Task Force open forum signals change

Possible changes to the liberal arts curriculum were the primary topic of discussion Wednesday night as The Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience held an open forum in Hotung Caf?©. The forum prompted student discussion on campus issues from course requirements and faculty retention to the quality of advising and professor-student relations.

An engaged group of more than 40 students expressed various concerns before the Task Force, which was represented by co-chairs Dean of Students Bruce Reitman, Dean of the Colleges Charles Inouye, Professor Chair Gilbert Metcalf, as well as a number of students on the Student Advisory Committee.

Students spoke mostly about issues concerning the Liberal Arts curriculum requirements, which are among the most rigorous of private colleges. "If we are really educating world leaders, why don't we even have control over our courses due to so many course requirements?" one student asked.

Another student suggested that, "rather than having to take a class where someone can get an easy 'A' to fill a requirement, students should be able to explore their areas of interest and the options of their education."

Though the present faculty stressed the importance of course requirements in well-rounded education, many students expressed concerns that the curriculum requirements are too hard to fulfill if a student wants to take interesting courses not on the required courses list.

A balanced education, the co-chairs said, must incorporate students' needs for free choice in their study program. They also emphasized the difficulty in changing requirements because of the faculty committee structure that controls them.

The need for a unified student body was also discussed at the forum. "We need one feeling of 'this is who I am,'" said one student. "That's what pulls everything together." Students and professors agreed that a stronger sense of community could help motivate alumni to make more gifts to the University and increase students' overall satisfaction.

"It's our responsibility to define what a Tufts student is," another contributor said. A suggestion to open student access to all campus dorms seemed widely accepted by the forum attendees as a strategy to foster student communication and friendships.

The declining faculty retention rate, an obstacle facing many seniors in need of professor recommendations for graduate school and internships, was brought before the forum. "We are interviewing every faculty [member] that left in the past five years" to try to improve the retention rate, Metcalf explained in his description of the massive study.

Reaction to the forum was predominantly positive. Students like Jesse Mulherin, thought the most important issue was eliminating the sense of separation at Tufts. Mulherin said he thought the open forum was "surprisingly good."

This sentiment was reflected by many of the attending students, some of whom had come to Hotung for other reasons and joined the discussion after overhearing it. After opening statements by Metcalf, the number of students engaged in the forum grew larger, even "outlasting the free pizza," one professor joked.

One of the most important outcomes of the open forum, according to Reitman, is that students and faculty are on the same page. Metcalf said the mutual sharing of concern almost across the board was "remarkable."

The goal of the Task Force, which was initiated by President Larry Bacow, when he first arrived at the school, is to have a final set of recommendations about student life. The report ideally will have the broad backing of students, faculty and staff, and be submitted to the president by the end of the year. Although the group cannot directly influence change in all areas, it is expected to influence future changes in University policy.