Wharton students, dean dine

The November 8 attack on a female sophomore in Wharton's Steinberg-Dietrich Hall raised security issues which are on the minds of many throughout campus, but that doesn't mean it is the only topic of concern to Wharton students. In a cozy dinner with Wharton Undergraduate Dean Richard Herring last night, a small gathering of 17 Wharton undergraduates discussed a variety of topics, ranging from the recent assault to the advising system and concentrations. The event -- sponsored by the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education and held in the Faculty Club -- was the second in a series of "Dinner with the Deans" which attempt to "increase communication between undergraduates and the dean responsible for each student's education," according to College junior and SCUE member Jason Schaechter. Of course, Wharton security was top on the list of issues to be addressed in the forum. After a brief review of the events of the early Sunday morning attack, Herring presented several possible solutions being considered by Wharton to prevent future security breaches. One possibility, he said, is the installation of video cameras in three different locations in the Wharton building to monitor hallway activity. Herring also suggested the idea of instituting a system whereby all students would wear badges identifying themselves to security during after-hours. Although these measures may prove valuable, Herring conceded that "there are problems with all technology so far? unfortunately in today's society there is no way to guarantee [that] any place is completely safe all the time." Other issues discussed at the dinner dealt with Wharton curriculum and advising. According to Herring, 50 percent of Wharton undergraduates decide to concentrate -- Wharton's equivalent of a major -- in finance, neglecting many other valuable Wharton programs, as well as College classes that could broaden their educations. Furthermore, as Wharton freshman Joshua Luks said, "There are so many different advisors, it's very confusing as an incoming freshman and then Wharton student." In particular, several students with dual-degree majors focused on their problems reconciling Wharton requirements with those from other University schools, which tend to vary in many areas. According to Herring, Wharton is attempting to improve communication between faculty and undergraduates by developing "E-talk," a programs whereby incoming Wharton freshmen can talk to professors and other students via e-mail after their acceptance. He also said that Wharton is in the process of reworking several areas of its curriculum, including the Statistics Department. Parts of the new curriculum should appear next year. Other topics addressed included better teacher-student relations and introducing a broader international perspective to Wharton education. Wharton sophomore Melissa Kaufman praised the dinner forum, explaining that "the intimate group setting is comfortable, more conducive to voicing your opinions." Wharton and College junior Aryeh Aslan added, "It's a great opportunity to interact with people who make the curriculum and decisions that affect my education." Participants agreed that the dinner was very effective in addressing their questions and concerns. Wharton sophomore Michael Schostak said, "I wasn't sure what I wanted to address would be well-represented, but all of my concerns were shared by my fellow students."

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