University of Virginia Library

Student Voice Expanded

Looking at all aspects of life
within its building, the law school
committee is studying such academic
interests as curriculum,
admittance and faculty appointments;
and nonacademic fields such
as office space allocation and
parking. Some specific recommendations
already made to the
faculty are voting members of the
Curriculum Committee and the
Catalog Committee, and the establishment
of an ad hoc committee
on examinations.

Students have been placed on
the Architecture School Faculty
Committees as a result of a hassle in
the spring of 1967. The committees
were in existence before then, but
students have been appointed only
in the last several years.

The Design Council submits
names of students to the dean,
attempting to match personalities
to appropriate committees. In most
cases, the dean appoints all of the
nominees.

Students are on the following
committees: Curriculum, Lectures,
Library, Student-Faculty, and
Equipment Labs. The Student-Faculty
Committee was established
last year to facilitate discussion of
problems of common interest.

The medical school has undergone
an evolutionary process in the
area of student-faculty relations.
For the past three years there has
been a Student Curriculum Committee
which has worked with a
faculty counterpart. During the
first two years of its existence, the
members were named by the Dean's
office in cooperation with class
officers. The Student Committee
has always sent a voting delegate to
the Faculty Curriculum Committee.

This year, the Student Curriculum
Committee petitioned for a
joint committee. Currently under
discussion, the proposal will be
voted on at the next faculty
meeting. Dr. J.Q. Miller, Dean of
Student Affairs, "thinks the request
will be granted."

Other committees in the School
of Medicine of a student- faculty
nature are the Student Affairs
Committee and an ad hoc committee
concerned with disadvantaged
students being admitted to
Medical School. The former is now
dormant, for lack of work; and the
latter has submitted its report.

Dean Miller attributes the evolutionary
growth of student- faculty
committees to an increasing student
concern to voice an opinion about
medical school affairs coupled with
an increasing attitude by the
faculty to receive information from
students. In addition to the formal
committees, small groups of interested
persons have organized and
submitted reports to the administration.

These groups, composed of
either interested students, student
government members or class officers,
have approached whomever
was important in the area of their
concern. Their viewpoints have
been heard, and acted upon, usually
in the affirmative, Dean Miller
continued.

The great task facing any committee
in the School of Medicine is
the establishment of priorities.
Much could be added to the
curriculum, but there is no time.
Everybody wants what is best for
the students, Dr. Miller concluded,
and "student feedback can only be
beneficial in determining what that
is."

"Nobody ever asked for any,
but if they did, we would consider
it," replied Dean Charles C. Abbott
when asked about student-faculty
committees in the Graduate School
of Business Administration. However,
the dean does request annual
reports from students, dealing with
any subject they wish to discuss.

The Commerce School has student
representatives on standing
faculty committees. The students
act in an advisory capacity only,
being able to propose resolutions,
but not to vote. The student
representatives are from the Commerce
Council.

The Schools of Engineering and
Nursing both have committees with
student and faculty members also.

Last spring, the faculty of the
College of Arts and Sciences voted
to have student representatives on
five standing committees — Academic
Legislation, Admissions
policy, Athletics, Branch Colleges,
and Educational Policy and
Budget.

Students will have full voting
power, but they will not be allowed
to attend faculty meetings. The
committees are advisory in scope,
presenting reports and proposals to
the Faculty.

The students were nominated by
the Faculty Committee on Nominations,
chaired by Professor Arthur
F. Stocker. Mr. Stocker's committee
solicited names from various
groups such as the Student Council,
Raven Society, ODK, and the like.
The committee examined the list of
names, trying to find the appropriate
people for the appropriate
committee. By necessity, the committee
heavily relied on the letters
of recommendation in making their
selections.

Each department within the
College possesses great latitude in
establishing curriculum requirements
and general policy. Thus
departmental student-faculty committees
present great opportunities
for students to influence decisions
on academic issues which most
directly affect them. Several such
committees have been created while
other departments have developed
informal means of communication.

Having turned its skeptics to
enthusiastic supporters, the Student
Faculty Committee of the Department
of Government and Foreign
Affairs expects to duplicate last
year's record of bringing change to
the department. Its primary
achievement was liberalizing departmental
requirements for majors.

Student representatives are
elected in their third year, serving
two year terms. This is done to
secure continuity. Thus the committee
consists of the third-year
and fourth-year international relations
major, a third and fourth year
man in government, and a representative
from the department's
Honors Program.

Though advisory in nature, sending
resolutions to the faculty of the
department, none of its proposals
have ever been refused. Besides
advocating reforms, the Committee
serves well as a means of communication.