Dear Editor

My name is Ashley Haspel. I am unsure if the Board of Trustees,the President,and Provost are aware of what the ramifications will be for graduate students like me.

Most of the graduate programs in the country will only allow students to transfer in 6 HOURS of credit from another university. This would not be a problem if I were a first semester graduate student. However, I currently hold 18 HOURS of credit.

As a student in the Elementary Education graduate program, I am facing two problems. The first problem is that my program takes about 40 hours to complete and part of that is student teaching. There is no way possible that I can complete these hours in one year.

The second problem is that in this program you complete teacher certification while working on your master’s degree. Many of the education graduate programs at other schools do not allow you to enroll without being certified. It is difficult to find a program that is like the one at Loyola where you can do both things at the same time.

I love Loyola; it is where I got my undergraduate degree in communications. The faculty at Loyola is exceptional. I cannot fathom going to school somewhere else.

I urging the Board of Trustees, President, and Provost not to allow these changes to go into effect. If they do, not only will Graduate Students be losing credit hours but they will also have lost precious time and money. Please allow graduate students to complete our programs of study without a one-year time constraint. If you cannot find a solution to this proposal, I will not hesitate to take LEGAL ACTION against my beloved Loyola University New Orleans.

Thank you,Ashley Haspel

Magna Cum Laude, Class of 2004Kappa Tau AlphaAlpha Sigma NUSecond Year Elementary Education Graduate StudentLoyola University New Orleans