Many longtime complaints transcend plans
First-time SOPHIA students register for spring classes
STEPHANIE SANCHEZ
Registration for next semester’s classes began this week, and some students were forced to plan differently than others.
The class of 2020 will be Augustana’s first to graduate under the SOPHIA Core Curriculum which replaced the Augustana Plan, while upperclassmen will continue planning and registering their classes according to the Augustana Plan.
“The SOPHIA Core was started this fall,” registrar Joni Krueger said. “It is being intentionally built to ensure that the educational outcomes are being met by the courses in our curriculum.”
The main difference between the two general education plans is the addition of First Year Seminar and the removal of previous requirements, such as the New Student Seminar. However, the foundations of the liberal arts remain unchanged.
“The previous gen-ed [plan] was developed over two decades ago,” Krueger said. “It was time to look at what Augustana students should take in order to graduate.”
Freshmen have mixed feelings about the plan, especially because of a perceived emphasis on humanities and social sciences.
“I would say that the courses are interesting,” art major Sofia Preciado said. “There are some knowledgeable points about them, but I also feel that some are not worth my time.”
Students also face concerns on whether they will be able to fit the required courses for their majors and for the SOPHIA curriculum.
“I think that the general requirements are redundant,” Grace Johnson, a freshman nursing major, said. “There are too many English, philosophy and religion courses that do not fit with the schedule of a science major.”
Preciado said much of the same.
“I will have to take a biology course next semester for the general education requirements instead of an art course that I need for my major,” Preciado said. “One would think that my major would trump the requirement, but I will not be able to take the class that I want.”
Both the students and the registrar expect to get through the new registration process smoothly. Although, as always, students are afraid of classes filling before they have the chance to register.
“I really hope I can get into the classes that I have scheduled because I need them,” Micaela Tirado, a freshman biochemistry major, said. “If I don’t get into the classes I have planned, I will be really behind.”
Freshmen will not have a different registration portal ,and sources are available for getting help to set up their plan.
“It seems no matter how we prepare there are always glitches with registration,” Krueger said. “However, we want to remind students that our office is open 8-5, and we are able to help.”
