Joann Groff
News Editor
Baird
After Seaver Dean David Baird released his official recommendations on how to cut approximately $1 million from Seaver College, students and alumni who studied in advertising, humanities, international business, P.E. and public relations were left to piece together how the cuts will affect them.
Most expressed frustration upon reflection of the administration’s decisions to cut educational programs.
Junior Blaine LaBron said he feels he’s being affected in almost every way possible as an international business major, marketing minor and an active member of the debate team, an extra-curricular program that he said is imperative for his entrance into law school.
“I’ve heard (Baird) said that all business is international … it’s not,” LaBron said. “It’s completely different. And I’ve been in advertising classes, for my minor. I’ve had Ginger (Rosenkrans) and other great professors — these are important classes, pretty big majors that are being affected. It’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. If they are going to get the money this way, it’d be better to cut 5 percent of all the divisions instead of 40 percent of an entire department. I think it’s biased, and it’s ludicrous. I think he has some nerve doing it.”
In February, Baird announced that $1.6 million would be collected from the college by reviewing the efficiency of the programs on campus. Of that money, $1 million will go to the University for a computer system and a retiree health benefits package, and $600,000 is to be reallocated within Seaver, enriching some of the existing programs and creating new ones.
The reaction from current students and alumni has been mostly negative, as uncertainty lingers over how the changes will affect their education and degree.
“The dean said that the debate team doesn’t affect enough people,” LaBron said. “It is one of the most well-respected (programs) on campus, and Pepperdine has done a lot with it. This year we are getting even more involved in the school, we are doing a radio broadcast and a public debate. It’s sad to me that the dean would want to cut that for no reason.”
Senior Jenny Yang said in the Aug. 30 edition of the Graphic she feared her degree would become devalued.
“Mostly I’m just afraid that I’m going to go out into the real world, and go into an interview at a great ad agency, and they are going to say, ‘Oh, you’re from Pepperdine – do they even have an advertising major?’” said Yang, an advertising major. “I know it won’t necessarily be next year – it could be a few years down the road – but the question is still there. Is my diploma going to be worthless?”
One student, junior Grant Turck, has organized an effort to save the public relations major, contacting other students and alumni and requesting their help in writing administrators.
“I launched a PR campaign to educate administrators on the importance and popularity of the PR major at Pepperdine as a part of a larger, currently ongoing effort to save the major from proposed elimination,” Turck said.
Turck has received more than 20 responses since he sent out a mass e-mail Aug. 26 and the feedback has been mostly of strong opposition.
“I disagree with this course of action,” said Alex M. Bustos, a 2002 graduate who holds a B.S. in business management, in an e-mail. “My degree … fluctuates in importance and weight with the school. Cutting important majors like those proposed will most certainly lower the ranking of the school. Please find other ways to save on money. Don’t cut the majors. Fix the budget problem, but don’t punish the students because of administrative errors.”
Dan Shaw, a 1997 graduate with a degree in public relations, said he chose Pepperdine because of its commitment to the major and is now a very successful executive at an international PR agency.
“I cannot stress enough how valuable my PR degree has been and how much it has helped me …” Shaw wrote in an e-mail. “Throughout my career, I’ve never stopped praising Pepperdine to my clients and colleagues … the most common response is, ‘Wow, how refreshing it is to find someone who was able to major in a field they could actually work in!’
“And therein lies the true value of the pubic relations program — it is a tangible, hands-on major that teaches very specific skills to excel in a particular industry … public relations is a disciple unto itself, and for far too long people have mistakenly confused it with other communications disciplines such as advertising and marketing. Please do not make the same mistake.”
Alum Andrew Winger, however, professed his faith in Pepperdine administrators and wrote that whatever decision they make will benefit the University.
“I love Pepperdine and what it stands for,” Winger said. “It has provided me an incredible education that prepared me for the real world. I owe a lot to Pepperdine. I trust the dean will make the right decision for the school.”
Other alumni vowed to never contribute financially to Pepperdine, a path they said will hurt the most.
Baird has responded to the concern by stressing the introduction of new majors and the enhancement of others. But most said they believe the enhancements being discussed will be an insufficient substitute.
“I don’t think it’s a solution at all,” said Joel Boyer, a senior P.E. major who says offering a B.A. and B.S. in Sports Medicine, in lieu of a P.E. major, would not help him. “I want to teach — that’s the overriding factor. I need this major to do that, not Sports Medicine. I think it’s horrible. Look at the numbers on obesity — the statistics are appalling.
“Things like this not only fuel that, but will put the numbers at an all-time high,” Boyer continued. “I think it’s a poor, poor decision, knowing the problem out there, and still choosing to go through with it. The P.E. major is training students to be educators of a very important subject. It is helping kids to get healthy bodies, which helps create healthy minds. Cutting the major is not only impeding on their health, but hindering the entire educational process.”
Jessica Jorgenson, a 2000 alumna with a degree in public relations from Pepperdine and a current M.B.A. candidate at University of California Irvine, said the Integrated Marketing and Communication program being proposed to combine the advertising, public relations and marketing education is not a good enough substitute.
“I have been involved in an integrated marketing class, and I can tell you first hand that my PR degree is more useful than the IM class was,” Jorgenson said. “While I have taken marketing classes at both Pepperdine and UCI, I find marketing a valuable tool that PR majors should educate themselves on; however, the two courses compliment eachother, but cannot replace one another.
“It would be a bad decision for Pepperdine, its students and its alum to cut such a reputable public relations program. As an alum who gets a phone call from the school every two months for a financial contribution, I would not ever consider donating money to the school or department that has cut my major program.”
LaBron said there was better ways to go about this.
“I don’t know figures, but I’m sure if you cut one percent from every program you could cover that,” he continued. “Maybe two or three percent, every department could handle that. We could do that if everyone started buying paper from a cheaper place.”
Baird is attending division meetings until the end of next week to entertain any comments and feedback from faculty and staff.
09-09-2004
