GRIFFIN Geek: CS110: intro to what you already know

As a senior with one semester left, I took an advisor’s sound advice and asked the Registrar to perform a credit audit for me.

For those of you who don’t know (I didn’t), you can ask the Registrar Office to perform this audit for free, and it basically amounts to an e-mail or letter officially stating which requirements for graduation you have yet to fulfill.

By Chris Ulicne

Senior Staff Writer

As a senior with one semester left, I took an advisor’s sound advice and asked the Registrar to perform a credit audit for me.

For those of you who don’t know (I didn’t), you can ask the Registrar Office to perform this audit for free, and it basically amounts to an e-mail or letter officially stating which requirements for graduation you have yet to fulfill.

No big surprises for me (8 credits remain), but I did discover one irritating hitch: the mandatory CS110 Introduction to Computers course.

According to the online catalog’s course description, “students (in the course) will develop computer literacy with basic computer concepts. Students will also develop competency by having hands-on experience with the following software: word processing, electronic spreadsheets, databases, graphics, and user graphical interface. Students will learn how to navigate the Internet using browsers, and will be able to develop home pages.”

Are you serious? I asked at the Registrar to see if there was any alternative. There was only one. I could opt to try testing out of the class, but only if I was willing to shell out $100 for the opportunity. So my choices were either waste three credits or pay $100 to prove something I’ve been proving in every other class for the past four years: I know how to use a computer.

Ultimately, I decided to take the course over J-term, since I had some credits to spare and I could get it over with quickly that way. Four hours a day, Monday through Friday, for two weeks. Three credits, just to learn how to do things I’ve known how to do since middle school. Three credits wasted, if you ask me.

Now, I understand that this course is primarily meant for first-year students. There are probably some who will benefit from certain aspects of it (namely the “home page” design part of the course). But I’m not one of them.

Come on. I’m a senior, a New Media Journalism major, and a graphic design minor. If I didn’t feel comfortable using word processors and web browsers by now, I would be in serious trouble.

I love Seton Hill University (SHU), and I feel the costs of an education here are generally very reasonable considering what you get in return. But in this case, for me, there will be no return on my investment. This course sounds like a leftover from the ‘90’s. It serves little purpose beyond giving SHU an excuse to pocket $100 or the cost of three credits for every student (those three credits would be better spent on just about anything else, for about 90 percent of us, I’d say).

Get with the times, SHU. Update your archaic core requirements like you’ve done with the requirements for just about every other program. CS110 should be optional, it’s as simple as that.