Nicholls State University - La Pirogue Yearbook (Thibodaux, LA)

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The State Board of Regents. which approves Louisiana's college degree pro- grams, requires 30 of those hours to be 400 level courses. Ledet still hopes this can be changed. We're trying to get some sort of relief from the state board by the end of this semester, he said. In the meantime. acquiring those 400 level courses should not be difficult, according to Ledet. A student could specialize in two or three areas in the 300 level courses and do the same in the 400 level courses. he said. And a number of 400 level courses are offered which have no prerequisites, except junior or senior standing. Ledet said. The first student to graduate with a gen- eral studies degree will be Wayne Fernan- dez, students rights chairman. Fernandez will graduate with a back- ground in biology, government and his- tory. I-Ie was one semester away from gradu- ating in biology when he lost interest in it, he says. I could graduate in government by December, but then they offered this pro- gram so I took the opportunity. I've been to school long enough. Fernandez will have only 21 hours in 400 level courses at the end of the spring semester. I could graduate in government without that many, he said. Ledet says because Fernandez will be graduating with so many hours - close to 160, with over 60 hours of 300 level courses - they are going to petition for a waiver in his case. Fernandez plans to go to graduate school. If he doesn't he said, he feels his chances of getting a job are as good as those of the next person who has a degree. When you go for a job they're not much concerned with what you majored in. It's just the idea of having a degree, he says. Beverly Bardwell, a Thibodaux junior, had enough hours to be a junior in medi- cal technology when she decided to return to college. But the degree would require field expe- rience at a hospital -- sometimes as much as 12 hours in one day, she said. Because she has two children, who need her time and attention, she entered the general studies program. By going into this program I can use all my hours. If I went into education I'd have to go back and take basic courses that could add maybe two years. In this I can fill my hours with accounting and business and get an office job, Bardwell said. Many places just want to hire women with degrees, she said. Ledet said that one of the objectives of the program is to provide an opportunity for women in the community who might have hours already and simply want a degree. And, Bardwell said. I mainly just want a degree. nuts rstty College Universit College University College directed by Dr. Wade Ledet was established in the spring as the administrative unit for General Studies and Continuing Education. Members of Ledet s department are Ouida Pitre Sue Weideman Charles Monk and Harold Buckmaster. Beth Maniscalco is the department s secretary. Dr. Wade Ledet directs the newly-created Univer- sity College and also handles all Continuing Edu- cation functions. :-V, -,,. . 1 I X ' . f 'x i -Q i . og t j 5, X 0' E I ,. Cadoret

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E CA 42' Var 'V 4 by Mcrilla Landry The curriculum isn't geared for any particular occupation. Dr. Wade Ledet. director of general studies said, referring to the new general degree. lf he Ca studentj wants to go to law school, he can prepare himself here for those courses he'll need, but also be able to tailor his degree to areas he's especially interested in. Or, if he wants to take over the fam- ily store, he can take courses he would need to do that, Ledet added. Ledet had hoped the degree program. offered for the first time this semester. would require only 60 hours of courses numbered 300 or above. University Colle gf 2 9

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Mini- se ester created by Kevin Fambrough Students usually feel there is never enough time to complete course work for any one class, much less an entire semester's load. But at the end of the summer session, a new challenge issued: a 15-day, 3 hours-a-day, take-only-one-course learning spree. While many other universities split their sum- mers between two short summer semesters, Nic- holls has traditionally conducted only one. In an effort to put university facilities to use between the usual summer and fall break, a mini-semes- ter was created. Twenty courses were offered based on a survey held among the 2,300 summer students. Fifteen courses were offered for undergraduates, three restricted to graduates and two courses open to both graduates and undergraduates on the junior! senior level. The courses themselves varied from 101 basics like English, math, and accounting to computer science, nursing and a graduate psychology course. Dr. Francis Miller, instructor of the graduate psychology course, said the class met for the same number of class hours as it would during a regular semester C451 The only problem is the students, he explained, since they couldn't delay work over a weekend, something would have to be done each day. All courses were taught in one building, Peltier Hall, with 43 students enrolling for the 9 a.m. to noon classes. No dropping of a class was allowed after a student signed up. Since they were limited to only one course, dropping it would mean resigning from the university. Although the mini-semester was a test adminis- tered by the University College under Dr. Wade Ledet, it could be the first step to a division of the summer into two equal sessions for students. This type of arrangement would be attractive to some students who couldn't come for a single 296 month session. University College 261