To the Editor:
I'm writing to thank Pacifica House for their thoughtful analysis of the effect that Banner course registration has had on Brown students' enjoyment of their curriculum. I was lucky enough to find myself on campus this weekend, and I got a chance to look at the special report that they tucked into copies of Friday's Herald. I hope the discussion that they've started will develop into a productive dialogue among students, faculty, and administrators.
The concerns raised by Pacifica House are not new. Rather, these very same concerns were the subject of a UCS resolution (full disclosure: I was a co-author of the resolution) and discussions between students and administrators at the time of Banner's implementation. At the time, the Provost's office suggested that Banner's implementation wouldn't have any substantial curricular consequences, and the Office of the Dean of the College suggested that the effects might actually be positive. It seems that neither view has panned out.
The New Curriculum at Brown is sacred and, in my opinion, worth protecting at great expense. At other colleges, the curriculum seems like an afterthought; at Brown, it is the centerpiece. Brown is also unique in that our curriculum is the product — and as a result, the dominion — of the student body. No action that might affect the curriculum should be taken without consulting students and alumni, and considerable deference should be given to their views. Frankly, if an administrator "can't understand what all of the fuss is about," it is most likely a reflection of his or her own incomplete understanding of the curriculum.
Luckily, we have in President Simmons a head administrator who is (from what I can tell) an unabashed believer in the New Curriculum — but her job is to run a major research university, not to tend to the nitty-gritty administration of the college. I hope that in the future, we'll make sure that more of the other administrators "get it," either by virtue of having attended as undergraduates or by demonstrating a genuine understanding of the curriculum during the hiring process.
Matt Gelfand '08
Feb. 7
ADVERTISEMENT
