President Donna E. Shalala fielded questions from more than 50 students last night at Cosford Cinema during Student Government’s Town Hall Meeting.
Last year, SG President Danny Carvajal said the meetings would occur on the first Wednesday of every month. However, this was the first meeting this semester.
The Move to Dolphin Stadium
Questions about transportation and seating were among the first topics addressed.
Shalala said buses will be air-conditioned and a “straight shot” for students, making transportation “faster and more comfortable” than the ride to the Orange Bowl.
Shalala added that student parking lots will be cheaper than regular parking lots.
The end zone seats are also the best seats in Dolphin Stadium, Shalala said, noting that those seats are closest to the field and the big screen TVs.
Course Registration Difficulties
In the midst of spring course registration, Shalala said she was unhappy with the lack of course cross-listing, which allows students to apply credits from different departments to their transcript.
One student, an Iraq War veteran and advertising major, commented that fulfilling general science requirements is difficult because many courses are not cross-listed and added that registration was his “worst experience here at school.”
Shalala attributed the low number of cross-listed courses to disputes between the different UM schools and colleges, but noted that changes must be made by the deans of each school.
“You know what competition is like between the Air Force, Army and the Marines? That’s what the competition between the schools is like,” Shalala said.
Kelly Herson may be contacted at k.herson@umiami.edu and Blair Brettschneider at b.brettschneider@umiami.edu.