Students that can’t understand what their professors or teaching assistants are saying can be reimbursed for their class fees if a state senator has her way.

State Sen. Joanne Emmons, R-Big Rapids, proposed the idea Monday - eight days away from the MSU Board of Trustees election. The trustee candidate said she initially wants to enact the plan at MSU and later at other state universities.

The plan would allow MSU students to have up until six weeks left in the semester to determine whether they can understand their instructors, before receiving a refund. Currently, students have about four weeks to claim a refund and can drop classes about 50 days into the semester without a refund.

Emmons wants to combat communication problems and to show the impact a dropped course can have on students.

“It’s not only about the money,” Emmons said. “If you drop, you also have a hole in your schedule you can’t fill. It can ruin your career.

“I think when you’re charging $180 an hour per semester credit all semester long - that’s a long time. I’ve been talking to people and they shouldn’t have to pay for a class with a teacher they can’t understand.”

But the proposal is already taking heat from some math faculty.

“These math TAs and instructors must pass English speaking tests,” said Wellington Ow, director of undergraduate studies in the math department. “I don’t have problems understanding them. Sometimes students blame it on the TAs when they are struggling.”

Visiting professor Rebecca Leefers, who teaches a math class, said the plan is illogical because the university already has set refund dates for students.

“We have 16 weeks in a semester and if they need one more month to decide, then they have a problem,” Leefers said.

Political science and pre-law freshman Cheyne Scott said the idea can be beneficial.

“It really depends because there’s a certain amount of work a person should do,” Scott said. “It’s the person’s responsibility if they don’t understand