Students required to buy into more than textbooks
Often, college classes require students to purchase strange items beyond a textbook to fulfill course requirements, but what about a club membership?
Some Utah State University students have voiced concern about a English 5430 course, Professional Writing Capstone, and the instructor’s course requirement to join the Society of Technical Communication (STC), which has a $50 fee.
Arron Stapley, a senior majoring in English, said his professor, Nancy O’Rourke, senior lecturer and adviser of STC, said students who did not join STC would not receive a grade higher than a C.
O’Rourke had not returned phone calls from the Utah Statesman by press time Sunday.
“Nowhere does it say ‘join STC, and it’s 50 percent of your grade,'” Stapley said.
According to O’Rourke’s syllabus, the $50 membership to STC allows access to the national Web site, which “includes job and career information, including a salary survey, and receipt of two online journals.” The journal will be used in class, according to the syllabus. However, none have been used yet, Stapley said.
“I understand the intent of [the membership], I just don’t think it is absolutely necessary,” he said. “I think whatever information they have in the club and that you can learn from being in the club and being on the Web site, I think should be taught by our faculty in class. It’s kind of their job.”
Christine Hult, associate dean in the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, said she met with O’Rourke and Department Head Jeffery Smitten. Hult said there is nothing unethical or illegal about requiring a club membership as long as the materials accessed from the membership aids the instruction of the class.
In this case, Hult said, the membership takes the place of a textbook.
“The campus legal offices are all of the same mind with the rest of us. You can’t just say, ‘go join this society,'” she said. “That’s not fair to do.”
The burden is on the instructor’s shoulders to prove that the membership aids in course work, Hult said. Examples of classes with similar requirements can be found in the psychology and biology departments, she said.
“I think the teacher was at fault for not explaining,” she said. “That was not her intention ever to say they had to go to the society’s meetings.”
This instance has not been the first Hult has encountered. Usually it is a lack of explanation on the instructor’s behalf, she said.
“It’s a gray area. We can’t be asking students to join a society,” Hult said.
Just as a course textbook, students are required to know the material, Hult said. Students can gain access to the Web site through their friends, however, it is a copy write violation for O’Rourke to pass out the materials found on the site.
Stapley said money is a concern and other students have voiced the same opinion.
“I haven’t even registered to be a member yet. That’s what I’m trying to find out because I don’t want to fork out 50 bucks,” Stapley said.
Stapley said he had questioned the reasoning of the required membership in class, but was still left confused and didn’t press the issue.
“What else can I say about it? You’re the teacher and I’m the student, you control my grade,” he said.
Other students fail to see the benefits behind the membership.
“I kind of avoided joining until now, because I don’t see the benefit,” said Scott Lee, a senior English major. “I don’t want to get a job in technical writing.”
However, Lee said he thought the membership was justified because there wasn’t a required text. Yet, the grading policy “is kind of weird,” Lee said, but it is a requirement, and if students fail to meet it they should receive a grade that reflects it.
“It’s kind of a dumb requirement, but I’ve had worse,” Lee said.
-kcashton@cc.usu.edu