SCUE urges students to form department advisory boards

Students who think they could run their majors better than the professors in charge have no more excuses to complain. The Student Committee on Undergraduate Education is giving students the opportunity to establish undergraduate advisory boards in every department in every school across the University. UABs are department-based groups that serve as a voice for undergraduate students on academic issues. The School of Nursing and the School of Engineering and Applied Science already have strong advising systems that serve a similar function to UABs, said SCUE Chairperson Ben Nelson, a Wharton senior. But the Wharton School doesn't have any formal advising structure, save for one organization that occasionally meets with the dean. And in the College of Arts and Sciences, only a handful of departments have UABs, though there is a school-wide dean's advisory group. Nelson said SCUE hopes to establish UABs in the departments that don't already have them and strengthen those that already exist. SCUE member and College junior Ari Silverman said SCUE will hold a campus-wide UAB conference November 24. He hopes the seminar will allow representatives from different UABs to share ideas, while allowing new UAB members to learn from what has worked for others in the past. According to Silverman, UABs foster informal interaction between faculty and students, while also giving students the opportunity to meet those majoring in their fields. College senior Jeff Gerson, who helped establish the History Department's UAB, said the boards allow students to have an impact in large departments, such as History and English. "The History UAB provides students a way to make their voices heard? and gives the department a smaller feeling," Gerson said. He noted that his board, which first became active last year, has sponsored several events, including a faculty/student tea at the beginning of the semester and a series of "living history" forums. Last year's session, "America in the 1960's," included professors speaking about their own experiences during the era. Gerson said the UAB has plans for a similar forum on the implications of Tuesday's election, a series of brown bag lunches for professors to discuss their research and a formal award recognizing excellent teaching assistants. Nelson said the English UAB has also been active, sponsoring events such as the recent Halloween party at the Writers House. The English UAB was instrumental in supporting former English Professor Gregg Camfield in his fight for tenure, though he eventually lost last spring. UABs have a somewhat different function in smaller departments, according to Music Professor Norman Smith. Smith said part of the purpose of the Music UAB, only recently reestablished, is to make students aware of the Music major and courses. He noted that members of the UAB were on Locust Walk during yesterday's major fair. "UABs give an identity to a group of students majoring in the same area and enhances the feeling of community in a department," Smith said. He also explained that UABs gives the students a collective voice. The Music UAB has used its power to help improve rehearsal facilities. "UABs can make people aware of problems," he said. "Departments may not take the initiative to make changes without being pushed by the students."