Students shouldn't be fooled

This is about Southeast Missouri State University students not finishing in four years. It's not the students' fault that Southeast has defined a full-time student as carrying 12 hours. These gullible students sign up for a "full load," never bothering to multiply to see that, at that rate, it will take them five years to graduate.

Now, here is another wrinkle that colleges have come up with that also hinders their students. They do not offer core, or required, courses every year (even though there is a demand for these courses). Many young people today has to take an extra semester or two after their four years to get courses in their major that were not offered when they needed them.

I believe this sleight-of-hand by colleges got so bad in Colorado that the state Legislature passed a law that colleges had to offer all courses required for their degrees every semester or every other semester at the least.

Years ago, when I got my degree, 15 hours per semester was a full load. I finished in four years, and I also had a job. We also got a tuition price break if we took 15 hours over a lesser number of hours. That was a great motivator that is not offered now.

The administration runs the college like a business (the bottom line is profit), and this does not facilitate the students' education.BETTY LANDRE

Cape Girardeau