A bright future

After a year and a half of dedicated work, the students, faculty, and administrators of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience are about to submit their final report to President Bacow. Many of the recommendations put forth by the group have been in the news previously, so there will be little new information presented. However, the culmination of the Task Force's efforts does represent the next critical stage toward ultimate implementation: approval by the faculty and administrative population on campus.

In fact, the general lack of surprise at the recommendations speaks to the tireless effort put forth by the Task Force to elicit student feedback for many of the group's preliminary findings. An extensive e-mail campaign, along with multiple public discussions at Hotung, demonstrates the Task Force's focus on ensuring a truly representative opinion.

While the proposed college system is by far the most ambitious plan presented, it also has tremendous potential to positively change the undergraduate colleges, and Tufts should work hard to find the means to fund the initiative. The largest single cause of discontent among undergraduates can be traced to a lack of school unity and spirit. The college system would take a large step toward fostering closely-knit student associations from matriculation to graduation.

Another excellent recommendation is the creation of a career network to match alumni employers and job seekers. Although the undergraduate experience has officially ended for Tufts alumni, their overall opinion of the value of their undergraduate education would certainly benefit from such a service.

The proposals from the Task Force, once implemented, should begin to markedly improve student life at Tufts. Of course, the effects of such actions are twofold: there will be happier undergraduates, and in the long run, Tufts will have the resources to improve in ways that are financially impractical today. After all, the real bottom line of the Task Force's work is that satisfied alumni will tend to contribute more to the University. The benefit to Tufts of increased alumni loyalty and giving may well be more significant - and sustained - than any traditional capital campaign.