The Red and Black

Issue date: 3/25/09 Section: Opinions

CHRIS CHIEGO

As the class of 2009 prepares to graduate, we can legitimately wonder how our academic experience of the last four years compares to former and future classes.

Although we're just passing through, the University has a responsibility to improve the undergraduate experience for future generations and made improving the undergraduate experience the focus of its 1999-2000 reaccreditation process.

How is the University doing so far?

The University's 2005 Task Force report on General Education and Student Learning can serve as a progress report of sorts to answer that question as it was issued just as the class of 2009 set foot at the University. By using the recommendations in this report as a yardstick, we can assess the state of the undergraduate learning experience here on campus and see how much progress has been made during the last four years.

Perhaps the largest component of the Task Force report was the implementation of the plus/minus grading system.

Back when the plus/minus system was announced, many students, including myself, opposed it. In retrospect, it appears to have made little difference to students' GPAs and brought the University more in line with most of its peer and aspirational institutions.

And yes, I admit, it made me work harder for that 93 rather than a 90 in those borderline-A classes.

Although other parts of the task force also have been implemented, such as expanding library hours and increasing foreign language proficiency requirements, the plus/minus stands out as the foremost example of the Task Force's recommendations being put into action.

Oddly enough, some seemingly simple recommendations have not been implemented yet, including one that recommended student organizations should focus more on academic rather than social concerns.

Over the past five years, funding for non-academic organizations has increased at a higher rate than academic organizations. Currently, academic organizations receive only 10 percent of what non-academic organizations are allocated.

In short, T-Pain still gets top billing while legitimate academic groups scramble for funds. This must be remedied by the All-Campus Allocations Committee this week.

Unfortunately, some goals set forth by the Task Force will be harder than ever to accomplish today. For instance, the recommendation to give teachers more incentives to focus on teaching undergraduates was admirable but likely will be put on the back burner.

There is a chance, however, that budget cuts could lead to a convergence of interests, benefiting undergraduate education at our University for years to come.

At the heart of the Task Force's recommendations is a commendable commitment to a core curriculum that emphasizes the need to expose all students to different fields. If more introductory classes - with their capacity for large numbers of students - were taught by top professors and more students were required to take classes outside their disciplines, then the University would make better use of its limited resources and students would graduate with a broader education.

The University has come far in the last few years in achieving its goals of enhancing the undergraduate experience, but the next few years will prove crucial in determining how it will respond to changing financial circumstances.

Maintaining academic excellence in the face of budget cuts will be difficult, but hopefully the University will have a plan to deal with that challenge.

- Chris Chiego is a senior from Memphis, Tenn. majoring in international affairs and history.

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