SEAS students 'eat up' talk

Undergraduate Dean John Vohs spoke with students over lunch about issues facing the school. In an effort to increase student-faculty interaction and communication, 12 School of Engineering and Applied Science students joined Engineering Undergraduate Dean John Vohs yesterday for an informal lunch. This gathering was just one of a series of "Lunches with the Deans" that the Undergraduate Engineering Advisory Board has been organizing since last spring. The group has planned six lunches this semester with Vohs and Interim Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt, two of which have already occurred. The Student Committee on Undergraduate Education sponsors a similar "Dinner with the Deans" program across all four undergraduate schools in which Vohs participated last semester. College and Engineering sophomore Veronica Lemcoff, secretary of the UEAB, said the lunches are held to improve communication among students, faculty and administrators. "I've been really overwhelmed by the turnout," said Lemcoff, who is helping to plan the lunches. The first session took place last year with then-Dean Gregory Farrington. The UEAB sponsored four lunches last spring and four last fall, and the group has added two more this semester as a result of positive feedback on the program. "It's a shame to go through four years of college and not know the administration," said Engineering junior Melissa Audette, a UEAB member who helps organize the gatherings. "The lunches provide students with a way to get their ideas across," she added. "And they allow faculty to bounce ideas off an unbiased panel and get feedback." Vohs opened yesterday's discussion by asking the students to pose questions on issues pertaining to the Engineering School or the University as a whole. Many students expressed interest in less stringent requirements for Engineering students. "I would be really interested in having more liberal arts courses pertaining to engineering," Engineering sophomore Erfana Dar said. "So many people are going into consulting or are setting up small businesses of their own -- these [liberal arts] classes are very useful." Currently, Engineering students are required to take a minimum of seven courses that fall under the categories of social sciences and humanities. According to Vohs, there have been proposals to lessen that requirement to five such classes to allow for more breadth and flexibility. Vohs agreed that liberal arts classes are important. "Very rarely do you work with people who have solely your background," he said. Michael Trossman, an Engineering sophomore, asked Vohs what percentage of Engineering students receive job offers prior to graduation. Vohs explained that nearly 100 percent of computer science majors have been offered employment before they graduate over the past few years. He also said that about 115 companies attended the school's career fair last year and that they had to turn some businesses away due to a lack of space. "It's a good sign but it's a disappointment that we had to turn some away," Vohs said. The meeting continued with a talk about accreditation, specifically in reference to the Computer Telecommunication Engineering Program -- which is not officially accredited by the national Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Vohs said that accreditation is important because many international students receive financial aid only if they are enrolled in accredited programs. Information about upcoming lunches will be sent to Engineering students via e-mail throughout the semester. Each lunch is limited to 15 students, who are selected randomly from those who reply to the e-mails. "I find [these sessions] very, very useful," Vohs said. "They give students an informal atmosphere, which makes it easier to get discussions going."

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