Kean student creates petition to stop plans to increase class sizes

By Salimah McCullough | Published by March 21, 2020

In late February, students launched a petition that was sent around campus in hopes of changing the minds of President Dawood Farahi and the Kean Administration regarding the changes in class sizes scheduled to come next semester.  

Caitlyn Magee, a Kean junior pursuing a degree in Communication/ Public Relations created the petition titled, Take Back Our School, after hearing about what the administration plans to change from a professor.  

“This professor is pretty honest with us and she has always been honest about stuff in the past that the administration had done or talked about doing,” said Magee. “She said, ‘Listen this is what’s going on, if you don’t like it then you should do something about it.’”   

Once Magee heard about the pending changes being made to classroom sizes, she knew she had to do something about it and give herself, along with her fellow concerned classmates, a platform to use their voice.    

“I don’t like that there has been so much in the past with this administration,” Magee said. “They really don’t listen to the students [and] they don’t really show that they care about the students.”  

Magee explained that she has a very persistent personality and once she sees something that needs to be changed, she’ll be the person to speak up and do something about it.  

“I was kind of hesitant in making it simply because I graduate in one semester so I kind of thought what’s the point [of making this petition] and it might not even do anything,” Magee said. “That’s just how I am. I’m the kind of person that speaks up when no one else will.”  

As of March 19, the petition has over 100 signatures from students and parents of Kean students that all share the same concern over increasing class sizes that Magee feels. Within those signatures, some even left comments as to why expanding classes would be a bad idea for Kean. Magee recalls seeing comments from students saying that they didn’t know it was multiple departments that were going to be affected by this change.    

In the past, students have shown interest in speaking out against decisions made by the administration when they feel as if they are being personally affected, whether that be by making a petition or participating in a walkout to save professors.   

“[The administration] are really unwilling to talk to you, which I think is the most frustrating thing,” Magee said. “They really don’t care about what we have to say, and they don’t want to hear from us.”  

On Kean’s admissions page, which is used for students that are looking to start or continue their education at Kean, the university advertises reasons that people should choose Kean. Having small classes with an average of 20 students is one of those reasons.  

“I transferred to Kean as a sophomore. When I was picking a school, I specifically looked for a school that was smaller,” Magee said. “When I first transferred, I was so excited because Kean has a lot of students, but it doesn’t feel like it.”  

According to U.S News Education, Kean University has a 17:1 student-teacher ratio and 40 percent of the classes have fewer than 20 students. Fewer class sizes have many benefits, including fewer tests to mark and more personal attention from teachers, according to U.S. News.   

“The professors I’ve had so far still remember me. They know my name; they still ask about me and my internship,” Magee said. “The second you raise class sizes, whether, by 20 students or 50 students, they start to become a number.”  

Many of the professors are not only teaching classes but also working as advisors to multiple students at a time. Students like Magee have already noticed the extent of what professors have to do for their students, including advising seniors and making lesson plans for classes.   

“Professors, especially in the communication department, already have 10 hats on their head between being an advisor and a professor,” Magee said. “Then to throw so many more kids on their hands, they no longer have time to build connections [with the students].”   

In an email, Acting Dean Johnathon Mercantini explained that they have been increasing courses across the university for reasons such as cost savings and enabling Kean to preserve smaller class sizes in others. That would mean, for example, a class like ENG 1030 has a cap that is 10 students lower than English composition courses at Montclair State University and Rowan University.    

“By increasing class sizes, we enable more students to take classes with our best classroom instructors,” Mercantini said via email. “Capstone courses at Kean will also remain small, typically around 15 students.”   

Similar to Magee, communication students take multiple classes where they are giving speeches, presentations, and are doing work with advanced equipment (such as video production) that may be affected more by the increasing class size proposition.  

“With regard to communications courses, in particular, we have worked to keep courses where students are giving speeches and presentations at sizes where that classwork can be done effectively,” Mercantini said. “I am confident our faculty in communications and in all areas will be able to effectively teach courses, whatever the class size.”   

During the March 3 University Senate meeting, the topic of schedule changes for the Fall 2020 semester was brought up but the process of approving or disapproving the old business has been delayed due to COVID-19 and is in the works to be discussed during the next meeting.  

“Things have been disrupted due to COVID-19 and the abrupt shift to online learning,” Constance Hassett-Walker, University Senate Chairperson said. “The March 24 full senate meeting will be done virtually and either live-streamed or recorded for viewing after.”  

 

  

 

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