By Natalie Martinez Despite being a CSUSB student, Hope Esperanza, a 23-year-old transfer student, has never set foot on campus. Esperanza is a Relational and Organizational Communication major and hopes to go into the field of Public Administration or Economic Development. Graduating in spring 2022, she is right at the finish line and excited for a new journey. Due to the pandemic, right when she was set to transfer to CSUSB and attend the San Bernardino campus, hope was forced to stop in her tracks and attend online classes. She was one of many transfer students that had their entire school schedule changed, and also along with fellow non-transfer students, she felt lost … [Read more...] about Transfer student to graduate: A pandemic student’s POV
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Freshmen adapt to college in the midst of a pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the lives of people around the world and, aside from its negative impacts on our health, has also affected the way students receive higher education by having to adapt to the new virtual learning environment. A lot of people are not fond of change because it can be nerve-wracking, stressful, and overwhelming. However, for most college freshmen, the transition from high school to university is what they have been waiting for, for years. Although they’re still able to attend classes online, COVID-19 has been a roadblock in their ability to achieve a college experience. For Thomas Napolitano, a freshman marketing major and baseball player, the … [Read more...] about Freshmen adapt to college in the midst of a pandemic
Voxpop: Reflections and updates on COVID-19
CSUSB students were asked what their initial response to COVID-19 were and how they're handling the virus nowadays. At first, I didn’t know the extent of the virus and how badly it would affect us, so naturally I was more than happy to stay home for the remainder of the school year. Little did I know how lethal the virus actually was and how bad it would actually get. It took me until about June to understand that it’s going to take us years to functionally and officially integrate back into society in a safe manner. My initial thought was “eh science is so advanced, we’ll be fine.” Boy oh boy was I wrong. I am so sad for all the lives lost thanks to the carelessness of the USA. … [Read more...] about Voxpop: Reflections and updates on COVID-19
Students have epiphanies in the midst of social distancing
It has been two months since universities began to temporarily close their doors. Students were sent home for the remainder of the school year and continued to learn in an online setting. As students faced distress to what life would be like while social distancing, others started to realize new things. Freshman Pre-Nursing major, Ariele Regondola, said, “All I knew was that I had to move out of my dorm and go back to my actual household in Riverside.” Like many students, Regondola was left with many questions and so much uncertainty as to how the rest of the school year would progress. In the early stages of the pandemic, many people were simply told to stay home and social … [Read more...] about Students have epiphanies in the midst of social distancing
Students learn to cope with online midterms
Midterms are some of the most chaotic and stressful time for any student. Over the years, students have had to find ways that work for them to get the best grade they can on a hefty test or project, typically scheduled around week five of each term. Due to the pandemic and shift to online setting this quarter, midterms are being handled differently for current students. With the stay at home order, online classes have reshaped how students have to learn, manage their time and communicate with their professors and classmates. It has changed the way students study and many have never taken an online class before. For this Spring quarter, students have been affected by COVID-19 and … [Read more...] about Students learn to cope with online midterms
Students drop out amidst changes to learning environment
By Zuleima De La Cruz and Tanya Jansen As the impacts of COVID-19 increase, students in Southern California are dropping their classes due to various issues, including financial struggles and lack of effective tutoring and resources. Students are struggling to adapt to virtual classes due to lack of support. Many students rely on different types of resources that schools provide, such as the library, school computers, tutoring, and WiFi. “I had to drop the class because I couldn’t get help from the math lab," said Josh Lockman, a student who previously attended Santa Ana Community college said. "I was supposed to graduate at the end of the semester again. This is the second time … [Read more...] about Students drop out amidst changes to learning environment
Simulated classroom learning
By Robert Klimper |Staff Writer| Faculty and students discuss the challenges and advantages of online courses in the light of students' demands and quality factors. Though online courses offer a more flexible schedule, it is not unheard of for students to feel a somewhat of a disconnect to the instructor of the courses as they can just be a wall of text with no face to face interaction. “I probably won’t take another [online course]...I would rather be able to speak to the teacher myself,” said Joscelyne Baisa, a freshman at CSUSB taking her first online course this quarter. CSUSB offers opportunities for professors and students to hold a simulated classroom environment with … [Read more...] about Simulated classroom learning
CSUSB ranked among top online programs
By Gloria Gutierrez | Staff Writer | CSUSB online programs rank high among other online degree programs and continue to provide an alternative for in-class learning. CSUSB provides affordable, flexible and essential quality online programs, according to affordablecollegesonline.com. Takiya Moore, an instructional design technician at Online Distributed Learning, explained that our programs differ from the "cookie-cutter" programs offered at public colleges and private for-profit universities because our online programs can be highly customized. CSUSB professors take the opportunity to shape the context of their material based on how they feel will benefit and engage students best. For … [Read more...] about CSUSB ranked among top online programs
Reinvestment in higher education
By Mariela Limon |Staff Writer| Governor Jerry Brown’s newly released 2013-2014 state budget proposal gives back to higher education, including an extra $125.1 million for the California State University system. If passed, the budget guarantees that the CSU system will receive a total of $2.2 billion in state funding. According to the Governor’s Budget Summary, in order to improve student success, the funds will be directed towards, “...improvements in time-to-completion, improvements in graduation and completion rates in all segments, increases in transfer students enrolled at CSU and UC and successful credit and basic skills course completion.” The proposal also caps the number of … [Read more...] about Reinvestment in higher education
Ditch classes, go online
By Carmen Herrera |Staff Writer| We’ve all been there. Sitting in a classroom for almost two hours listening to your professor read from a PowerPoint presentation that’s already posted on Blackboard. If not for an attendance, you most likely wouldn’t show up. Rather than wasting time in these classes, a better option is moving these classes to online only. With highly accessible technology and tuition at an all-time high, this seems like an efficient alternative. With the recent pending $500 million budget cut to the CSU systems, tuition could be raised by as much as 32 percent starting fall quarter 2011. These costs do not include other expenses such as books, supplies and … [Read more...] about Ditch classes, go online