Deans present StuCo with vision for Homewood '07-'08 - Topics for discussion include campus diversity, study abroad, free speech, student health care services, community outreach
By Marie Cushing · The Johns Hopkins News-Letter · September 13, 2007
Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell and Paula Burger, dean of Undergraduate Education for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, presented their visions for the future of the University, commenting on community outreach programs, recent developments in the study abroad program, and ongoing policy changes and initiatives at the Student Council (StuCo) retreat earlier this month.
A major focus of the discussion involved how the University strengthen diversity and connection to the Baltimore community, issues brought to light in part by fallout from last year's "Halloween in the 'Hood" incident.
"We're all willing to do right by this. Everyone is well-intentioned, but we're unsure of how to get things done," Burger said. She noted that the University has begun developing models of diversity training for all staff, faculty and students, and that "a commission will be looking into making the environment more inclusive."
Burger also addressed the issue of free speech, calling worries about the censorship of students, "a concern that should be heard. A university that does not protect the right to an opinion is intellectually bankrupt. On the other hand, we need and environment where people are respectful of others."
"We're having conversations about student attitudes towards Baltimore," Burger, who expressed the idea of creating a week-long program for freshmen to be held at the end of intersession, said. The program would involve classroom education that would connect to trips into the city, such as a class on urban education with visits to local schools. Burger hoped the program would help freshmen to "get out in Baltimore, explore and expose issues and bond the class together."
Burger praised Community Liaison Carrie Bennett for helping to improve community relations, but added that coexistence is always strained.
"For all the good will we've built up, we lose a lot of it on the first weekend. To have the first e-mail from the community be an angry neighbor irate over someone peeing on their front yard - that's very disheartening," she said.
Members of student council brought up the topic of student concerns over the poor quality of services at the Health and Wellness Center, which the deans agreed with.
"It's embarrassing, [since] we have some of the best hospitals in the country," Burger said.
"Nursing now has their health services in East Baltimore, which cuts 600 people. It will be interesting to see if this makes a difference," Boswell said. "[Last year] the hours were expanded until 6:30. We thought students would flock over after lab time."
Burger also highlighted changes to study abroad, and stated she was pleased with the recent hiring of Laurie Citti as the head of the office, which will be moving into Levering.
"We'll be looking carefully at protocols, and also in instructing students in practical matters, including safety and cultural differences," Burger said, adding that next will come the creation "of a study abroad committee to vet programs against a set of criteria" in order to provide students with programs of assured quality.
The deans also noted the change in environmental policy, and hoped that students would continue to educate one another and work on energy saving.
As Dean of Student Life Boswell said that she wanted to "pick up the momentum on campus-wide programming. A synergy exists that has not been there for a long time." She called for the continued promotion of University-wide activities, and for students to join the alcohol committee, student advisory committee and newly-forming diversity committee.
As Burger said she hoped to "raise the profile" of the non-engineering majors. "I know it's irritating to have someone assume that because you are going to Hopkins, you're going to be a doctor," Burger said. "We are much more than that."
The deans then ruminated on what they hoped to have happen in the future. "If someone wrote me a check for 70 million [dollars], I would build a student union," Burger, who called the spread-out nature of communal space "accidents of geography," said.
Burger added that she also hoped future construction, specifically another residential building near the Freshman Quad, would allow all first year students to live in the same area, with upperclassmen returning to Wolman and Building B opened to house health and counseling services.
A StuCo member brought up the option of "Greek Row" housing.
"It's always on the radar, but there is no location or right solution geographically," Burger said. "We're waiting for the right resources and time."
Ongoing fundraising will be raising money for the Bloomberg Scholarship program, athletics, Baltimore Scholars and continued work on Charles Commons, Burger said.
StuCo president and senior Scott Bierbryer was happy with what the deans presented, specifically the issues of diversity, changes to study abroad and the new energy policy.
"We will be forming committees to address these issues" Bierbryer said.
"As a whole, we're trying to be a lot more transparent and visible," Bierbryer, who added that all StuCo initiatives will be posted on their Web site, said.
Other topics of discussion included continued improvement of the student portal, engaging alumni in undergraduate career programs and enhancement of the faculty-student program.