Student teaching in jeopardy for seniors b.y_Sbarmon King
These students may be from anoth- not rieed to take the er state and know that they are not NTEs will not be going to teach in the state of Penn- evaluated as program Education majors are up in sylvania. Their certification would completers and anns over a new rule that will pro- come from their respective states. Cabrini's listing as a hibit them from student teaching if. There are also students who know "low producing inall of their National Teacher's Ex- that they want to do something ed- stitution" should be aminations are not passed before ucation-related, such as music improved. next semester. They will be forced therapy or owning day care cenAccording to Dr. to become educational studies ma- ters, but do not need a teaching Dawn Middleton, jors until they pass the required certificate to complete their plans. education departtests. Most students are angered, These students may just choose to ment chair, "If we let to say the least, but seniors seem to do everything else in the program students student be the most affected by the sudden including student teach. teach, it means that decision. The problem comes in when we recommend them The educational studies major Cabrini is evaluated. "If students for a teaching certifiwas added to the available majors do everything else, including stu- cate, which we can't at Cabrini after a National Report dent teach, then they appear to be do [if they do not Card, issued by the federal govern- program completers," said Dr. pass the required ment under Title II reporting of Catharine O'Connell, dean for tests.]" To assure certification students, showed that academic affairs. A program com- students, Middleton Cabrini was in the bottom 25 per- pleter is a student who completes said, "We aren't cent of "producing institutions." A the program approved by the going to let anyone poor placement on this National Pennsylvania Department of Edu- get caught in this Report Card could result in Cabri- cation for a teaching certificate. If trap. There are inni's loss of ability to conduct students are viewed as program ternships and co-ops teacher certification programs. completers, by national standards, that we are looking This would come as a major blow they should have their certificates. into right now that to an institution with education as The students who did not complete . can be transferred its number one major. their certification requirements be- into field experience Cabrini received a low score on cause of a lack of need to do so, credits when the stuthis report card because, as of a are looked at as students who just dent gets back on few weeks ago, there were not any simply could not pass the tests. By track if they choose programs available for students taking student teaching out of the to do so." who were not interested in becom- educational studies major, the stu-continued on ing Pennsylvania state certified. dents who either cannot pass or do page 3. assistant features editor
photo courtesy of Kerri Houseman
Junior Kerri Housemanteachessecond graders at Audubon ElementarySchool.Many educationmajors will not have the opportunity to stand before a class next semester.
Fu.II-time faculty lower than national average by Gina Roswell staff writer
The percentage of courses taught by full-time faculty lags behind the national liberal arts college average by 20 percent. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "privateliberal-arts colleges have the highest percentage of courses for undergraduates taught by full-time faculty (79 percent)." At Cabrini, full-time faculty teaches 59 percent of the courses. Dr. Sharon Schwarze, chair of the philosophy department, conducted a private study, approximately two years ago, based upon the statistics of the surrounding college communities and their numbers of full-time faculty members. Ursinus College, for example, employs 120 full-time faculty
members for 1,171 undergraduate students. Ursinus's number of full-time faculty contrasts with Cabrini's of 53 full-time faculty
between $1,800 and $2,200 per course. Therefore, eight courses taught by a part-time faculty members costs between $14,400 and
''There are not enough full-time faculty members for intellectual, creative and curricular activities." -Dr. Sharon Schwarze, chair of the philosophy department
members for 1,281 undergraduate students. The courses not taught by fulltime faculty are taught by a larger percentage of part-time faculty members than found nationally. Cabrini employs 145 part-time faculty members. Generally, fulltime professors teach from six to eight classes per year, whereas part-time faculty teach no more than two. Part-time faculty make
$17,600, whereas a new full-time faculty member teaching the same eight courses starts at $35,000 or more. Full-time faculty members are expected to more than teach, however. According to Dr. Jonnie Guerra, vice-president for Academic Affairs, "Faculty members are expected to engage in professional development, the advising of students and to work on faculty and
institutional committees, as are other faculty members at institutions of our type." Schwarze, however, has a slightly different outlook. She feels as though all of these responsibilities are wearing out the fulltime faculty on this campus. Granted, she realizes that professors have responsibilities, and she is well-ready to uphold them, but providing more full-time faculty would not only disperse the responsibilities of each individual full-time faculty member, but it would also allow for more "fun" activities to be planned for the students within each department. "There are not enough full-time faculty members for intellectual, creative and curricular activities [to take place on or off campus]," Schwarze said. -continued on page 3.