Long Island University
Say no to liu's nursing program!

I have been a nursing student since the spring semester of 2008. I was not aware of the many changes that this school had begun to undergo that very semester. During the duration of this schools nursing program, the school has been experimenting with different types of mandatory HESI testing which have seemed extremely confusing to both the students and many of their own faculty members because the course curriculums and the HESI examinations where not based on exactly the same material. Not only did they make these exams a mandatory part of their program, but these exams became the final examination for course who’s syllabus did not support nor prepared for this type of testing.

They also began a Medical Math examination at the end of every semester where they are requiring that all students have all of the questions correct. YES, I repeat, you have to get a 100% on this examination; else you will not be allowed to continue in the program. And in the middle of all of this confusion, many of the schools most prized professors began to put in their resignation due to the unfair measures that the school of nursing and it’s department heads have been implementing.

Their nursing department is extremely unorganized, much like the rest of the school. I myself am a full time student, who is married with children and works full time. I came to LIU’s Financial Aid Department after being approved for a private student loan for my first semester and being turned down for that same private loan for the following semesters to come.in a time period following the massive bank bailouts and bank reform, there were no loans that I was approved for. I went to the schools financial aid advisors, heart in hand, knowing that I was the only person in my household that was employed and I could not afford to pay my entire tuition out of pocket and manage my household finances at the same time. I have visited the financial aid department on several occasions to request assistance with grants and loan options that would assist me to pay for my tuition and I was offered little to no help.

But, as I became more familiar with many of my fellow nursing students, I have learned of the grant options that they were informed of by the same advisors that told me none of this grant information. And these students received approval for these grants during the same semesters that I had already inquired about. One of which, relayed to the advisor that she needed the aid for babysitting payments. And, I there I was, never even given a chance to apply. When I questioned the reasons why these students were given the opportunities to apply for these grants and I was not, I was brushed off by the advisers.

And so, with no loans and no grants to my name, I was forced to change my school schedule from full time status to part time status, enabling me to take on the additional work hours that I would need to make ends meet and pay my college tuition. And it became very evident that there was a lot of discrimination going on within this school.

For example, I was absent one semester for a quiz, but I was not given an opportunity to take a makeup exam, when other students were. Another semester, I was sick and missed a clinical class. I was then informed that you have to pay $300.00 in order to make up one clinical class and I had to pay the full amount ASAP before I could be scheduled for the makeup class. I was also told that if I didn’t schedule for my makeup class before the end of the month, that I would most likely receive an incomplete in this course. So, after bearing witness to their scare tactics, I figured that I’d lend this money from a close family member and pay the $300.00 instead of paying $982.00 per credit to take the course again next semester if I did indeed receive an incomplete. After adding additional expense to my lean financial position, I then come to find out that another student was told that she could hand in whatever she could afford and they will schedule her makeup clinical class right away and put her on a payment schedule. This was told to her by the same individual who told me the complete opposite.

Now that I am reaching the end of the program, with one semester left, I am currently being held back from registering for my spring 2011 classes until the beginning of January when many other students have been allowed to register since October. I have been given no explanation for the reasoning behind the waiting period. I will be waiting to see whether there will even be any room remaining within the classes that I need when I await to register in January. Classes in the spring start the third week in January. The longer I await my registration, the more likely that there will be no room remaining for me to register for these classes. It is almost like a deliberate sabotage to my last semester and inevitably to my anticipated graduation date.

And now, I am realizing that there is much more than just favoritism being displayed here. I and many, many other students are being discriminated against by the faculty and staff at Long Island Universities Brooklyn campus and I want to know why? Why in a day and age where there is so much shortages of nurses within the health care field, why would they make their program so problematic, that I can honestly say that the love and inspiration that drew me to this career path, has turned into discouragement and resentment towards those leading this program with inequality and discriminating practices.

I already have a B.S. From an outside university and I have attended two different colleges prior to my attending LIU’s Brooklyn campus. These problems are not problems that are related to the nature of schooling and universities in general, it is a weaning process to see how far they can push you to spend more money on their programs and prolong your graduation period before they break you down physically and emotionally. It is naturally a very difficult program and to add additional stresses and strains that are in all essence man made and supports no real purpose other than to use these students until your discouraged enough to drop out of school.

There are endless loop holes in their system to allow them to take advantage of their students freely with no remorse, no reckoning and no higher authority to answer to.in the meanwhile they are putting their boots on the necks of every student struggling to stay in school, struggling to pay tuition fees in a time where the economy needs its workers and the students need stability. I hope that someone is listening to these words because I and many others like me are hurting for change and equality at LIU’s Brooklyn campus.

Company: Long Island University
Country: USA

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