WITH Christmas fast approaching, I thought I'd use this column to get everyone in the holiday spirit. What better way to do so than in the style of a Christmas wish-list letter to the University administration? Barring the trashing of the Lawn before the game against Wake Forest, the student body surely has been more nice than naughty.
1. A free coffee day during exam time -- a little bit of generosity goes a long way during exam season. Free coffee in Alderman would put sleep-deprived students in much higher spirits.
2. Blue book dispensers outside of large lecture halls -- is this perennial request so hard to fulfill? Trekking to the bookstore to pick them up is annoying and unnecessary. Dispensers would alleviate the stress of arriving to our 9a.m. exams only to realize we forgot to pick up blue books. For our collective sanity, install a dispenser outside of places like Wilson and Cabell Hall.
3. More classes about regions other than Western Europe -- the Spring COD has very few classes related to areas such as Latin America and Africa. Clearly there is high demand for such courses, because almost every class related to these regions in the politics and history departments filled up on ISIS long before most students had the opportunity to enroll. Many third and fourth years still must send groveling e-mail to professors, begging them to allow them in these classes. I speak from experience. Curriculum internationalization is one of the most important issues the University faces today. How can University graduates live and work in a globalized economy if they're only familiar with the Euro and not the Rupiah?
4. iPhones for the entire student body -- it never hurts to ask.
5. More funding for undergraduate research -- hundreds of students applied for Harrison research grants last year, and only 47 received funding. In recent years the University has steadily increased its commitment to encouraging undergraduate research, but with such an overwhelming demand from qualified students, funding needs to be taken to the next level. There is no better way to invest in a student's academic development than funding independent research.
6. Equal course credit and exemptions given for students who score well on International Baccalaureate exams -- students who score well on AP exams receive a fair amount of credit from the University, but for some reason, internationally well-regarded IB scores do not garner the same credit. For example, it is not enough to score a 7 -- the highest possible score -- on the IB Higher Level English exam in order to place out of the English First Writing Requirement. Students also must score highly on a secondary exam such as the Writing SAT II. AP English students who score a 5, though, are waived right through the introductory writing courses and on to much more appealing classes. At the very least, the University should explain why they do not hold IB in the same regard as AP. Currently it just looks like a careless oversight, or some sort of vestigial provincialism among academics.
7.Increasing off-Grounds safety -- The University is starting to sound about as safe as inner-city Richmond, with all the news about muggings, robbery and random violence on Jefferson Park Avenue and Wertland Street. The Administration should work with the city government to increase police presence and install better lighting. Or perhaps they could declare martial law.
Most of these wishes are purposefully simple to enact and relatively low-cost. Paying attention to details will improve the morale of students, especially during exam time when a free coffee day will put the University in such good graces with the student body that we might forget we can't get into more than two classes on ISIS for next semester. The University administration can choose to be the Grinch. Or, they can choose to be like Santa and at least consider making a few of my -- and a large segment of the student body's -- wishes come true.
Marta Cook is a Cavalier Daily Associate Editor. She can be reached at mcook@cavalierdaily.com.
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