Send an email with your name and student number to
nomorepecredit@yahoo.com
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Petition to the Administration and Faculty
It is our intent as the SCC Student Body Association that this petition serve to inform the SCC Faculty and Administration that the Student Body requests the College address the following item of business:
As the Student Body, we believe that all classes offered at Shoreline Community College are valuable. Some of the courses offered at SCC are not offered anywhere in the surrounding area. However, the General Education Requirements are not evaluated on whether or not the Student Body finds them worthwhile, but rather, how they enhance the “basic, foundational set of skills and abilities considered critical to student success.1”
To determine whether or not the Core Degree Requirements are meeting their goals, a General Education Committee must convene and assess the curriculum using the General Education Outcomes. These were encouraged by the Accreditation Team who praised the school in 2001 for our work developing clear outcomes and goals.
Three of these outcomes also have Core Degree Requirements:2
The PE Outcome reads:
Demonstrate an awareness of the implications of sound health practices.
The Student Body would concur that this outcome would benefit students. However, the PE requirement differs from other Core Degree Requirements, in that there is no evaluative method to determine the success of the requirement’s implementation.
As a result, it is our intention to inform the Administration and Faculty that several classes have devolved into “an easy 4.0.” These courses do not serve the students.
That is not to say that students do not enjoy these courses. Students may also enjoy a course on “Cooking Healthy Meals.” The outcome might read:
Demonstrate an awareness of the impact of processed food and the benefit of eating wholesome, healthy meals on mental, emotional, and physical health.
Undoubtedly, an increasing number of Americans are overweight. Maybe this is because of unhealthy diets, such as the huge amount of corn we consume or the increased intake of fast food. Undoubtedly, every student would benefit from being presented with this information about diet and health in an organized, interactive fashion thus helping them to make life-long healthy choices. However, we do not require a course on Cooking Healthy Meals in our Core Degree Requirements. If someone were to suggest that we offer that course, they would be asked to assess how that course would enhance the General Education Outcomes. If they could not present that information, then their request would be denied.
Our goal is not to discourage healthy practices. The Student Body recognizes the importance of healthy dieting and physical activity. However, the Student Body also recognizes the importance of voting. We also recognize the importance of sound financial decision making practices. We also recognize the importance of creative expression. However, we do not force students to take courses leading to these practices. We encourage it. But ultimately, we allow students to make their own individual choices.
We are asking for choice. It is our belief that the PE Requirement should be removed from the Shoreline Community College General Education Requirements because it does not offer clear objectives, outcomes, or goals.
We would like the Faculty and Administration to know that the Student Body believes that a well-informed individual can, and will, make responsible decisions concerning their health. We encourage promoting healthy practices through clubs and activities on campus.
REMOVING THE P.E. REQUIREMENT FROM THE
CORE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
As the Student Body, we believe that all classes offered at Shoreline Community College are valuable. Some of the courses offered at SCC are not offered anywhere in the surrounding area. However, the General Education Requirements are not evaluated on whether or not the Student Body finds them worthwhile, but rather, how they enhance the “basic, foundational set of skills and abilities considered critical to student success.1”
To determine whether or not the Core Degree Requirements are meeting their goals, a General Education Committee must convene and assess the curriculum using the General Education Outcomes. These were encouraged by the Accreditation Team who praised the school in 2001 for our work developing clear outcomes and goals.
- General Education Outcomes
- Communication
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Information Literacy
- General Intellectual Abilities
- Multicultural Understanding
- Global Awareness
Three of these outcomes also have Core Degree Requirements:2
- Communication
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Multicultural Understanding
The only Core Degree Requirement that does not have a specific General Education Outcome attached is the PE Requirement.
The PE Outcome reads:
Demonstrate an awareness of the implications of sound health practices.
The Student Body would concur that this outcome would benefit students. However, the PE requirement differs from other Core Degree Requirements, in that there is no evaluative method to determine the success of the requirement’s implementation.
As a result, it is our intention to inform the Administration and Faculty that several classes have devolved into “an easy 4.0.” These courses do not serve the students.
That is not to say that students do not enjoy these courses. Students may also enjoy a course on “Cooking Healthy Meals.” The outcome might read:
Demonstrate an awareness of the impact of processed food and the benefit of eating wholesome, healthy meals on mental, emotional, and physical health.
