Core incorporation

When Columbia College underclassmen begin registering for their fall classes in two weeks, the Core Curriculum will be on their minds. Despite the college’s past efforts, students often feel that administrators ignore them when they attempt to critique the Core. University leaders must make an effort to take students’ criticism more seriously.

The Core is posited as the foundation of an undergraduate education at the college, with the goal of allowing students to pursue an in-depth liberal-arts education in the midst of a large research university. Since its inception nearly a century ago, the Core has expanded and been significantly revised. Indeed, two of the most recent additions, Frontiers of Science and the Global Core, are currently under active review. The University has held several town-hall meetings in order to ascertain undergraduates’ opinions regarding the Core. However, because of the inherently public nature of the gatherings, many students may feel intimidated about voicing strong opinions. There is often little concrete feedback on whether students’ suggestions are being considered. As a result, students are dissuaded from attending or participating in the sessions.

The University should give students better means by which to privately give their opinions of the Core to college officials. Of course, some aspects of the Core—such as its finances—should be left primarily to the discretion of administrators. Still, student contributions should not be restricted to those few brave souls who do not mind publicly expressing their views. Nor should students feel forced to turn to such measures as hunger-striking or seizing administrative offices. Columbia should introduce online methods for students to convey their views, such as standardized forms on CourseWorks Web pages that are available throughout the entire semester. A written evaluation is less daunting than speaking in front of a crowd of administrators. Administrators should also make sure to follow up on comments they receive from students. These small steps could help inform various administrative decisions regarding the availability of Core classes or the direction in which these classes are taken.

Because they deal with it nearly every day, Columbia College students are perfectly poised to assess how well the Core Curriculum is working, and each of them should be afforded the opportunity to privately let administrators know what they think. University officials should seek student input, and opening more channels of communication between the administration and the student body is necessary if he Core is to continue to evolve and better fit students’ needs.

Tags: Opinion, Editorial Board