Senate denied a proposal to cancel J-term and replace it with another suggested plan at its Nov. 6 meeting.
Interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, Alison Prindle, recommended J-term be cancelled at meetings held Oct. 22 and 23. This recommendation was made in order to fulfill credit-hour definitions and ensure that students graduate in time and receive internships.
Prindle put three separate decisions up to a vote on administrative council, which were all passed. The first proposal considered that spring semester would begin the Monday of the second week of January and finish the first weekend in May.
The second proposal was that Otterbein create a “Mini-term,” a much shorter, innovative space, between fall and spring semester that would start almost immediately after fall semester ended. The proposed “Cardinal-term” will not include any four credit-hour classes and will most likely include classes like travel courses and possibly two-credit hour classes.
“A task force of these committee people come together to create the best design for something you could then call a Cardinal term or terms,” Prindle said for a third option.
The alternatives to the J-term plan included two amendments, one to drop Cardinal term from the proposal and one delaying the original proposal to the 2015-2016 year. Both failed to pass, the latter failing by one vote.
Otterbein’s definition for a four credit-hour course was voted to be 150 hours both inside and outside of the classroom. To make matters more desperate, the university will be undergoing the accreditation process which will be held on Feb. 15, 2015. Accreditation is vital to the success of its students and requires that the university follow new guidelines set by legislation passed at both local and federal levels.
Prindle stated that her recommendation is partly due to the Center for Career and Professional Development’s statement that having graduation around Memorial Day — which would occur if J-term is kept and credit hour definitions fulfilled — will leave students in some majors without an internship or job at the end of spring semester.
