15 Student Minimum: A Year Later

A dive back into the policy after seeing ramifications

By Lauren Trowbridge 

In April 2022, a new policy was introduced to the university. The enrollment minimum was raised from 12 to 15. Upon hearing almost instantly the confusion and uncertainty that surrounded the announcement, I set to dispel rumors and wrote an article, interviewing upper administration to clear the air. Titled “New Class Minimum Causes Student Uproar,” the article questions the logistics of the policy and highlights student concerns about the future of their programs. 

Almost a year later, there is relatively little confusion around the policy, but as members of the St. Catherine University community, we’re starting to see ramifications. Of students I’ve talked to, from friends to classmates to coworkers, there are general feelings of uncertainty and frustration. Many people don’t see the point of the policy, and many more feel that it hurts specific programs. I knew it was time to dive back in and explore the feelings of students, faculty and administration. I had the opportunity to interview Bindhu Alappat, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts and Sciences and Jeff Johnson, associate dean of the School of Humanities, Arts and Sciences and associate professor of philosophy as well as several members of the student and faculty body. 

The 15-Student Minimum policy in question states simply that classes with fewer than 15 students won’t run. Now, underneath those words, there are lots of loopholes. The policy won’t mean that a class has to be completely cut. Alappat emphasized, “We … grant lots of exceptions and when we cancel classes, it’s because we determine those students have other options. Division chairs and program directors are working with departments on course rotation plans that will help everyone to know exactly when courses are offered and plan accordingly.” 

The goal is that classes will be combined and schedules shifted to accommodate smaller class sizes before courses are cut outright. Some majors, like my own Interpreting, have fewer than 10 students in upper-level classes and because of the small graduating class, the classes are allowed to run. Johnson seconded Alappat, saying, “The policy makes room for exceptions to the policy-based student needs; for example, the need to ensure that students graduate on time.” 

This policy was enacted because of the ongoing enrollment and financial challenges that the university is facing. “The policy helps us operate more efficiently. Sometimes, we need to combine classes for efficiency, especially when you have different sessions of the same course with half-full rosters,” Alappat said. 

Emily West, professor of history and classics.

The new enrollment minimum was announced in April 2022. Well, announced is a strong word. Emily West, professor of history and classics, has been at St. Kate’s since 2005. She will be leaving for a different position at another university at the end of the 2023 school year. Of the policy’s introduction, she said, “Well, it wasn’t official. We never got a statement or anything. But we heard rumors of it starting in March or April of last year. My sense is that most faculty were going and telling their classes. You start telling people instantly.” 

Meredith Toussaint ‘25 studies Theology here at St. Kate’s.

Meredith Toussaint ’25 (Theology) didn’t give the new policy much thought when she heard about it. “I didn’t really think that the policy was a bad thing,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, that’s rough. But you know, whatever.’” 

However, lots of faculty were frustrated by the introduction of the policy. West said of her reaction, “Oh, mine was pretty solidly, ‘Well, that’s it. I’m leaving the school.’ You can’t separate [this policy] from the end of the GenEd requirements. The two go together.” 

Positives

Although the overall tone around the policy is negative, especially if you talk to students in the School of Humanities, Arts and Sciences, there are some positives that were brought up by the members of administration I spoke with. Alappat talked about the benefits of a larger class size with regard to the discussion style of classes at St. Kate’s. “A class of 15 students and a class of three to five students are completely different experiences. One is rich with discussion and the other can be awkward and doesn’t offer a diverse set of perspectives. For example, the humanities are discussion-based courses, and in my view, in order to have a quality discussion, you need a good group of  students.” 

To compensate for the loss of upper-division classes in his philosophy department, Johnson talked about the new kinds of courses being offered, saying, “Topics courses are [available], where faculty can narrow the lens and focus on something more specific within the field. They change every semester, offering more of an opportunity to develop courses that connect to student interests.” 

Students have found positives as well. When pressed, (five or six times at that,) Blue Edwards ‘23 (Studio Art, English minor) reluctantly said, “I enjoyed the large class size I had for Emily West’s history class for ancient Egypt because there were a lot of student-led projects. People picked things that they were passionate about. It was nice to learn about subjects from a large variety of different voices.” 

Changes for Faculty 

Jennifer Downs, associate professor of history.

Though there are positives, we can’t ignore the negatives that have come up for both students and faculty. Jennifer Downs Man, associate professor of history (known as Jennifer Downs by students) has been at St. Kate’s since 2001. She was hired as an adjunct professor before being hired full-time in 2004 and becoming tenured in 2008. “I don’t see any positives [to this policy] frankly,” she said during our interview. 

Many professors here have noticed a change in the positions that started a decade ago but is only sped up by this new policy. Of her position, Downs said, “I don’t want to be dramatic, but the job that I have loved for more than 20 years bears little resemblance to what it is now.” 

West felt similarly. “The administration is hurting faculty with this policy. Because we love students, we take more hurt on ourselves, letting people into the canceled classes. I feel like we’re sort of smashed between two things.”

