STAFF EDIT: Summer school policy unfair

In a move to increase revenue at Boston University and maintain the reputation of a BU degree, the university has announced a new policy that prohibits students from taking most summer courses at other Boston area schools. However, this penalizes only one portion of the student population, creating hassles for them and forcing them to shell out more money for summer classes.

The new policy makes perfect business sense for the university, and shows a creative way to ease current financial woes. However, BU should recognize that many of its students also struggle with finances and often take summer classes elsewhere to save money. For example, University of Massachusetts Boston offers quality courses with lower price tags.

Also, the policy only affects students who live in Boston during the summer. Those who go home during the summer will still have the opportunity to get a few courses out of the way at a nearby affordable college. But those who live inside Route 128 may have to commute up to 30 minutes to reach BU because they cannot choose where to take summer classes. The policy will deny them the chance to experience another school, learn from a particular professor and save money.

As for the administration’s motivation to insure the quality of its degrees, taking summer classes elsewhere does not jeopardize BU’s reputation. While some students do take non-BU classes to avoid the grades counting for their GPAs, many just want to get a few basic requirements out of the way. The more important classes in their majors are much harder to find elsewhere, and BU already limits the number of transfer credits to protect its degrees. BU also already protects its reputation by requiring students to prove the school’s accreditation and turning in a syllabus before credits are approved.

This summer, BU will consider prohibiting all transfer summer credits in most cases. While this would fairly apply the policy to all students, it is certainly an impractical step further down the wrong path. The university frequently boasts of attracting students from all over the United States and the world. However, it must understand that students from California should have the chance to get a requirement out of the way, get an extra few credits to graduate early or catch back up without having to change their summer plans or cover the additional expense of housing in Boston as well.

Rather than extending the policy further, BU should repeal this first part. The policy is an unfair and unnecessary one that prevents students from finding the best summer classes for their situation. If BU truly wants to increase participation in its own summer programs, it should improve them, make them as affordable as possible and widely advertise them. Making students want to take summer classes at BU is a far better strategy than forcing them to.