Monday, September 13, 2004

Hunter Bandy ’07
———-
As the Educational Policy Representative, I will urge the Curriculum
Committee to devise a long-term plan for building and sustaining an
Arabic language program under the Modern Languages and Literatures
department. The growing number of Tri-Co students who must commute to
Penn to take upper level Arabic classes and those who study abroad in
Arabic-speaking countries indicate the necessity for departmental
expansion. With the recent hirings of Middle-East specialists in the
Political Science and History departments and an Andrew W. Mellon grant
awarded to the college to build its Islamic Studies program, the
college must recognize the immediate need to expand its current 2-year
Arabic program into a fully funded 4-year program. Adequate Arabic
comprehension among students helps to generate more qualified
perspectives on the Middle East. The Curriculum Committee also needs to
reexamine the current faculty review processes, and possibly even
standardize these processes across all departments. I would also like
to devise a more thorough course review forum available to students
online. Finally, since many students are unaware of departmental plans
concerning future expansion and course developments, another of my
goals is to make educational policy and curriculum decisions more
transparent to the student body. These were my goals when I ran for
this office last spring; I still feel that I can achieve them. Also, I
will NOT be going abroad or taking the spring semester off, so a vote
for me is a vote for not having another special election before the
general election.

Michael Cohen ’05
———-
Why am I running for Educational Policy Representative? For one, I
really would like to have some input on educational policy issues.
Swarthmore’s intellectual environment is the thing that makes us
special, and even if there aren’t any major changes that need to be
made, I would like to give input on improvements to the curriculum. I
have already thought about educational policy issues a lot on my own,
since I have often agonized over picking my own classes. From that, I
have sometimes wondered whether policy changes would make it easier to
find the best courses, and I have also noticed certain policies that
aren’t necessarily the best. In addition, I have a variety of interests
academically, primarily in biology, psychology, and history. This means
that I am familiar with the curriculum in those and many other areas,
and I think that would help me provide useful input on curriculum
issues. Finally, I am very interested in the history of Swarthmore, and
I think this also would help me fully understand what should be done to
keep Swarthmore a leader in the academic world.

As for more concrete concerns, my most important goal as Educational
Policy Representative would be to revive the Class Recommendation book.
This is really a useful and important tool for class selection, and it
should not have been allowed to stagnate the way it has.

Alex Ginsberg ’08
———-
Brothers and Sisters of Swarthmore!  I am Alex Ginsberg, a
candidate for the position of Educational Policy Representative. 
I come to you with lots of fresh ideas and motivation to make your
Academic life a little easier.

Over the last week, I have been talking to students, asking what I can
do for them as Educational Policy Representative.  The truth is,
most students have no clue what I could do in that position, and that
is a travesty.

Once elected, I hope to bring energy to this office by immersing myself
in the needs of my fellow Swatties.  As the Educational Policy
Representative, I will fulfill my duty of attending Policy Council
meetings and Curriculum meetings.  But I will go beyond the call
of duty by trying to bring about much needed reform. You’ve probably
heard of the Class Recommendation Book, but it’s unlikely that you were
able to use it with much success.  One of my friends used a
recommendation from that book, went to his first day expecting a “5 of
5” professor, and wind up in a hell-class.  NO MORE!  Over
the next year I will ensure that every professor and class in that book
is rated by at least 15 students.   Furthermore, I believe
that advisors should be rated as well, for a professor can be great in
class and a bum in the office, and everyone deserves a competent
advisor.  With these and many other ideas, I know that I can add
definition to the role of the Educational Policy Representative in your
minds, because I will not rest until my goals, and yours, are achieved.

Please email aginsbe1@swarthmore.edu if you have any questions to ask,
issues to broach, or support to give.

Caitlin Hildebrand ’05
———-
As Educational Policy representative I, Caitlin “Cat” Hildebrand would
propose the following changes:

1) A recognition system that announced outstanding students each
semester, based on a traditional Dean’s List/Honor Roll. This is
particularly important for Course Majors who excel in their studies
(all B+s or above for that particular semester) since they currently do
not receive any recognition for honor-worthy work. Presence on these
lists could be listed on a transcript, such as “Dean’s List Fall 2004.”

2) New CR/NC options.
A: Departments should allow students to take classes within their
major, but not required by their major, for CR/NC, to allow them to
learn more in their field withhold unnecessary effort.
B: If a student decides to change from CR/NC to letter grade, they
should not lose that CR/NC option, but keep it for the future. They
should not be penalized because they have chosen to apply more rigorous
standards to themselves, and have excelled past their expectations.
C: When a student has declared a course for a letter grade, they should
be able to change it to CR/NC up until three-quarters of the way
through the semester. This ensures that when a student finds themselves
over-burdened by work they do not jeopardize their academic standing.

3) Create a direct complaint form that allows students to report a
problem student to a professor in a systematic way. For example, if a
student is disturbing class-flow by monopolizing discussion time, a
classmate can log a complaint with the professor, who than can then
take action (perhaps discuss sharing comment-time with the whole class)
if they deem it necessary. Currently, many students feel they are
powerless against such students, even though this can greatly disturb
the classroom atmosphere.

