“Some advisors don’t give you exactly what you need
when you’re planning for classes and the future”, said second year LSSC student
Cristian Crawford, sharing his opinion based on his experience with Lake Sumter
staff. “It’s ok to make mistakes sometimes but, when it comes to a student’s
future, there’s no room for error!”, he continued. Another second year student,
Stephanie Conti, stated that she’d like to see a greater social media output
from the school. An anonymous participant wished there was more of a presence
on campus for the arts, such as music or theatre. With a student population
that is growing more each year, a school such as Lake Sumter needs to be in
tune with and adaptive to the needs of its students. On the LSSC website, the
school claims to abide by five values that should be covering these needs: “Be
Affordable, Be the Best, Be Supportive, Be Challenging, and Be Student-Centered”.
However, let’s see how LSSC students feel about the institution’s
representation of its standards.
After surveying Lake Sumter students on the South Lake
campus, many seem to be satisfied with the school as far as it’s values go. The
biggest issues students are having involve the quality of education and the
student-centeredness of the school. Some other changes they’d wish to see are
included in the accompanying pie chart.
A survey by U.S. News tells us the most common
complaints from college students often include tuition cost, class scheduling,
transferring credits, and the quality of professors. However, each college
varies in its strengths and weaknesses, and Lake Sumter is no exception. David
Weber, Executive Director of Planning and Effectiveness, implements hundreds of
bi-annual surveys to Lake Sumter State College students. “The results of the
survey data get built into college planning process”, Weber stated in an
interview. “Our main areas to improve according to the 2015 surveys included
parking, advising, financial aid and scholarships, and student growth”. Although
this survey is helpful in some areas, the survey is redundant _ bubble-in
questions are also restrictive when it comes to actual input of individual
students’ thoughts.
Mr. Weber responded to the concerns over the quality
and diversity of classes by saying the school wants to put more focus on general
education courses and add more online classes. Implementing technological
resources, such as Starfish featured on Blackboard, proactively engage the
student and improves student retention. However, many anonymous survey
participants admitted that the online classes are taking away quality from the
education they’re currently receiving.
When asked about improvements in career opportunity he
said, “We have been researching a handful of new program opportunities, some
are looked at as being implemented this fall or next spring”. Weber also
confirmed the previously mentioned collaboration with Lake Tech in the future,
so students can easily move from both institutions. Other plans include replacing
Blackboard with a program called Canvas learning management system instead of
Blackboard and the beginning of the Health Science Collegiate Academy, a
program this coming Fall where a partnership between Lake Sumter State College
and Lake County public schools will bring more people into higher education
earlier, to earn an associates or college credits during high school.
Will this year’s anonymous surveys
reflect the desires of current and incoming students? Will SGA be able to
follow through with the changes they’ve mentioned? Finally, will you make your
voice heard? If you are dissatisfied with some aspects of Lake Sumter State
College, now’s the time to make it clear as our school continues to make
changes and grow. Utilize the school’s suggestion box, attend an SGA meeting,
or start a petition. Together we can make Lake Sumter State College a better
place for everyone.
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