed on the website that currently works at Saint Martin’s is Dr. Aaron Goings.”
Another said, “I’m not sure what the budget cuts have affected my program—but we definitely need more English professors/ more classes offered each semester.” One said “Not much has changed regarding the classes themselves, as far as I can tell. I more so just feel frustrated that faculty are being paid less but are still expected to put in the same level of work. They shouldn’t have to suffer because of careless financial decisions enacted by administration and the Board.”
The last one said “My professor is already one of the only ones assigned to our program and she’s drowning now. When she has more work to do it slows down the turnaround for assignments. We often don’t know our grade until we finish the semester making hard to adjust for any possible losses.”
The next question focused on the lack of academic faculty available for their program “With the lack of academic faculty available how does that make you feel about your future continuing at SMU?” The first one said, “I’m graduating but I’ve wanted to leave since I was a freshman” One said “Considering the lack of academic faculty, it makes it difficult to have varied experiences during my academic career, I would have to say that I’ve had the same 5 instructors for a good 60% of my classes. Although it helps in developing relationships with the professors, it mitigates the opportunity to learn under a variety of outlooks and reduce the number of perspectives pre-service teachers can bring to their work, especially with the oncoming students who would never have the opportunities to experience classes with the professors that were terminated.”
Another said “The 2024 to 2025 school year is going to be my senior year. I would like to stay at Saint Martin’s, but I worry that Saint Martin will not be offering the classes I need to graduate. For example, as a senior, I have to take a research methods class prior to writing my senior thesis. This is a HIS498 class, according to self-service at the moment that is not being offered. I have not spoken with my advisor at this point, but I hope it just hasn’t been listed yet.” One said “This is my last semester here, and all I have to say is that I’m glad it’s my last semester. I don’t like what I see unfolding at SMU.” Another said “If I wasn’t already graduating this semester, I would’ve transferred to another school. Less faculty means a lack of variety in courses. There are very few elective CJ courses offered, which is ridiculous considering how much money students spend yearly in tuition. The gross lack of diversity amongst CJ faculty is also concerning. They are mostly white and male, and as much as I appreciate them, I would’ve loved to learn from faculty of color too.” The last one said, “Their academic advisor has left and was lucky to have a smooth transition with their newest advisor but the loss of that one academic faculty has made it to where there is only one full time professor for their program.”
This is sad to see that due to their current situation the students of Saint Martin’s are unsatisfied with their experience thus far. Which leads into my last question of “Do you feel as if you are receiving the quality education for the money you are paying to attend SMU?”
All respondents said “Compared to other universities yes it was a good experience because I knew what I was committing to three years ago, but with the current the lack of financial help available no.” Another said “Absolutely not! Saint Martin’s is disgustingly expensive for a mediocre education! The tuition, housing, and meal plan costs have all risen drastically over the past few years while the quality has either significantly declined (education and meals) or remained stagnant (housing). Even after “generous” merit scholarships and other financial aid, this university is simply not worth the money.
Perhaps STEM students are more satisfied considering the massive improvements in their programs (Ernsdorf, Cebula, Nursing wing) but as a CJ student, it feels like I’m being robbed.” One said “When I compare my program to other university’s literary studies programs—I feel like there’s a lot I’m missing out on. Which means that I don’t think my quality of education is equivalent to what I’ve had to pay. I’m going to have to do a lot of independent work to get caught up before working towards my master’s degree elsewhere. If you would like to express your concerns about your experience on campus thus far anonymously you can reach out to the SMU Bell tower to request an interview with me.
The Belltower 