Students who attended schools on the West Coast last fall are scrambling to make up credits to get back on track to graduate.

About 75 students attended Santa Clara University and Seattle University because of Hurricane Katrina, according to officials at both schools.

The schools are on the quarter system, not the semester system used at Loyola. Because of this difference, the Office of Student Records uses a formula to calculate how much of the credit transfers to Loyola, according to Kathy Gros, director of registration services.

If the student took a five-credit course at a quarter-system school, the class counts for 3.35 credits; if it was a four-credit course, it counts for 2.68 credits at Loyola, Gros said.

Many students who chose to attend the two schools, both in the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, were unaware that the credit would not fully transfer.

Kyle Daly, a communications senior, attended SU because he’s a native of Seattle.

“I just went to the Jesuit school where I’m from, with the faith that Loyola was going to make it work,” he said. “I guess I just assumed that I would be getting the credits.”

Daly did not find out that he was two credits short of the required amount to graduate until he received an e-mail after he was back at Loyola.

“Before (the storm), I was three credits ahead,” Daly said.

Daly was able to work with the Department of Communications to get credit for an internship he had done before the hurricane to make up the missing hours.

Kristin Maloney, an English literature senior who attended SU, ended up three credits short.

“When I got back I talked to my academic adviser. My classes were perfect, but because of the whole credit thing I was off by points,” she said.

Maloney plans to study abroad this summer to finish her degree.

Abdelis Santiago, a psychology senior, said she was aware of the situation when she attended SCU.

“I knew that there was some kind of ratio,” she said. She said this was made clear by Thomas Smith, interim vice president of student activities, when he visited SCU.

“If there was any confusion, it’s because people were misinformed,” Santiago said.

Gros said the formula Loyola uses to calculate transfer credits was not created after Hurricane Katrina; it was in effect before the storm.

“This is not a system we made up. This is generally how it’s done for most universities,” she said.

Gros said the school is being flexible in giving credit for the coursework taken at other schools – that is, matching up those classes with Loyola’s common curriculum and each student’s major requirements.

But, she said, students still need to obtain the credit hours needed to graduate. For an Arts & Sciences degree, 120 credit hours are normally required.

Beryl Ricard, an academic adviser in the Dean of Arts and Sciences’ office, said that students who have questions or problems should talk to their dean’s office. She said the Arts and Sciences office is handling issues on a case-by-case basis.

SCU and SU are the only two universities in the AJCU that use the quarter system instead of the semester system. The school year is divided into three quarters instead of two longer semesters. This system is more commonly used on the West Coast than in other parts of the country.

Lisa Campo can be reached at [email protected].