Reporter

This spring quarter marks CSU Bakersfield’s final spring session under the quarter system.

The new semester system, beginning in the fall, will provide students with more time to understand course material and work on projects, and align CSUB with other California State Universities and California Community Colleges, thus, making it easier to transfer to and from other CSUs or CCs.

CSUB faculty have been working tirelessly for the past five years to make the transition smoother for students, according to Advising Center Coordinator Jennifer McCune. The faculty have provided workshops, made pamphlets and even hosted events to educate students on the impending switch.

Yet, many CSUB students are still unclear of what to expect when the switch occurs.

“I’m not looking forward to the semester switch because it would make tuition go up,” said biology major Angely Alano, 19.

This common misconception is why McCune stresses students to keep up with what is going on for them on campus.

“Instead of being charged tuition three times a year, it’s going to be charged twice a year,” said McCune. “So [students] total per year, they’ll see very little change other than the natural small increases that we typically see every year…Everything adjusts. There is not an increase in cost because of the semester change.”

There are some students who are aware of the changes and are not too happy about it.

“I found out I will have to take six to seven classes per semester just to graduate on time, but if it was still the quarter system, I could easily take three to four classes and finish on time,” said business major Junior Tobias, 21.

Not all students feel this way, however.

“I am looking forward to the semester switch, because I feel with the quarter system you have to cram, and with the semester system, you have more time to get into the swing of your courses and we’re on quarter system while everyone else is on semester system,” said kinesiology major Jisela Duldulao, 20.

The switch will be implemented fall of 2016 and will change the time students attend classes from 10 weeks to 15 weeks.

For more information about the quarter to semester switch, go to csub.edu/Q2S.

“There is a whole website that answers just about every question that you could possibly have,” said McCune. “We have a lot of information out there, I just think that students are still in the mindset of ‘we still have time,’ but registrations are in a week and a half…See your adviser, check the website for information, check your emails, because we’re communicating. It’s just whether or not they are reading it and listening.”