LSA faculty to support department groups

LSA faculty members said they want more academic activity from undergraduate student groups, and they want the individual departments of the college to make it happen.

During the past year, the Joint Faculty-Student Policy Committee has been studying undergraduate student department clubs, such as the Undergraduate English Association and the Students of Biology club. The committe presented its report during the LSA faculty meeting yesterday.

"We want faculty to take a leadership role in establishing these groups," said David Schoem, assistant dean for undergraduate education and chair of the JFSPC.

Schoem said these undergraduate clubs do a great deal to enrich the academic lives of students. They publish student journals, offer leadership opportunities and provide a forum where students can interact with the faculty in their department.

English Prof. Martha Vicinus, who chairs the English department, said the Undergraduate English Association provides two services that are popular among students.

"One of them is advice on which courses to take," Vicinus said. "The other is advice on what to do with an English degree after you graduate."

Schoem also said that one of the great benefits of being in a department club is that it fuses academics with the rest of college life. He said that students tend to participate in academic discussions in class, but afterward will talk about the sports events or the parties they've attended.

But becoming a member of a department club changes that, he said.

LSA Student Government President Lauren Shubow said the distinction is between students during weekdays and "students over the weekend."

"We wanted students to be part of the fabric of the intellectual life of the department," Schoem said.

Achieving this goal involved getting undergraduates to go to department brown bag lectures and letting students hear about their professors' research.

LSA sophomore Michael Waters, publicity head of the Students of Biology club, said the group has helped students get to know their professors on a personal level and learn about their research. Waters had never had a class with Prof. James Bardwell, but through the club he's heard stories about Bardwell's trips to Africa and his biological research.

Students and faculty said they agree that one weak point of the groups is the level of faculty involvement.

"It would help for the faculty to take more interest in their department groups," Waters said, but added that he knows professors have time constraints.

"One of the weaknesses that we have had is how to get faculty involved," Vicinus said.

The report recommends that the departments allot the clubs funding and office space.

"Student groups with office space seemed to have more of a presence in the department," Schoem said, but added that finding extra department space is always tricky.

As for funding, Schoem said it is best to allot at least $200 for each undergraduate club above and beyond the funds students collect in dues or generate through fundraisers. He said different groups have different financial needs.

"Dues range from five cents to $50, so there's a lot of discrepancy," Schoem said.

02-03-98