Those who are ignorant of the past…

Twenty years ago, we were part of a committee that conducted a comprehensive study of undergraduate education and created the current CORE program. The title of our report was “Promises to Keep.” We mention this because when we read the undergraduate education section of the Strategic Plan, we not only disagreed with some of the proposed curriculum changes to the distributive studies section of CORE, but we also found it replete with plans to improve undergraduate education in ways that are already part of the policy of the university. Many of the promises the university made regarding undergraduate education 20 years ago have been realized, but many have not because of lack of funding, lack of administration and lack of faculty interest. Here are six of many examples.

We promised more tenure-track faculty would teach undergraduate courses, especially freshman and sophomore courses. It didn’t happen. Twenty years ago, tenure-track faculty taught about 62 percent of undergraduate seats; today, they teach about 42 percent.

We promised all freshmen would have a small seminar course taught by tenure-track faculty. It didn’t happen. The first semester, a few seminars were taught. The second semester, very few were taught. Then none, due to lack of funds and lack of faculty interest in teaching them.

We promised each department would offer a capstone course for its major. Less than 20 percent do, and in some departments, the class size is too large to accomplish the purpose of capstone.

We promised distributive-study courses would be interdisciplinary. A course taught by anthropology, for example, would be an introduction to the history, questions, methods and epistemology of social science using anthropology as the main example, not simply the first course on the way to the doctorate. This has rarely happened. Instead, distributive-study courses have too often become the property of the departments that staff them, and are used for the department’s disciplinary interest only.

We promised distributive-study courses would include a significant writing assignment, project or equivalent exercise. Most do not. Large class size and objective testing are still married.

We promised the Dean of Undergraduate Studies would issue a biennial report to the campus on the state of undergraduate education. It happened only once, many years ago, during the deanship of Kathryn Mohrman.

The current CORE program can, and should, be improved. Twenty years ago, we promised more faculty participation, funding and administration for undergraduate education. Our report and recommendations are waiting to be fully implemented.

John Pease Faculty SenatorSociology

Maynard Mack, Jr. Faculty SenatorEnglish

Denny Gulick Faculty SenatorMathematics

A term comes to an end

Before the sun sets on the day and on my term as Student Government Association president, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for allowing me the honor of serving as your SGA president. It has been the most challenging and most rewarding adventure of my life. This experience has taught me the power that we all have to bring about change if we band together behind a common cause. Throughout our university’s 152-year history, it has been students who have been the most successful agents of change for the university. I have been inspired by so many student leaders who have refused to take “no” for an answer and have worked within the system – and, when necessary, beyond its bounds – to fight for what is right.

Thank you to the members of the SGA who have worked thanklessly to better the university for fellow students. Over the past year, I have had the great privilege of representing one of the most dynamic and impressive student bodies in the world. For those of you who will be graduating this month, best of luck to you in your future endeavors. To the returning students, take advantage of the remainder of your time here, because it goes by quickly. I look forward to being back on the campus frequently to share in old traditions, to cheer on our Terps teams and to reminisce on the incredible four years I have had. While it is never easy to say farewell, I must do so by thanking all of you and wishing the new SGA administration the best of luck in the 2008-2009 school year.

Andrew FriedsonSGA President

Listen to our experiences

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about sexism, which is great – it needs to be talked about. The problem lies in the fact that, apparently, women aren’t allowed to have a say in the debate. Someone says something offensive, and we’re told because he didn’t think it was sexist, we should just “lighten up.” We’re told that maybe, if we got “a dick stuck in [us],” we’d get a sense of humor. We’re told the wage gap is a myth or our own fault for not working hard enough, despite numerous studies showing the wage gap exists and it remains, even when other factors (for example, raise-negotiation tactics and time off for family) are accounted for.

We’re told we shouldn’t blame men for rape or try to teach them about it – despite the fact that 84 percent of men who admit to forcing sex on a woman say it wasn’t rape – and that we should just take more self-defense classes. We’re told that though we “hear” about sexism a lot, it’s really not that prevalent – we just want to be victims. Well, no, I don’t want to be a victim, but I don’t have the luxury of just hearing about discrimination; many of us get to confront it quite often. Acting as if our own experiences don’t count is insulting and also detrimental to men’s view of reality. Give us some credit; we know what’s going on in our own lives. And maybe, just maybe, if you actually listen, you’ll learn about what life is like for someone other than yourself.

Anne Marie NewmanJuniorPsychology

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