Survey: UC students generally happy with education, professors

University of California students are generally satisfied with their education and professors but spend more time on such activities as socializing, cruising the Internet and exercising than they do on classes and schoolwork, a new survey by the university has found.

About 89% of UC undergraduates report they are somewhat satisfied, satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of faculty instruction at the public university, and 84% expressed at least some satisfaction with their access to faculty outside class, according to results of the online student survey released Wednesday. But fewer, about 64%, said they were happy about their ability to enroll in small classes at UC campuses.

On average, UC students said they spend 15.5 hours a week attending classes and 12.8 hours studying. They report using computers for non-academic purposes 10.7 hours a week, socializing 10.5 hours, exercising 5.4 hours and watching television five hours. Community service or volunteer activities take 2.4 hours a week and spiritual activities 1.8 hours, the survey found.

The survey, administered by UC Berkeley's Office of Student Research, drew responses from 39% of all UC undergraduates at nine campuses, a result that sociologists running it say is statistically valid.

-- Larry Gordon

Comments

[Milan Moravec]

UC Birkeley Office of Student Research needs to research student response to the extravagent $3 million approved by President Yudof for UCB Chancellor Birgeneau to pay consultants to do the work of his job. Be impartial office of Student Research!

[Transparency]

UCB Chancellor Birgeneau Loss of Credibility, Trust
The UCB budget gap has grown to $150 million, and still the Chancellor is spending money that isn't there on expensive outside consultants. His reasons range from the need for impartiality to requiring the "innovative thinking, expertise, and new knowledge" the consultants would bring.

Does this mean that the faculty and management of a world-class research and teaching institution lack the knowledge, impartiality, innovation, and professionalism to come up with solutions? Have they been fudging their research for years? The consultants will glean their recommendations from interviewing faculty and the UCB management that hired them; yet solutions could be found internally if the Chancellor were doing the job HE was hired to do. Consultant fees would be far better spent on meeting the needs of students.

There can be only one conclusion as to why creative solutions have not been forthcoming from the professionals within UCB: Chancellor Birgeneau has lost credibility and the trust of the faculty as well as of the Academic Senate leadership that represents them. Even if the faculty agrees with the consultants' recommendations - disagreeing might put their jobs in jeopardy - the underlying problem of lost credibility and trust will remain.