LETTERS: Problems with College advising

To the Editor: As I watch my senior friends struggle to meet their graduation requirements, I am becoming a little paranoid, and with good reason. Students who thought they fulfilled all of their general requirements, all their major requirements and are trying to keep their GPAs at the highest levels are suddenly faced with the realization that come May, they may not receive their diploma. They must have done something wrong, you might think. But they didn't do anything wrong. They merely did what every student thinks he or she must do: go to the College office, receive a copy of his or her transcript and hear a solid "OK" from an advisor. How unfortunate that now, as they scramble to fill just one more semester with classes, it is brought to their attention that maybe it is not "OK" after all. I, too, as a junior, have been faced with some of the same problems. I have every book listing what I need to graduate, I visit my major advisor regularly and I walk blocks to get to the poorest excuse for a college facility, the College office. Each time I get a smile, a nod and a pat on the back, as they send me on my merry way, thinking that perhaps, if I remain unadvised long enough, they can eke out another year of tuition. I do not think that my way will be so merry if I have to present that option to my father. When I express my concerns toy family and friends at other institutions, I get the same response. "If you were more responsible and saw the right people, you wouldn't have these problems." Irresponsible, I am not. I have seen the right people, read the right books and signed the appropriate papers. I am however, annoyed and angry. For close to a grand total of $100,000 in tuition, we deserve an advising system that actually advises and doesn't merely nod. But I guess that I would have to make an appointment with an advisor to discuss that. Jennifer Schleider College '99 Wharton endowment is not $2.5 billion To the Editor: I would like to correct several factual errors erroneously attributed to me in the article, "SAS officials aim to reduce budget deficit" (DP, 11/25/97). The first factual error addresses the size of the Wharton School's endowment. Although I was not the source of the Wharton data, the fact is that Wharton's endowment is approximately $252 million. The Wharton endowment certainly does not reach the University's endowment level of $2.5 billion, as the article asserted. The article also incorrectly compared the School of Arts and Sciences deficit to its total endowment. Since the deficit is the difference between revenue and expenditures, the appropriate comparison -- and the one that I made -- is that the SAS deficit today is less than one percent of the total SAS expenditures. In any case, the more significant point is that the perception of the problem is weightier than the actual problem facing SAS. Michael Wachter Deputy Provost Observe World AIDS Day on December 1 To the Editor: I would like to draw the University's attention to the upcoming observance of World AIDS Day on Monday, December 1. As the generation most affected by the spread of HIV/AIDS, it is most dire that one address his or her own emotions and knowledge surrounding the disease. Each person is touched personally in some way whether directly or indirectly. One need not be an intravenous drug user, a promiscuous sexual partner, nor a homosexual to be infected. HIV/AIDS is nondiscriminating and is a threat to anyone who may be uniformed. Learning to tackle the issues should include everyone and excluding no one. Not only will the exposing ourselves to the information available make us more aware, but it also allows us to help and understand someone who may be infected. In conjunction with this day, FLASH will be presenting a program entitled "Friendship In The Age of AIDS." T.J. Sullivan and Joel Goldman will be speaking about their friendship and the challenges of living with the disease. This program is not merely an exercise in prevention, but also serves as a reminder that each of us can play a part in the fight against this as-yet-incurable disease. Please come and show support on this most important day. Bruce Frey College '99 FLASH