There’s a vicious cycle that forms when a class doesn’t meet enrollment requirements and isn’t deemed necessary to run. Students are forced to take a different course that may or may not fit into their schedule. Faculty may be asked to raise the cap on their other classes but even then, there’s a limit to the number of students that are able to take that class. If it’s at capacity, students will have to take it another semester because their original class is no longer on the schedule. 

Faculty have felt a change in their course material as well. Each faculty member is hired for a certain department as a part of one of the schools at St. Kate’s. They’re hired to teach a certain number of classes each year in their field. When one of their classes gets canceled, they’re given the option to teach a class in the Core, either The Reflective Woman (TRW) or Global Search for Justice (GSJ). 

Alappat emphasized the value of this option. “Faculty class load may definitely change. Some faculty may not be able to teach all their courses in their field,” she said. “[However,] it’s a great opportunity to get to know the first-years! [Professors] can form connections with students early on and even recruit to their field.” 

Despite the opportunity for networking, the addition of a new curriculum can pose a few issues for faculty. West felt that she would be doing a disservice to the students and the material of TRW if she was going to teach outside of her field. “[In TRW,] I felt like the material … was very important. There’s issues of race, identity and social justice. It was sensitive and nuanced material that I have not been trained to teach. … My expertise as an internationally renowned scholar of ancient literature was being completely wasted on it.” 

One may argue that there are ways to bring your own expertise into general courses, but West disagreed, especially with more specialized majors like history or classics. “There are ways that the two are comparable, but it works a whole lot better for me to bring in issues of income and wealth inequality into my ancient world classes than it does for me to try and bring the ancient world into TRW.” 

West added, “TRW should be taught by people who have PhDs in relevant fields. That's what we owe the material.” Not being able to teach in her field is part of what drove West to leave St. Kate’s. Thinking back on her decision, she said, “[If I stayed,] I would only get to teach two classes a year in my field. It’s just not worth it to me.” 

Downs reflected on her own experience teaching in the Core, saying, “It used to be expected that you would teach one TRW or one GSJ every couple of years. Some people do it every year. But now it’s come down to some people teaching half in the Core.” 

Not knowing the future of classes they’ve spent months preparing for has been taxing for the faculty members I interviewed. The creation of new classes is one of the things that West prided herself on from her time here. “I’ve created 17 new classes since I’ve been at the school,” she said. “I love creating new classes. But … it’s three to eight months of every evening sitting down and working.” 

The tension of going through all of that work for there to still be a chance that the class will be cut adds an element of fear to what’s supposed to be a relatively comfortable job. Downs said, “I understand the administration has to watch the financial viability of the institution, but it used to be very rare to have a class canceled for low enrollment, and now, every time registration rolls around, it’s incredibly stressful. It makes you wonder, ‘Is my class going to go? Am I going to have a job next semester? Am I going to have two-thirds of a job next semester?’ It just seems like the flexibility is gone.” 

Changes for Students

Above all, a university exists to educate students. Alappat articulated it well when she said, “It’s pivotal that we keep the students at the center of our mission here, and I am committed to that.” 

If that’s the mission, then why do students suffer at the hand of this policy? Both professors and students find themselves stuck in difficult situations, often resulting in unfulfilling experiences both in and out of the classroom. Downs was preparing to teach a class in spring 2023 when it was canceled at the beginning of January, leaving only three weeks for her students to find a replacement that fit with their schedule. She remembered having a bunch of students without a class offered to satisfy their requirements. “After my [spring] class was canceled, I got 12 more requests for my full Women in Asia class. They raised the cap to 25 , but [it still didn’t satisfy all of the need.]” 

Johnson empathized with these issues, but said the struggles have to do with the in-between stages of moving from point A, having every class offered, to point B, a streamlined pipeline from first day to graduation. “If you have three weeks to figure out a new class to teach or even register for a new class as a student, it can be really difficult. As we move toward refining our scheduling process, our aim is to avoid this as much as possible.” 

Edwards and their sculpture from the senior exhibition, “Rooted Forward” in spring of 2022. The sculpture is named “Steve.”

Every student I’ve talked to, even off the record, has had something happen to their schedule after the introduction of the 15-student minimum policy. Edwards is a fifth-year student “against their will.” There have been multiple changes to their schedule without warning, from an ASL class that was moved “on the last possible day to being the only class offered, and fully asynchronously” to a full semester class being moved to J-term because of low enrollment, forcing an accelerated workload that wasn’t conducive to the class. “I was supposed to take Art of Biology online asynchronously so that we could collect our own specimens. Then it got canceled, so I had to take it in the dead of winter as a J-term. For three weeks, we did everything that the normal semester does, but a week per day. It was totally miserable.”

Edwards is, without a doubt, ready to graduate. They’re done with courses, done with requirements and done with having changes with no warning. “I’m very annoyed because things keep on getting yanked around. It hasn’t made me feel benevolent towards any cause. This is a personal problem; my emails keep getting meaner,” they said with a chuckle. Both of us know it’s not funny. 

