Although more course cuts may be coming for the College of Letters and Science in 2017-2018, Dean John Koker said he does not know how many classes will be cut or when he will find out.

“Offering fewer sections in 2017-18 compared to recent years may be possible because our student population is lower compared to recent years,” Koker said.

Faculty Senate President Karl Loewenstein said these rumors are true and said he has heard there may be up to 160 classes cut next year and into the future.

“They are in the process of deciding what courses will have to be cut next fall right now,” Loewenstein said.

Loewenstein said the faculty is very concerned there may be significant cuts to course offerings at UWO.

“This, of course, affects many instructors who may lose their jobs,” Loewenstein said. “In addition, it limits options for students. We are worried that students’ education may be diminished and their ability to graduate on time may be hurt.”

UW Oshkosh freshman Hunter Berholtz said removing class offerings is not that big of an issue to him.

“Someone might not be able to take a class they wanted to take,” Berholtz said. “That’s kind of what college is, making sacrifices and doing what you got to do and broadening your horizons.”

UWO chemistry professor William Wacholtz said classes the chemistry department offers are a well-recognized foundation for all chemistry disciplines for any number of directions graduates would want to pursue upon graduation and that their curriculum is certified by the American Chemical Society.

“Our certification by the ACS is very precise in exactly what courses are required to provide the solid education expected,” Wacholtz said. “We are not allowed to just cut classes, unless of course we want to lose our certification.”

Criminal Justice Department Chairman David Jones said student enrollment has decreased over the past few years, and removing classes is one way to reduce costs.

“Obviously it has to be done carefully so as to not unnecessarily disrupt students’ education,” Jones said. “I think that’s the way it is being planned in the College of Letters and Science.”

Although some cuts may be attributed to state budget cuts, Loewenstein said spending decisions made on the campus led to cuts elsewhere.

“We would like to see a more transparent process that allows us to understand why these shifts in resources are necessary and whether it is appropriate to impact academics so significantly,” Loewenstein said.

Wacholtz said not taking pre-requisites in an appropriate and timely sequence, failing out of classes thus slipping out of a four year track and not making efficient use of the interim are factors that can significantly add to the overall students’ credits earned to degree completion.

“Finding ways to keep these factors to a minimum would help significantly,” Wacholtz said. “And I believe that our college committees are addressing some of these concerns right now. Students ultimately make decisions for themselves about how they want their education to proceed and it requires them to take responsibility for managing the whole process.”

Koker said there might be fewer elective courses offered as a result of classes being cut.

“It is my goal, as always, to offer the classes students need to stay on schedule to graduate,” Koker said.”