Being a few weeks into the semester, it is no secret that Blackburn students are already struggling to keep up with their workloads. This is a common struggle for all college students, however with Blackburn being a self-proclaimed “work college,” (blackburn.edu/home/a-workcollege/) we students are faced with additional challenges. Since Blackburn students are expected to complete both classwork and “keep the college open,” we should at least be given some slack with our homework assignments.
At Blackburn College, full-time students that live on campus are required to work at least 10 hours a week in the work program. Taking paid hours and additional work positions on top of the required 10 hours into consideration, it is not easy to keep on top of everything. For example, students are often required to read several chapters a night, write multiple-page reflections and print two copies off for participation credit between every class, while also going to work between every class.
According to Complete College America, a nonprofit organization that studies student success, institutions should “incentivize students to attend full-time and ensure that full-time means 15 credits per semester.” If students are spending 15 credit hours per week in class plus 10 hours in the work program, they are already up to 25 hours a week, without taking into account any additional paid hours, off campus jobs or extra-curriculars.
I’m not saying that our faculty shouldn’t give any assignments. My argument is that if Blackburn is going to brand themselves as a “Work College” then the mission should remain true and consistent through all aspects of the institution. That said, if faculty were to ease up on some of the assignments, students can be more successful in all aspects of college life.