Fresno State needs ‘bold, new’ academics, not student union

My physics lab instructor writes on a chalkboard. A chalkboard. He always dresses nicely by wearing a button-up shirt and black pants to class, which become inevitably covered in white dust.

But that doesn’t matter, because the “BOLD NEW U” is more important to Fresno State’s administration. The idea is that building a new, modern student union will attract students to the school, boosting enrollment rates. The school claims that the new building will “cultivate friendships, camaraderie and that infectious Bulldog spirit.” .

Fresno State students form advice groups on Facebook; at any given time, you’ll see a student complaining about lack of open classes for next semester. This phenomenon isn’t exclusive to general education; it affects major classes too, which in turn affects graduation rates.

If our tuition is going to rise, we still won’t get the classes we need, and teachers will still be impeded by outdated materials in the classroom, then I seriously doubt anyone is going to have “that infectious Bulldog spirit.”

Here’s to a bold new obstacle to my education.

This story was originally published November 30, 2016 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Fresno State needs ‘bold, new’ academics, not student union."