"Internal problems caused controversy"

[CCTAU 3,327]

It does not matter what type of course you take as long as you are progressing your degree. If all of your electives are used up, then you are not progressing your degree. So the only problem there could be is if one of the athletes was taking an elective when he had no electives left in his degree plan. Other than that, we all did it. And if you did not do it, you were a masochist.

[aukooze91 11]

I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that a school with one of the highest paid football coaching staffs in the SEC, doesn't have enough revenue to hire "faculty" to teach.  I've heard the arguement of the increasing student body, but to my knowledge students still pay to go to school.  Why wasn't this problem addressed some time ago? I think, I'm starting to understand SACS a little better now.

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No, you don't seem to understand it at all. That department just lost another member of its faculty when the former department head became ill and died. (If you are going to loiter here and attempt to pass judgement on our school, then pay attention and follow along). If you knew much about where your tuition check goes (or your daddy's check or Uncle Sam's, whichever the case may be), you would know that you don't just hire a professor overnight. It is a state job and must be advertised for a period of time before candidates are interviewed. Then, since tenure misapplied can be the academic equivalent of herpes (you're stuck with it forever, with more or less frequent flare-ups), there is a necessary period of review and approval. Bottom line, adding or replacing a faculty member takes at least a full academic year.

Because of proration due to shortfalls in Alabama's ass-backwards sales-tax dependent revenue system, the school recently has less money coming in from the state, which provides the school with more money than all of the student tuitions. As a cost-saving measure, in the last decade several departments in Liberal Arts were combined into one, combining sociology, criminology, etc. This has happened to other departments and programs in other colleges within the university as well. What happens then is a push to justify many current positions, as well as challenges to verify the need for any proposed new positions. When several previously-independent departments are merged, it can understandably get messy. I could see that combined department getting approval to start the process to hire one additional full-time "unit" in a given academic year, but then not be able to come to an agreement upon which field of expertise they should seek (they seem to play together so nicely in there).

So, enrollment grows, faculty numbers stagnate, there is no incentive for existing faculty to overload themselves, one guy tries to help students by giving them independent-study options, the relief valve attracts more flow and opens a bit wider, and pretty soon it is out of hand. Dude gets called on it for getting ridiculous, he stops it, other dude gets his feelings hurt because the first dude didn't get his hand slapped hard enough, but instead of the Sharks and Jets having it out in the alleyway with gayly-choreographed dance-fight scenes, genius decides to blab to the NYT. Meanwhile, a student from the smaller school across the state decides that it is just a matter of the private-donation-and-endorsment-funded football coaches taking money away from the teachers and the essentially self-imposed accreditation probation is completely justified and understood, while a butterfly lands on his head making him feel special and alive. Net result? Two thumbs down, and one is still headed west in November.

253488[/snapback]

I don't care how you want to justify it, but the problem won't just go away.

http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/Sports/...TY&pageId=6.1.1

I think instead of obsessing about thumbs, you guys need to put a leash on this guy. If we have to be accountable for rouge boosters then you guys should damn well be accountable for someone on your own payroll. The fact that a professor steered athletes in academic trouble to easier classes shows to me that athletes WERE given special treatment and that makes this more than just a accrediation issue.

253521[/snapback]

Again UA-CT, lets all believe the liberal journalist who loves to stir the pot so that He/She can sell more papers, (or more clicks on a website)! Get Real! If you're going to believe the crap that's printed in today's paper (NYT, etc) then God help you! And no, I am not a conservative republican - I am that independent swing vote - so if I offended any of you liberals over this I apologize (not all of you are that bad, just the reporters).

Yes we need more professors to ease the demand. But, we know where the money goes. We know what bank the money stays in and we know who is an Auburn Trustee. So guess what, for us to hire the proper amount of professors for a department and or curriculum, then we have to go ask DADDY for some money from the bank. Which ultimately takes away from DADDY's bottom line!

When I was attending AU, I found out half way through my course work that I was dislexic. So, I had to adjust and did so. I also found some easier courses to take as electives, so that my GPA would rise. I had to raise my GPA to a certain number so that I could graduate with my degree. Thus, I got out in 1991 and was very proud of this achievement considering what all I had to do to accomplish this feat.

Remember, UA-CT its an administrative problem with the curriculum and with a need for more professors, not with who needs to pay attention to whatever!