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Syracuse University’s First Year Seminar is fundamentally meant to engage freshmen in “exploring their identities as they situate themselves in a new context, and contributing to a welcoming, inclusive and diverse campus community.” But many students, especially among the freshman class, complain about and view the course apathetically at best.

FYS’ reputation works against its progressive and important goals. While many would likely want to see FYS dropped from their schedule, this privileged stance is simply not acceptable to many students of color. “A course with these goals is important at a predominantly white school,” said Andrea-Rose Oates, a freshman who identifies as Black. “It is important, now more than ever, for students to take the time to truly learn and educate themselves on how they can be better allies,”

It is clear that the course is ineffective in its current form and the university needs to rethink it. The current structure of the course asks that students write journals, complete reading outside of class and attend a weekly class that is often lecture and PowerPoint based. Students receive numerical grades based on their journals, a Personal Engagement Plan and participation in class, much like any other course.

The repercussions of this structure — conducted in an academic style and adding weight to students’ workload — is that students grow frustrated with the course and become disengaged with the weekly session. On a broader scale, this class’ negative reputation creates barriers to equity on SU’s campus. “No one seems to pay attention or take it seriously in the least,” said Diana Validivia, a Mexican-American first-year student. “As a person of color, this makes me feel and realize that none of the racial problems at the school that I see are going to be seriously addressed.”

SU could consider moving the course to a pass/fail grading system to remove academic pressure from the course. Instructors could also make a passing grade more difficult but not too hard, to incentivize active participation. This would make engagement more authentic and potentially improve first year students’ overall impression of FYS. According to David M Perry, a senior academic adviser at the University of Minnesota, “when pass and fail are the only options, it allows the grader to focus on learning and growth.”

The university should also consider making homework optional or removing it altogether. When FYS does not excessively burden first-years, who are still learning to cope with a college workload, its reputation improves drastically and its goals become more attainable.

Overall, classes should move away from lectures and PowerPoints to discussions guided by the curriculum. FYS should demand personal engagement with the material. This engagement comes from authentic conversations where freshmen can bond with and learn from peers with experiences completely foreign to them, not slideshow presentations where the uninterested may zone out. SU cannot afford to have students mentally check-out while staring into the abyss of a PowerPoint slide. The university must rethink FYS, especially by the time the class of 2027 arrives on campus.

Neil Vijayan is a Freshman English and Textual Studies major. His column appears bi-weekly, and he can be reached at nvijayan@syr.edu.

Published on October 31, 2022 at 12:00 am