Students Express Concerns Over Lack of Class Options
A shortage of course options raises concerns among students about classes that can fit their schedules
Students expressed frustration over the lack of class options for the spring semester.
December 9, 2021
As students began registration for spring semester classes, they became concerned about the lack of course options at the Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) campus. Many students found that they would have to commute to the Rose Hill campus in order to take a class that would best fit their interests, schedule and requirements.
Professor Vlasta Vranjes, associate chair of English at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), handles all scheduling for the English department.
She explained that when deciding on classes for an upcoming semester, the process begins with the deans, who reach out to each department and request a certain number of courses to be offered at each campus.
“Scheduling is dependent on which faculty are available to teach and which campus they’re based at, along with who has the expertise in what, and who is willing to travel between campuses.” Vlasta Vranjes, associate chair of English at FCLC
“The deans tells us to schedule a certain number of Texts and Contexts every semester or they tell us we need a certain amount of Eloquentia Perfecta 3 courses or how many English courses, Philosophy courses, Math courses, and on and on. However, each class must be filled up by students,” she said.
Vranjes said that scheduling has an array of factors that determine how many and what kind of courses will be offered.
“Scheduling is dependent on which faculty are available to teach and which campus they’re based at, along with who has the expertise in what, and who is willing to travel between campuses because it can be an inconvenience,” Vranjes said.
“It is the administration’s responsibility to make sure that the required courses are offered here.” Lorena Loza, FCLC ’25
Multiple FLC students have experienced a frustrating registration process in which they were unable to find courses they wanted to take, courses that fit into their schedule or courses that would fill their requirements offered at the Lincoln Center campus.
Instead, students found that the majority of classes were being offered at the Rose Hill campus, which many find inconvenient because of the commute.
Lorena Loza, FCLC ’25, revealed her disappointment regarding the ill-timed physical science course offerings, expressing her discomfort toward commuting to the Bronx for certain classes.
“As a FCLC student, I am required to take a physical science course as my first science requirement,” she said. “I chose the Lincoln Center campus, not Rose Hill, so it is the administration’s responsibility to make sure that the required courses are offered here.”
Vishesh Chawla, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center ’25, expressed that the registration process was very frustrating. According to Chawla, the registration portal shut down for five to 10 minutes. As a result, he did not get into his desired classes.
“The day of registration was an emotional roller coaster for me as I didn’t get any classes as part of my plan and had to choose a backup for every other class. In Particular, I had a lot of trouble getting into my statistics class, a requirement freshmen Gabelli students have to fulfill in the spring semester,” Chawla said.
Vranjes explained how courses “like introduction to international studies are decided by their department heads.” Essentially, this means that departments make the final decision on how classes are offered based on the demographics of each campus.
The environmental studies department chose to offer three classes at Rose Hill despite a significant number of students studying the major at LC. Similarly, with international studies, the department chooses to offer only three classes regardless of the number of students interested in studying that major.
“Seeing this restriction of classes is frustrating because it affects the quality of my education and how I will be able to complete the requirements of my major.” Belen Gonzalez, FCLC ’25
For the spring semester, the classical languages and civilization major offers 16 classes in total with only five at Lincoln Center. International studies offers a total of three classes, two of which are at Rose Hill. Women, gender, and sexuality studies offers nine classes in total, with only three offered at Lincoln Center. Lastly, the environmental studies major only offers three classes for the spring semester — all of which are held at Rose Hill.
Belen Gonzalez, FCLC ’25 and prospective environmental studies major, expressed her frustration with all of her major classes being offered exclusively at the Rose Hill campus.
“Seeing this restriction of classes is frustrating because it affects the quality of my education and how I will be able to complete the requirements of my major,” she said.
