Senate criticizes First Year of Studies
By MEGHANNE DOWNES
Assistant News Editor
The Student Senate unanimously passed a resolution that urged the First Year of Studies to review its evaluation processes because it feels that student needs were not being addressed.
Work began on this resolu tion last year after Jeremy Staley, senator from Sorin Hall, noted his disappointment with First Year of Studies. Staley said, "First Year of Studies is not really in touch with what the students need. There is a big discrepancy over what it claims to do and what it does."
Members of the Academic Affairs Committee met with Eileen Kolman, dean of the First Year of Studies, and reported that the meeting was unproductive, said Staley. This led to the drafting of the resolution and Staley said, "It's a recommendation and we want to use strong language because we feel it is necessary and that the issues need to be addressed."
The resolution said students were confused about the role of their advisors, experienced inconsistent advising, were misinformed about classes and requirements and expressed uncertainty about the purpose and quality of peer advising.
The Academic Affairs Committee, which proposed the amendment, said First Year of Studies could realize its mission statement if increased student input existed. First Year of Studies makes many of its decisions and curriculum changes based upon the results of a survey that freshmen are asked to complete each spring, said Staley. Last spring, approximately 40 percent of freshmen responded. The resolution said, "First Year of Studies has expressed that `our efforts to understand the first year experience are severely undermined by a low response rate' of first-year student surveys."
Senate offered itself as a resource for First Year of Studies and asked it to conduct a more thorough evaluation process that includes input from sources other than upperclassmen, new student focus groups and the Academic Affairs Committee of the Student Senate.
Jake Teske, senator from Keough Hall, said, "It's detailed and we think it's a fair proposal to pass and we feel that Academic Affairs could serve a greater role and that they University can use us."
In other Senate News:
uSenate unanimously approved Dave Brenner, senator from Dillon Hall, as the 2003 president the The Shirt. Brenner will be responsible for choosing the design, marketing and processing aspects of The Shirt. When asked about how the saturation of the market will effect The Shirt, Courtney Schuster, the 2002 president of The Shirt, said that more people are aware of the shirt, making it a collector's item, and that people may have an incentive to buy The Shirt because it supports student clubs and charity.
Brenner said, "We want to build from off the momentum from this year and we want to see the percentage of people wearing The Shirt T-shirts continue to go up. I think if we focus on the excitement and unity from The Shirt then the money issues will handle themselves."
uSenate chose Staley to replace Kate Schlosser, senator from Pangborn Hall, as the Faculty Senate Representative. Schlosser said, "It is a great opportunity [to serve as the representative] because you get to work with professors on a level that you usually don't get to."
All News Stories for Thursday, December 5, 2002
