By Alex Bass
Alex.bass@triangletribune.com
RALEIGH – Transparency concerns per a fall 2024 University Catalog being inaccessible on Saint Augustine’s website are adding to the HBCUs’ accreditation challenges.
Less than three weeks before the Aug. 19 in-person start date, the institution continues a multiyear quest to regain non-probationary standing as a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges member. Still, no one is talking about its well-documented financial issues, or anything else.
An email to SAU interim president Marcus Burgess went unanswered, as did phone calls, emails and text messages to Demarcus Williams, vice president of global marketing and communications. More than wondering when University officials will talk beyond quotes in press releases is the question of a courses master schedule for this fall.
Returning and prospective students must know which courses they need to work toward a degree, and if those needed courses will be offered in a designated semester. It is common practice for colleges and universities to offer major-specific courses in alternating semesters.
St. Aug’s participates in the Cooperating Raleigh Colleges program, in which students at North Carolina State, Shaw, William Peace, Meredith College, Wake Technical Community College and more can take courses unavailable on one campus at another. This program requires logistics, including application, admission, available space, finalizing tuition and transportation – all of which are on a case-by-case basis.
St. Aug’s “Registration” section states: “Registration and enrollment dates for Fall 2024 and the catalog of course offerings will be announced.” Without a university course catalog, developing a starting point for a game plan is impossible. And speaking of game planning, these circumstances preclude the athletics coaches from recruiting anyone with assurance of being able to chart a degree completion course – on or off campus.
When students cannot access university catalog information for basic academic details, a university has no accurate means to project how many will enroll in what academic content areas and in what course levels, to plan appropriately for instructors. There, too, is the matter of the University’s Student Orientation Advising and Registration program, which was held virtually last summer.
While this summer’s SOAR dates have been posted, the campus remains shuttered ever since students were sent home to conclude the spring term virtually. New students are scheduled to move in Aug. 15, followed by returning students Aug. 17, per the online calendar.
Fall financial obligations must be paid by Aug. 23 unless students are on a payment plan. No payment plan has been announced for rendering past due wages to faculty and staff, some of whom will be integral to teaching this fall.