Toussaint had a similar experience. Since St. Kate’s is a Catholic institution, you’d presume that the theology major would be one of the biggest ones, especially as there’s a theology requirement within the Core. However, Toussaint and her classmates struggled with finding any upper-division courses here. She was looking ahead to fall and spring semesters and couldn’t find any that fit what she needed. “I was like, ‘This doesn't make sense.’ A bunch of students have been trying to get one to happen in collaboration with faculty, [but] it [has been] a huge struggle to get students to sign up for it and make sure that it would happen.” 

Many feel that this new policy takes the passion out of education. Students are being backed into taking classes that they wouldn’t normally be interested in because they need something, anything to fill their requirements. Downs emphasized this, saying, “[Students picking out of obligation rather than passion] makes me sad, because that’s not the point of education. Education is to explore what you want to explore. I feel like that’s just not possible anymore.”

And yes, ACTC classes aren’t to be discounted. The opportunity to take classes at other colleges is invaluable. (Learn more about the ACTC program through our article on it here.) However, when students are being asked to outsource an entire upper-division of their major, as Toussaint is being asked to do, it becomes a crutch. As Toussaint said, “I love the professors [here]. I wish I could just take classes with them.” 

Decreased Class Quality

For many classes and majors, the larger class minimum means a decrease in the quality of classes, even when they are run. Edwards is a studio art major, and their work relies heavily on collaboration and the use of equipment. At the beginning of the semester, in their Wheel-Thrown Pottery course, not every student had access to an electric pottery wheel because of the increased enrollment requirement. Thankfully, some students dropped the course and everyone was able to use the equipment, but if the class would have remained at high enrollment, the experience would have been marred. 

Especially in courses where critique is required, a large class size doesn’t lead to more discussion. Edwards said, “My art classes have typically been between six and 12 students, which works great in a class environment that relies heavily on critique. My major is a small cohort that works together. However, since the 15-minimum rule, we’re not able to get as much help as we need in order to complete our tasks. We’re not able to give each other close-knit feedback because there’s not the small class bond that we used to have.” 

Speaking about the environment of their classes, Edwards said, “Critique is a very sacred space, and the bigger it gets, the less likely people are to be vulnerable and honest. I really miss the small, vulnerable classes we used to have. It’s not the same and it’s not as good.”  

As stated by West, it’s hard to separate this 15-student minimum from the poaching of the humanities classes and majors. (See Wheel articles by Kate Yapp and Theo von Weiss.) Downs agreed with this, saying, “It’s the combination of the changes to the humanities and the [minimum policy that] are just killing a lot of people’s psyche.”

The smaller majors that struggle with enrollment are facing more cuts because of this policy, and it feels like there’s little that can be done. Edwards expressed concern for their department, saying, “If the quality of classes goes down, it’ll be the fault of these class sizes. Working in that larger group is inherently detrimental to the environment, and that decline is going to be unfairly credited towards the department and faculty.” 

What Now? 

So, what the hell do we do? This policy isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and many students feel trapped by the lack of classes, the last-minute cancellations and the frustration that follows. However, both Alappat and Johnson stressed that there are options for students. “We are all here because we care, and we will do whatever is needed to help you succeed,” Alappat said. “You just need to connect with the right people as you need support — faculty mentors, academic advisors and division chairs/program directors. Everyone will try their best to accommodate your graduation requirements.”

Additionally, Alappat suggested alternate options that might be available to students in need of classes or credits to graduate on time. “We have ACTC, Directed Study and even Acadeum courses to make sure students are able to register for courses they need. Every case is different.” She also brought up her own way of ensuring she’s able to be reached: “I have an open door policy, and if you reach out to my administrative assistant, Maisah, she’ll get you a calendar invite and a meeting with me to talk about your plans.” 

Final Thoughts

Clearly, this enrollment policy has had both positive and negative impacts on the entire St. Kate’s community. Is there reason to worry? Is there reason to hope? For many, there are both. Some, like Downs, are optimistic: “I still love teaching, and I’m told that there’s reason for optimism in the future.” Some, like Toussaint, are tired of fighting. “It’s hard to just take a class,” she said. 

Some, like West, are done. “[I feel] betrayed. This is the fourth time St. Kate’s has done this to me. I was hired to teach four Latin classes a year. Then the school canceled the language requirement. I had to completely recreate myself as a history professor. Then I did it again when the school started asking for online courses.  Now I am being told that — in essence — my field is no longer required at all. I am not ready to re-make all my teaching a fourth time.” 

No one can deny that the ramifications of this policy after being in place for a year are unsettling. The lack of equipment in art classes, the lack of notice as a class is being canceled and the lack of options in their field for seasoned professors has made people feel like they weren’t heard when they protested against this last April. One year later, there are still questions floating around, but they’re less curious and more frustrated. “What is the policy?” is replaced with “What do we do?” and “Who will this impact?” is replaced with “Why is this impacting me?” As students in the School of Humanities, Arts and Sciences continue to notice narrowing opportunities in their fields, the question remains of what the future of these majors will look like at this university.