Collegio Online

Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: Front Page

Media Credit: Shah

Over 30 students are collaborating to get Bipin Shah, first year chemistry professor, to teach Organic Chemistry II for the spring semester. The students, who are currently enrolled in an Organic Chemistry class being taught by Shah, says he did a great job of making chemistry concepts easier to understand.
"He knows his stuff and can get the point across without being confusing," Kristal Gritzmaker, sophomore in biology, said. "He makes it seem so simple and he is a wonderful person to learn from. I've learned a lot more from that class than any other class I have taken before."
According to the students, Shah was on the university schedule to teach the class for weeks and was recently switched out with another professor.
"We believe that if the schedule can change once, it can change again," Brandon Carlisle, sophomore in biology, said.
Gritzmaker says the students are doing all they can to get their voices heard. They have contacted Lynette Olson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Brian Winters, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Chuck Blatchley, chair of the Physics and Chemistry Department.
"What bothers me most is that we have been around the chemistry department before," Gritzmaker said. "We pay to go to school here, we know what we want from our education, and no one has tried to compromise with us."
After speaking with Olson, the students were directed to Blatchley, who told them that the schedule would be left as it is.
"The e-mails that we have received (from faculty) are positive in the fact that they are glad that we care about our education and negative in that we are being easily pushed off to the side," Carlisle said.
Gritzmaker says that she has even created an event on Facebook in which 30 people said they would send e-mails to the chemistry department regarding the issue.
"I know the department takes scheduling very seriously," Gritzmaker said. "But maybe it would be nice if students could have some input when the schedule is made."
However, Blatchley says that it isn't just a matter of switching around the schedule but that the department desperately needs Shah to teach an advanced polymer class, in which he is uniquely qualified.
"I would hope that all of these students can appreciate that chemistry staffing decisions are not made lightly," Blatchley said. "They involve many factors and requirements that may not be obvious to students and these decisions are always made with the best interests of students and the institution in mind."
Shah says that although he is happy that his students enjoyed his class, he is going to teach what the department assigns him.
"I am flattered that students want me to teach," Shah said. "It indicates that I have been doing my job well and students have benefited from my teaching.
At the same time, I am very concerned that students are going through such trouble."
Gritzmaker says that some of the students have discussed taking the class at Labette Community College in Parsons if Shah isn't their teacher next semester. She doesn't know what she will do yet, just that she wants to be confident that the chemistry department will want to do what is best.
"It seems like our voices are being ignored and in the end, they'll do what they want to do and not what the students want for their education," Gritzmaker said. "It's our future; we should have more than just an opinion in it."

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