I think it’s probably about that time of year. That time of year when students are getting weary of classes and bulky assignments, and wish they could spend more time in the freshly brisk weather.
On top of everything students are dealing with, are pushing convocation credits really a good idea?
Convocation has been a thorn in the side of many students since day one of their Samford career. We are encouraged to regularly attend Tuesday and Thursday convocation, as well as joining a cadre, and going to events and lectures across campus.
Of course, this might all be more appealing to students if it wasn’t required by the university.
Samford’s classes are more difficult than the average university, partially due to the class sizes and generally dedicated professors. Because of this, students automatically have less incentive to hunt for convocation credits amidst their rigorous schedules.
This is also excluding the possibility of a student having a job (work study or otherwise). So if the university is aware of how difficult the schedules of Samford students are, why are we still required to spend a decent portion of our college careers hunting for these seemingly pointless convocation credits?
To start, convocation is one aspect of Samford’s prestigious appeal. Having students attend lectures and small groups led by faculty is appealing to the demographic looking for more personal interactions between the student and the university. This is something rarely found in state schools.
Another reason Samford requires convocation involvement is to maintain academic and community inclusion.
The main problem with required convocation attendance is the prohibitions placed on students that fail to meet their quotas.
If a student reaches a certain point of their academic career without collecting a certain amount of credits, the student can then be held back from registering for classes at a reasonable time.
On top of this, it is also possible for students to be held back from graduation due to a lack of convocation attendance.
The intentions behind convocations are generally noble. This being said, the execution of these intentions do more harm than good for Samford’s student body.
Thomas is a staff writer here at the Crimson. He writes his weekly column, Tommy’s Music Corner, where he dives into the local underground music scene.
