Task Force proposals encourage Undergraduate exploration

In an interim report released last week, the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience suggested that the University make fundamental changes to its writing programs.

The report's recommendations include creating a writing portfolio requirement for each student, increasing the number of writing fellowships, and requiring all first-year students to take English 1 and 2. Other initiatives include research opportunities, senior capstone projects, and a revamp of curricular requirements.

The Interim Report Part II _ Part I was released in December _ focuses on academic life at Tufts. It offers suggestions for the promotion of what it calls "intellectual engagement in the classroom, in students' independent or group study activities, or in research opportunities that connect students with faculty."

Nadia Medina, the director of the Academic Resource Center, supports the additional writing initiatives proposed by the Task Force. "There is a lack of a systematic and sustained attention to writing throughout the four years of the undergraduate experience," she said.

The Task Force proposals are initiatives for entire student and faculty body to discuss and refine. "Any proposal to rethink out organization in large terms is bound to be controversial," said Task Force member Francie Chew, who is also the director of the American Studies Program. "Perhaps the only one that hasn't raised controversy (at least among those who aren't involved in raising funds) is related to adding new facilities."

"We're scheduling a number of meetings over the next month with different groups to discuss the reports in greater depth," Chew said. These groups include academic departments, specialists like Medina, open student meetings, the TCU Senate, and the Task Force Student Advisory Committee. These discussions, in Metcalf's opinion, "will be extremely important for improving these initial ideas."

Some faculty have already criticized the report. While Medina is excited about the Task Force's ideas about writing, she is concerned that the committee did not address the large introductory lecture classes. She argued that these classes are obsolete and ineffective in engaging students in active learning. First-year students are especially affected, as most of their course load consists of such classes.

Medina added, however, that she was appreciative of the fact that the Task Force's assessment is "not a closed process."

"The University really wants to know what its community thinks, students and faculty alike, and is open to all suggestions," she said.

According to Provost Jamshed Barucha, "some [of the] items are already established priorities and we are already trying to raise money for them." He cited need-blind admissions, which will be one of the goals for the next capital campaign.

One of the most far-reaching proposals has been to establish a four-college system linking academic, residential, and extracurricular life. Under the system, students would belong to a specific college for their four years at Tufts.

"[The college system idea] asks Tufts to rethink how students interact with each other and, more importantly, with faculty and staff outside of the classroom," Task Force Chair Gilbert Metcalf said. "Each community would be representative of the whole [Tufts] community and yet small enough to allow people the opportunity to know one another well."

The recommendations made by the Task Force so far will affect virtually all parts of the University if they are pursued aggressively. The Task Force has also discussed the advising system, diversity integration, the liberal arts curriculum, need-blind admissions, and an alumni community network. The Task Force's final report is due sometime later this year.

"So far the reaction has been quite positive," Metcalf said. "But it is very early and I think faculty, administrators, and students are still processing the ideas and thinking about how Tufts would look given this vision we're put forward."