The Student Association should continue in its push to make syllabi available to Syracuse University students prior to class registration so students can be familiar with general course outlines before signing up.

SA’s Academic Affairs Chair Sonia Suchak met with SU administrators on Monday to discuss the possibility of students having access to syllabi prior to registering for classes. While a resolution for the initiative has not yet been drafted, if one were drafted and passed by SA, it would be a strong sign of support for the initiative to move forward.

Although it would not be feasible for professors to provide day-to-day class breakdowns in time for class registration, students should at least have early access to outlines of general course expectations. The basic outline of a course, such as attendance expectations and anticipated workload, should be made available as curriculum plans are already required for courses to be approved by the university. This shift would help students make more informed choices when selecting classes in giving them the opportunity to more effectively gauge their semester workload.

Although credits and short course descriptions are in place to give students an idea of a class’ rigor, the expectations of a course are ultimately decided by its professor.

Having a standard class outline would be beneficial to students in giving them the opportunity to more effectively gauge their semester workload and select classes that are in tune to their interests. As a result, the implementation of this policy change could lead to fewer students dropping classes during the first two weeks of the semester, which would alleviate course waiting lists.

Although this is not the first time SA has made efforts to make course information available early, a fresh push for a change could make the discussion a useful reality in providing students with a standard outline of course expectations prior to class registration.