Task Force releases interim report

The Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience released its interim report at yesterday's monthly faculty meeting, which presented tentative proposals for change based on three themes: climate, community, and coherence.

The report, an expansion of the status report released by the Task Force three months ago, presents the recommendations students and faculty have made over the past year. These proposals originate from almost 50 open forums and meetings, an extensive faculty survey, the senior survey, and the Student Advisory Committee.

The proposals included promotion of intellectual engagement, strengthening community and campus diversity, and the creation of a four-college system at Tufts.

"The biggest initiative that students suggested at the forum was that of community-building," Task Force Co-Chair Gilbert Metcalf said. "They want to be known by faculty, and they want to know faculty outside the classroom. This led us to the proposal for a four-college system."

The four-college system would create four clusters of dorms based on location, each with individual administrators and advisors. The system, as presented in the report, would promote social and academic opportunities in a small community setting.

Some proposals for the promotion of intellectual engagement include class renovations, more group-study areas, and annual campus-wide intellectual competitions - though many of the proposals in this area were presented as ideas that need still need to be discussed.

To strengthen community and diversity, the Task Force stressed the need for enhancements to the Mayer Campus Center and for a policy of need-blind admissions.

Because the Task Force did not present its report until the end of the faculty meeting, some felt that the proposals needed more explaining. "Another meeting is necessary to get a sense of where people stand," Community Health Professor Rosemary Taylor said. "There wasn't much room for discussion at this meeting. We couldn't respond."

The purpose of the presentation was to promote community interaction and gain feedback, as many changes to the report still need to be made. "Releasing the report encourages people from the community to improve upon it," President Larry Bacow said. "It's not final yet and just here for fine-tuning."

The Task Force, co-chaired by Metcalf, Dean of Students Bruce Reitman, and Dean of the Colleges Charles Inouye, also includes five professors and three students. The purpose of the Task Force is to evaluate current education and college life at Tufts and work on improving the University. The Task Force will present its final report at the end of the spring semester.

Students and faculty are being asked to send their reactions and criticisms of the report, which is posted on the Task Force website, ugtaskforce.tufts.edu. More open forums will be held to discuss the report and the Student Advisory Committee will promote student interaction.





In addition to a progress report, the Task Force presented proposals for changes and identified the resources needed to make these changes.