Moravian College’s United Student Government (USG) is in the process of drafting a proposal that would allow students to take an additional fifth unit in one semester of the academic year.

“We observed that there was a need for a change like this to happen since a program, slightly similar to our proposal, was taken away from students,” said Giulianna Young, USG president. “We also identified the need for a program like this, because it offers flexibility to students and a chance to take full unit courses without having to pay extra tuition each semester.”

Students are currently permitted to take 4.5 units a semester for a total of 9 per academic year.  The new proposal would allow students to take a maximum of 5 units in one semester of an academic year, and not pay extra for it, said Matt Geary, USG club ambassador.

Before the Spring 2017 semester, seniors, juniors, or sophomores with a 3.75 GPA or higher at the time of registration were eligible to take a fifth class at no extra charge, according to the Moravian College webpage.

“It was an incredibly difficult policy to administer,” said Carol Traupman-Carr, dean of curriculum and academic programs. “Ultimately, the administrative complexities, weighed against the small number of students who pursued the option, which caused us to re-examine the policy and eliminate it.”

The policy interfered with transfer and international students who registered for courses in the summer and were unable to get into classes because traditional students were taking five courses, said Traupman-Carr.

USG is now pushing to bring back a version of the program, offering students more flexibility in their courses. The 9 Unit Proposal was drafted in the 2017 fall semester by Young, Geary, and Woodrow Battle, USG treasurer.  

“Since this process is very new to USG, we are working through it step by step,” said Young.

The proposal is currently being reviewed by a number of entities across campus, including the registrar, student accounts, and the business office, said Geary. This process allows USG to receive input and then revise the proposal to fit both the needs of the administration and students. USG will then send the proposal to the President’s Council for approval.

“I personally want this proposal passed, because it will show that students can have their voice heard on campus and that we’re taken seriously when it comes to what we want out of our tuition,” said Geary. “A lot of college students have this idea that tuition is unchangeable when, really, we’re the ones who should decide what we get out of the money we spend here.”