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HET H U R S DAY , A PRILT 23, 2015HACAN V OLUME 82, I SSUE 27 T I • Editor's Note: On March 5 at an all-college meeting, Ithaca College President Tom Rochon introduced the campus community to a proposal to craft a new vision for the college’s residential, academic and overall experience for each of its constituents. Calling it a “blue-sky” reimagina- tion, Rochon described it as an opportunity to create an ideal vision for the college as though beginning from a blank slate. Rochon was clear in distinguishing his “blue-sky” from the IC 20/20 initiative, which he said was a strategic plan based on the college’s state VISI N TEST at the time. Though the origins may differ, the rhetoric is similar: deter- mining the all-encompassing vision for the college. The Ithacan is evaluating some of the central tenets and initiatives of IC 20/20 during a time when the college’s overall vision is open to in- terpretation and reimagination. The IC 20/20 vision includes, among a list of 10 initiatives, rolling out an integrative core curriculum, an en- hanced residential learning program, organized diversity programming and global learning opportunities. This package of stories examines these four initiatives’ progress, problems and successes, as well as their roles in contributing to the residential college experience. Integrative Core Curriculum faces second-year challenges BY AIDAN QUIGLEY quantitative literacy and writing AND NATALIE SHANKLIN intensive credits, at least one di- ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS versity course and a four-credit, As the second year of the imple- first-year seminar that freshmen mentation of the Integrative Core must take during their first semes- Curriculum comes to a close, the ter. Students must also complete a program is being evaluated by its di- capstone course and 12 complemen- rectors and has experienced mixed tary liberal arts credits. In addition, reactions from students and faculty, students must upload an artifact mainly stemming from its key ele- to their ePortfolio for each ICC- ment: the theme requirements. fulfilling course they take. Artifacts Danette Johnson, vice provost can be any sort of paper, project or in the Department of Educational activity the student completed for Affairs and outgoing director of that course. the ICC, said the implementation Other colleges and universities of the ICC has been successful, but across the nation have established the program is considering some core curricula to help bridge the gap reforms: eliminating themes from between K-12 and higher educa- Ithaca Seminars, reviewing the tions. Butler University in Indiana number of themes and evaluating also includes a first-year seminar in the ePortfolio. its core curriculum, and Syracuse The ICC, approved by the University requires students to take Academic Policy Committee on courses in natural sciences, social March 30, 2012, is the college’s sciences and humanities, as well as first-ever college-wide general edu- meet standards in intensive writing cation system and serves as part and quantitative literacy. of the college’s IC 20/20 plan, a However, most other schools trustee-approved 10-year vision with these similar core curricula do for the college. The development not possess the theme aspect, which of the ICC stemmed in part from is integral to the ICC. cross-college collaboration, as well Johnson said the committee on as pressure from The Middle States college-wide requirements was con- Commission on Higher Education, sidering eliminating themes from the body that has accredited the being attached to Ithaca Seminars. college since 1955. Robert Sullivan, She said this was due to not being associate professor of communica- able to accurately predict how many tion studies and former director of seminars in each theme would be the honors program who worked on necessary to meet student demand designing it, said the ICC replaced since themes are selected at orien- general education programs that tation. If the committee decides to differed by school. make this change, she said, it will The Class of 2017 was the first likely be done for Fall 2016. to experience the ICC, in the fall Currently, for the Class of 2018, of 2013. Students have between the first-year seminars did not have 28 and 45 required credits under to be chosen according to the stu- the new curriculum, depending on dents’ themes, but themes are still their major. attached to the seminars. The ICC requires students to Sophomore Griffin Haas said he choose from six themes, under only picked his Power and Justice which they must take four perspec- theme because the seminar he want- tive courses: a creative arts, a social ed to take was in the theme, but he science, a natural science and a hu- was unaware of the other classes of- manities course. The themes are fered for Power