4) Create a course option within most majors which gives students
work-study credit or Practicum credit. For example, Economics majors
who are interested in banking can not currently receive academic credit
for working in their field, despite the fact that it is directly
related to their major, and would enhance their understanding of
real-world application.

Thank you!

Rasa Petrauskaite ’08
———-
Rasa P.
For SC

I would like to contribute to Swat as a whole by providing for more
interaction between the students and the student council. This
interaction ensures that the student council deals with the issues that
are important to the students.

I am running for the educational policy representative of the Swat
student council so that I can create an interactive web-page where Swat
students can write comments to the student council about any campus
issues and where each month the student council posts simple
multiple-choice questions addressing each issue mentioned by the
students on the web-page. Here is an example of such a question:

What is your opinion of the student 20 meal plan?

a) I am satisfied with it the way it is.
b) Students should be allowed to enter Sharples multiple times within
the same
meal period/time frame, if they do not enter during another time frame.
c) Other. Comments:

I am really excited about helping the student council become more
organized and interactive with students. I think that getting feedback
from students is important for the council in its mission to help
students. Finding out what is important to them and doing something
about it are integral to the mission of the student government.

The education policy representative post ties in with this initiative
because this web-page would allow students to communicate their remarks
and suggestions regarding academics directly to the student council.
Then, as an education policy representative, I would communicate these
concerns and suggestions to the academic departments of Swat.

I think that I would end up being the person creating this web-page and
doing all the reading and writing on it, which is great! I would be
really excited to do this. I see that this would require a great amount
of work and dedication. All I can promise is that if I were to be
elected for this post, I would put in all the work and dedication
necessary to achieve my stated goals and fulfill my responsibilities as
a student council member.

If you have any questions or suggestions, I would love to hear from
you! My email is rpetrau1, room extension is 3340, and cell phone
number is (650) 863-1505.

This information can also be found at www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/~rasa

Thanks for your attention, and I hope that you will vote for me in this
election.

*****

* More than 60 people, including at least 25 Iraqis, were killed in a
series of suicide car bomb and missile attacks throughout the country
on Sunday. The attacks were the most brazen in months, and many
observers believe that it reflects the growing power of the Iraqi
insurgency. The violence all but paralyzed Baghdad. On the same day, in
Herat, Afghanistan, mobs looted and burned property as a protest
against the removal of their governor, Ismail Khan, by the central
government.

* Following an unexplained blast last Thursday near North Korea’s
border with China, US intelligence officials have been scrambling to
confirm that it was not a nuclear attack. Though the explosion did
create a mushroom shaped cloud at least a mile across, there were no
signs of radiation. US officials now believe that it was an accidental
explosion caused by liquid rocket fuel, in large part because the
explosion was near the border with the country that supplies North
Korea with most of its food and supplies. As a result of the blast, the
US has sent strong warnings to North Korea and other countries with
suspected nuclear programs.

* On the third anniversary of the September 11th attacks, friends and
relatives of those who died gathered to commemorate the day. But
whether at the site of the World Trade Towers in New York, Arlington
National Cemetery in D.C. or a field in Pennsylvania, the crowds of
mourners were smaller than in the past two years. At the World Trade
Center site, parents and grandparents read the names of their children
who had died in the attacks. The WTC site had changed significantly for
returning mourners, as preparations for the construction of the Freedom
Tower have begun. Many making observances on the day also said they
believed that in this election year too many politicians are unfairly
using the day for electoral gain.

*****

Mock Trial
Mephistos Lounge, 7:00 p.m.

SATO
Kohlberg Coffee Bar, 8:00 p.m.

SWIL Movie: “Equilibrium”
Sci 101, 10:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

Elli Suzuki ’06 and Erica Lukoski ’08 went 4-0 this weekend and placed
first in the doubles B pool at the Swarthmore Invitational.  First
year Jamie Midyette was 2-1 overall this weekend but fell to her
opponent in the D pool final

*****

The women’s volleyball team fell to 2-6 this weekend, winning 1 of
their 4 matches at the Muhlenberg Buttermaker Tournament. 
Swarthmore defeated Montclair 3-1 but fell to Dickinson 3-1,
FDU-Florham 3-0, and Albright 3-0. The Garnet return to action on
Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., in their home opener against Franklin &
Marshall.

*****

The women’s soccer team was unable to come up with a victory this
weekend at the Widener Pioneer Classic, falling to York 3-1 and Wesley
1-0.  Natalie Negrey ’07 scored the Garnet’s only goal this
weekend, with fellow sophomore Jane Sachs picking up the assist. 
The team will travel to Richard Stockton on Wednesday for a 5:00 p.m.
match.

*****

Today:
Golf at F&M Invite, 1:00 p.m.
Field Hockey hosts Gwynedd Mercy, 5:00 p.m.

Tomorrow:
Volleyball hosts F&M, 7:00 p.m.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power
attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other
things than power.”
–David Brin

*****

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