SCUE elects 2008 steering committee

The oldest branch of student government just got a little newer.

The Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, in charge of undergraduate academics, elected its new six-member Steering Committee this past Sunday. The board will be led by College and Wharton junior Zach Fuchs, who will be taking over for outgoing chair and College senior Elizabeth Slavitt.

"I'm so proud to be doing something that I've been very passionate about since freshman year," said Fuchs of his new position.

"[Fuchs] is really well-prepared, knows the organization really well and has the respect of not only students, but also of faculty members and administrators," said Slavitt.

SCUE's roots trace back to 1965, when it was founded as a way of "integrating the university" through giving students more influence over their education.

"Today, we're coalescing around the idea of . bringing active learning into the classroom," said Fuchs, who called SCUE a "think-tank on academics."

"We don't raise our fists and call for change, but we suggest ways on how to go about implementing those changes," said Fuchs.

He cited academic research as an area that has been "fellowship heavy" in the past and as something he hopes to improve and make accessible to all students, not just graduate students. Fuchs believes doing so will increase the Penn's attraction to undergraduates, especially potential and incoming freshmen.

Keeping in line with such hopes, one of the things Fuchs is most excited about for the upcoming semester is the selection of a new director of the Center of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.

This upcoming semester, one of the major initiatives Fuchs will work on is a paper proposing a university-wide online syllabi system.

"We're trying to get all the departments to post all their syllabi online so that students have a better idea of what to expect when selecting courses," Fuchs said.

He also mentioned that he hopes to create a single, better organized university-wide calendar that lists activity dates for a wide range of campus organizations, from academics to performing-arts groups.

"One of the things we all love about Penn is Locust Walk with all its crazy flyering and enthusiasm, but it's not the most efficient way to get the word out sometimes," said Fuchs.

Also elected to the board with Fuchs were Vice Chair and Engineering sophomore Sarah Doherty, Treasurer and College junior Aaron Werner, Secretary and College sophomore Jaclyn Hall and Steering Members-at-Large Engineering sophomore Chris Pynn and College junior Jay Zolle.

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