and Justice. intended to promote integrative ma- “By me picking that because of jors and electives to bridge the gap the seminar, I missed out on taking between schools and disciplines, ac- classes I otherwise would have liked cording to the ICC website. DESIGN: RYAN OPILA AND ALISON TEADORE Other requirements include See ICC, page 4 FOUL PLAY BEHIND THE SCENES FRESH LOOK Junior finds passion Students toil together The IC 20/20 must for refereeing and to bring "You Can't be critically qualifies for national Take it With You" to examined and tournament, page 23. life, page 13. adjusted, page 10. FIND MORE ONLINE. WWW.THEITHACAN.ORG 2 THE ITHACAN NEWS BRIEFS THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015 Nation&World of heavy airstrikes would be scaled down, upgrade its capability to counter potentially but did not confirm whether they would debilitating hacker attacks. stop altogether. Teams from 16 nations will take part in He said the goals of the coalition’s new the Locked Shields 2015 exercise at NATO’s phase, called “Renewal of Hope,” are to pre- cyberdefense center in Tallinn. The annual vent Houthi rebels from “targeting civilians drill is one of the largest of its kind. or changing realities on the ground.” The drill comes at a time of height- ened tensions in Eastern Europe, where Egypt’s ousted leader convicted NATO military forces are exercising almost Egypt’s ousted Islamist president, Mo- continuously to deter any Russian aggression hammed Morsi, was convicted of using that may occur following Moscow’s inter- force against protesters and sentenced to vention in Ukraine. 20 years in prison April 21, the first verdict against him since he was removed by the Blue Bell exploring listeria cases military nearly two years ago. A massive recall has brought more The case was the latest in a se- attention and put more pressure on a ries of mass trials on a range of charges century-old Texas ice cream company that against Morsi and other members of his has been searching to discover how its prod- Muslim Brotherhood. ucts became linked to a deadly string of The Brotherhood spent decades as an listeria cases. underground organization and came to Blue Bell Creameries said April 21, a day power after Egypt’s 2011 popular uprising after recalling all its products, that it is get- toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. ting closer to pinpointing the cause of the The Brotherhood was the biggest winner in contamination. Amid those efforts, the Cen- subsequent parliament elections, and Mor- ters for Disease Control and Prevention said si — running as its candidate — became April 21 that the number of illnesses linked Egypt’s first freely elected president in 2012. to the company’s products has increased Long live the queen But a year later, millions protested to 10. Members of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire a salvo during a 41-gun against Morsi’s divisive rule, and then-Army The company said a team of microbiolo- Royal Salute to celebrate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II on April 21 in Hyde Chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi led the military’s gists it hired is working with federal officials Park in London. Some 71 horses pulled six 13-pound field guns for the salute. July 2013 removal of Morsi. Since then, a at its four facilities in Texas, Oklahoma and ASSOCIATED PRESS/ALASTAIR GRANT fierce crackdown has shattered the Broth- Alabama to identify the cause of the listeria. erhood, killing hundreds of its supporters Blue Bell is also expanding its cleaning and protesting for Morsi’s return and arresting sanitization system, beefing up its employee thousands more. training, expanding its swabbing system by Saudi Arabia ends air campaign military campaign aimed at preventing the 800 percent to include more surfaces and Saudi Arabia declared an end April 21 to rebels from operating. NATO to host cybersecurity drill is sending daily samples to a microbiology its nearly monthlong “Decisive Storm” air Speaking at a news conference in Riyadh, About 400 computer experts will par- laboratory for testing. campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, spokesman for ticipate in a major cybersecurity drill in and announced the start of a more limited the Saudi-led coalition, said the campaign Estonia this week as part of NATO’s efforts to SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS college community, and attendees Association of Small Business and Phillips Hall and a nature walk on College must bring their Ithaca College ID Entrepreneurship; and Jeff Weiss, April 25. Also on April 25, there card to get in. adjunct professor of business ad- will be a benefit concert in IC Students receive award through Stanford University Press ministration in the Tuck School of Square advocating the end of the for campus involvement and Amazon.com.