The Undergraduate Council of Students discussed everything from improvements to Univ-ersity libraries to potential changes in study abroad policies during its penultimate meeting of the semester Wednesday night.
The council also passed two resolutions during a meeting that featured Provost Robert Zimmer and University Libr-arian Harriette Hemmasi as guest speakers.
The first resolution, proposed by Communications Committee Chair Tristan Freeman '07, detailed changes to the communications code, including an effort to standardize UCS-sponsored WebCT polls for next semester. In addition, the resolution pushes to continue UCS residence hall visits.
The second resolution, proposed by Campus Life Committee Chair Deanna Cha-ukos '08, outlined efforts to improve student study spaces and dorm lounges. After analyzing the results of a recent WebCT poll and visiting all of the dorms, common areas and lounges on campus, members of UCS identified three areas needing 24-hour spaces and four dorms that could benefit from lounge renovations. Work on these renovations is expected to begin soon.
Hemmasi commented on other "cosmetic" changes, outlining renovations planned for student workspaces in several libraries. She highlighted plans to rearrange the first floor of the Rockefeller Library in an attempt to reclaim three-fourths of the area for "user space." She estimated that work on the Sciences Library, including construction of the 24-hour Friedman Study Center, will be completed by spring of 2007.
Other potential improvements include purchasing laptops to circulate within the libraries and placing desktop computers in designated quiet areas.
The library may create a Google-like search engine and also become a "print-on-demand" center to accommodate growing electronic databases, Hemmasi said.
Zimmer talked about the University's broader mission. One lengthy discussion add-ressed a perceived over-emphasis on efforts catered to graduate students.
Several UCS members pointed to apparent discrepancies between the skills of undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants. One student noted that some professors might prefer to have undergraduate TAs in certain classes, but are restricted to choosing from available graduate students.
Zimmer defended the qualifications of many graduate students, saying, "Grad students are much more attuned to the nature of research in a given field than undergrads are when choosing what school to attend." He added that having more graduate students involved in undergraduate work should be an opportunity and not a hindrance to undergraduate courses.
The focus on the graduate community goes hand in hand with the expansion of the faculty and its research potential, Zimmer said, adding that he hopes to see Brown eventually compete with schools like Harvard, Stanford and Johns Hopkins in its research offerings.
"Brown was slower than some at making the transition to a strong research university," Zimmer commented. "It took time for the University to be fully committed to this across the board."
Beckoff and other members also addressed student efforts to change Brown's study-abroad offerings. The prohibition of studying in Israel has drawn much contention, according to results of a recent student petition. Several UCS members proposed exploring a waiver option for such restricted areas.
The final UCS meeting of the semester will be held next Wednesday night.
