The Online Reflector

“The Lecture/Performance Series is an opportunity for students to attend programs of intellectual and/or cultural significance outside of the normal classroom setting. Among the events offered in the L/P Series are music performances, lectures, demonstrations, and theatre productions,” according to the Registrar’s Web site.
At the University of Indianapolis, all sophomore students must earn one credit hour of the Lecture/Performance Series. In order to do so they must attend 20 events–10 per semester, as the credit is divided into two half credits.
As a freshman, you think, “Oh, 20 events? That’s not a big deal. I can get that done.” What many do not realize is that a social life and classes will kick-in. Some argue that taking a full class load and working outside of school makes meeting the requirement difficult, but they need to think about how much time they’ve spent socializing. How much time do you spend just sitting around watching television or joking with friends? Grab a few friends (they need the credits, too), get away from whatever you are wasting your time doing and go do something new. It’s easy to shuffle things around and go to some events. Make L/P a part of your socializing—that way it doesn’t seem like a big deal.
Some students wait until the last minute to get their L/P credits, causing them to fall behind, even preventing them from being considered a junior or senior the next school year. Say that a student has received only one-half of their L/P credit as a sophomore and has 59.5 credit hours. When this student registers for classes, they will have to register as a sophomore, because in order to be a junior, 60 credit hours are required. We all know that it is important to register for classes early because classes fill up quickly. So if you aren’t technically classified as a junior, then the classes that you are required to take may fill up, causing a greater problem when trying to graduate on time.
According to the Registrar’s office, the only other option for an incomplete L/P requirement is to take another three credit hour course. Many students at UIndy do not have the time to take a three-hour course on top of a full schedule, so why aren’t some students working harder to prevent a possible hindrance of their timely graduation?
Personally, I waited to go to many L/P events. Although this did not hinder my registering for classes, it did mean that I had to register with sophomores rather than with juniors as I should have. Many other students around campus surely were not as lucky as I became, as many classes filled quickly. Looking back, it would have been more beneficial for me to have attended more events sooner.
Don’t wait to finish your L/P credits. Get it done and over with as soon as you can in your college career. You will have plenty of time for socializing and watching “Glee.”