A taskforce created to recommend changes to undergraduate life at Tufts will begin work at the end of this semester. The three-member committee will seek input from students, faculty, and administrators on the positives and negatives of University life and hopes to finish its work by the end of 2003.
The taskforce, which was created by President Larry Bacow, will be led by economics professor Gilbert Metcalf, Dean of Academic Services and Student Affairs Kristine Dillon, and Dean of the Colleges Charles Inouye. Its methods will likely be modeled after MIT's controversial residential life reforms, which Bacow led as chancellor of that institution. Though not all students were happy with the changes that were made, Bacow was praised for the open manner in which he led the committees.
The taskforce has not received a formal charge from the president yet, nor has its structure been defined. But Metcalf said the committee will provide a comprehensive review of the undergraduate experience, both inside and outside the classroom. Though academics will be examined, Metcalf dues not anticipate evaluating Tufts' curriculum.
"The goal is to articulate more clearly what it means to have a Tufts undergraduate education and to be more directed in the experience," he said. "We want to create a compelling reason for coming to Tufts."
Dillon said the plan would entail a comprehensive and critical examination of Tufts' strengths and weaknesses, and that its goal is to uncover areas in which the University both excels and falters.
According to Metcalf and Dillon, this will allow the president to approach donors and alumni with a cohesive plan to "take Tufts to the next level." They hope to attract and receive money from people who want to be a part of the University's vision for the future.
"This will be the cornerstone of most of the planning that goes on," Dillon said. "Even the fund raising campaign and the president's initiatives."
Metcalf said the taskforce will examine "all facets" of the undergraduate experience. A comprehensive examination of residential life would be a part of the examination, but Metcalf said that initially, there will be few bounds on the scope of the review.
"I think we're not limiting ourselves as to what we're looking at," he said. "As we proceed, we may begin to focus more on certain aspects of undergraduate life than others."
The taskforce will begin by discussing visions for Tufts' future with students, faculty, and alumni. Though most of these investigations will focus on the University, Dillon said that the committee might look at the undergraduate experiences other institutions.
Some areas that have already been earmarked for closer examination are class unity and cohesion. By encouraging closer class relations, it might be possible to foster a tighter sense of community, Dillon said. The ultimate goal would be to increase interaction between alumni, students, and the University.
Other possibilities include examining if and how the residential spaces at Tufts could be changed - possibly including the exploration of faculty residences in dormitories. Study abroad programs, career services, the role of sports at Tufts, and the social offerings are all things that will be looked at. The committee will examine how students spend their time, and how their social needs can be better met.
"No matter how much attention we pay to an intellectual community, we have to make it a community you want to participate in," Dillon said.
Dartmouth College, for example, led a wildly unpopular charge to move the residential life system away from dependence on fraternities and sororities. As part of this restructuring, Dartmouth will soon eliminate fraternities and sororities -though nearly 50 percent of students are Greek.
But members of the taskforce say that such unpopular changes are not likely to happen at Tufts, as they plan on building consensus in their decisions.
"I don't think anyone wants to take that approach here at Tufts," Metcalf said. "You can't sell a plan if it's not a good plan."
Bacow led various committees aimed at changing the residential system at MIT in the wake of the alcohol-related death of freshman Scott Krueger in 1997.
Student reactions to the eventual recommendations were mixed, but most agreed that Bacow and the various committees sufficiently responded to the student concerns that were raised. Metcalf has said that the way the committee operates at Tufts will probably model the efforts at MIT.
MIT's daily newspaper, The Tech, praised Bacow's efforts in an editorial and a column written after he announced his move to Tufts. But they noted that the then-chancellor had not always responded to student input during previous changes to MIT's student life.
"Bacow is a visionary. He has pinpointed how MIT has failed its undergraduate students in the past, and he has been determined to prevent those shortcomings from persisting," Jason Wasfy wrote in a May 15 column. "Here Bacow genuinely listened to student input. He deserves praise for his report, which heavily incorporated recommendations made in the unified student response to the unpopular initial report."
But regarding other changes, such as a plan to put a computer lab in the student center, The Tech said Bacow clung to his own ideas.
"At times Bacow didn't seem to realize that other people had different visions of MIT than he did. His obstinacy in clinging to his own vision caused friction between the student body and administration and only served to amplify controversy," the paper wrote in an editorial.
Among the changes made at MIT, Bacow prohibited freshmen from living in fraternities, a rule that was already on the book at Tufts. Though critical of Bacow's decisions, MIT Sigma Phi Epsilon brother William Fournier told the Daily in September that Bacow was always willing to discuss his policies.
"Bacow was more than willing to talk to us and try to pitch his plans," Fournier said. "He tried to work closely with students."