Undoubtedly, an increasing number of Americans are overweight. Maybe this is because of unhealthy diets, such as the huge amount of corn we consume or the increased intake of fast food. Undoubtedly, every student would benefit from being presented with this information about diet and health in an organized, interactive fashion thus helping them to make life-long healthy choices. However, we do not require a course on Cooking Healthy Meals in our Core Degree Requirements. If someone were to suggest that we offer that course, they would be asked to assess how that course would enhance the General Education Outcomes. If they could not present that information, then their request would be denied.
Shoreline Students would like to know how the PE Requirement has been assessed.
Our goal is not to discourage healthy practices. The Student Body recognizes the importance of healthy dieting and physical activity. However, the Student Body also recognizes the importance of voting. We also recognize the importance of sound financial decision making practices. We also recognize the importance of creative expression. However, we do not force students to take courses leading to these practices. We encourage it. But ultimately, we allow students to make their own individual choices.
We are asking for choice. It is our belief that the PE Requirement should be removed from the Shoreline Community College General Education Requirements because it does not offer clear objectives, outcomes, or goals.
We would like the Faculty and Administration to know that the Student Body believes that a well-informed individual can, and will, make responsible decisions concerning their health. We encourage promoting healthy practices through clubs and activities on campus.
We feel that as adults,
We have to the freedom to choose for ourselves.
Please sign this petition by sending your name and student number through email to nomorepecredit@yahoo.com
You have a right to petition and the information being collected is for verification purposes only. If you prefer not to enter your information, you can take the poll on the page, but there it does not carry the same weight for our cause.
Top Ten List for Students
Top Ten Reasons why the PE Requirement Should be Abolished
(in no particular order)
- The program is outdated. This is not common of modern curriculum in higher education Core Degree Requirements. Several decades ago when PE curriculum were added as required courses, the average age of college students was lower than what it is now. Times have changed and our curriculum should reflect the needs of our current demographics' educational needs.
- There are no clear goals or outcomes to the program that are measurable due to a lack of criteria set forward by the department (PE) itself.
- There are no online class opportunities. As a result, distance learning and non-traditional students are burdened with making arrangements to facilitate this requirement if they are to earn a degree that is transferrable anywhere.
- It could be reducing our enrollment. Students who are deciding which college to choose might be uneasy about a PE requirement. Most schools do not have one. Lower enrollment numbers (and subsequently FTE’s or full time enrollment students) mean that the school has less money to operate and less money in Student fees to be spent on Student activities that the Students choose.
- Many of the courses do not assess Student’s work accurately. Some of the most popular classes are an easy 4.0. There are numerous accounts of individuals getting a 4.0 in weight training for showing up. Or maybe they get excessive extra credit points for easy work. Whatever the reason for the easy grades, they don’t serve Students well. Any college that you transfer to is going to take into serious consideration your 4.0 in weight training or tennis. It may pull your GPA up slightly for your tenure at Shoreline, but many schools “wipe the slate clean” meaning that you get your transfer credits but your GPA starts over at that college. In that case, Shoreline Students have inflated GPA’s compared to schools who do not require a PE credit. That’s the only potential benefit. There are also several really great courses in the department, such as Archery. In these courses, we see fair assessment and active engagement of our students who enroll. We see high expectations set for Students and we see those Students excel. Our hope is that the College will evaluate the courses and “weed out” the ones that are ineffective or lacking clear, obtainable goals and retain the programs that benefit our Students.
- The costs. On the table that is attached, you will see several different layers of hidden costs. If you do not have a gym membership (or you use the SCC gym, as you should) then you should omit these costs. However, many individuals do have gym memberships out of preference and this preference should be respected by the school. (see attached Typical Costs of the PE Credits)
- Your time. How much is an hour worth?(see attached Typical Costs of the PE Credits)
- Convenience. Have you had trouble deciding when you would schedule a PE class? Maybe you don’t feel comfortable working out in between classes. Maybe you work out in the morning. Maybe you go to work right after class and you don’t have time to clean up. Whatever the inconvenience, put a price on it. It is something you are giving up if you’ve taken (plan to take) a PE credit.
- Preferential Treatment. Undoubtedly, every department head would tell you that their department offers the most important, relevant courses. However, if these department want a specific requirement added for their department, they must outline clear goals and objectives. When the PE requirement was tacked on, it was exempt. This is unfair to every other department.
- We have the right to choose whether or not we want to take a PE class in college.
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