Study abroad fee implemented Class of 1999 will p ay the price will be subject to the fee. "This BY ALISON BORNSTEIN only has an effect on people who News Editor start Colby this year ," said Champ lin. Beginnin g this fall, any stu- There are two types of off- dent enrolling at Colby for the campus stud y programs avail- first time who wishes to transfer able at Colb y: approved , non- credit to Colby from ah approved Colb y off-campus stud y and international or domestic non- Colby off-campus programs. Colb y program will pay an addi- According to the catalogue , tional fee of $1,000 per semester students who are involved in ap- to Colby, according to the Colby proved , non-Colby off-campus foreign or do- Echop hoto by Merritt Duff College cata- Tony Callander '99 (left) relaxes with Big Sib Chuck Costanzo '98 on the steps of Lovejoy. logue. mestic stu dy 'This extra programs pay fee is only for all fees directl y Big Sibs ease first year transition students par- to the host insti- tici pating in tuti on. For During the summer, upperclass one of four informational training non-Colb y Colbyprograms BY ALYSSA GIACOBBE volunteers received information in sessions which focus mainly upon programs ," abroad and do- Asst. News Editor the mail outlining the details of the academic advising, but also include said Professor mestic ex- program, according to Kruppa. In- general advice to relay to students of Biosciences changes , a com- The transition between high cluded were the names and ad- away from home for the first time. Arthur Champ lin, acting direc- prehensive fee including tuition , school and college has been made a dresses of first-years to whom each "It's just one more person to pro- tor of academic affairs and off room , board and travel app lies. little easier for this year's freshmen Big Sib was asked to send a welcom- vide a caring link to new students," campus stud y. "The money will Financial aid is available to stu- by the introduction of the Big Sibs ing postcard. Once on campus, Big said Arminio. "Many upperclass cover the additional processing dents enrolled in the approved program. Sibs were asked to help ease their students have said to me, 'I wish I services that are needed to trans - off-campus programs as well as More than 300 Big Brothers and Little Sibs into college life through had had a Big Sib when I was a first- fer credits. " to those enrolled in the Colby Sisters inaugurated the program this activities such as dinner trips to Big year.'" Champ lin said that while the abroad programs. All Colb y fall by guiding, counseling and be- G's deli, nachos at the Spa or just a Incoming students are not the Off-Campus Stud y Office will abroad programs require a $500 friending over 500 first-year stu- walk around campus. only ones who benefit. "Big Sibs feel not gain any additional re- attendance deposit dents, according to Andy Kruppa "My Big Sister was very friendl y good about [the program]," said sources from the fee, it will be The cost of the Colb y pro- '97. and made me feel more comfort- Arminio. "It's another way for them able to do a better job of help- grams range from $9,000 for one Begun last year in Averill by able," said Kelly Bregou '99. "It was to get involved with and help other ing students. "We spend a lot of semester in Washington , to former hall president Kruppa, Big also really nice to get a letter in the students." time counseling students ," said $13,320 for one semester in Dijon, Sibs expanded this fall to include all mail from her." "It's a good idea for kids to have Champ lin. "We want to do it to $24,000 for one year in Oxford , freshmen, transfers and interna- After receiving a postcard from a kid to talk to rather than an adult," well to support this kind of ac- according to the catalogue. tional students. Kruppa and Asso- her Big Sister, Cam McDonough '99 said Big Sib volunteer Heather tivity. At least for now, things "We have been thinking about ciate Dean for Residential Life Jan said she "felt comfortable" about Golding '98. "As kids we're basi- are going to stay pre tty much this for several years, and the Arminio worked together with Colby and knew she had a resource cally all going through the same the same." $1,000 fee seemed to be the fairest Presidents' Council to coordinate to use if needed. experience and it helps to have Onl y newincoming students solution ," said Champlin. Q the program. Big Sibs are required to attend someone there for you."Q New withdrawal policy enacted for freshmen Fac ulty p asses prop osal aimed at f ighting grade inflation BY JENNIFER O'NEILL satisfactory/unsatisfactory. prised of four students and five '96, the faculty is not properly ad- committee system should be the Staff Writer While the new policy currently faculty members, voted against the dressing the problem of grade in- arena for Colby's faculty, admin- only affects first-year students, change, the faculty chose to over- flation with this decision. istrators, staff and students to pro- pose solutions to problems. It is Members of the Class of 1999 McArthur said that it will apply to "Th is is the easiest "This is the easiest way to go are the firs t Colby studen ts plan- all incoming classes in following about combatting grade inflation, not a place to decide issues defini- ning their schedules under the years. This change in policy was way to go about but not necessarily the most effec- tively, as the faculty showed in rules of a new withdrawal policy. voted on and passed by the faculty combatting grade tive," said Ryan. "There are many their decision...We should work According to Dean of Faculty at the end of last semester. The more faces to it, such as teacher together to realize that the prob- Robert McArthur, the new policy Academic Affairs Committee had inflation , but evaluations and tenure track which lem has not been resolved and to makes it impossible for students to previously looked at the issue as a not...the most should also be examined with re- find a definitive plan to overcome withdraw from classes after the potential means of addressing effective. " spect to grade inflation." this trend." midpoint of the semester. Previ- grade inflation. -Tom Ryan , Stu-A In a memo to the faculty, Ryan McArthur said that the new ously, all students have been al- According to McArthur, course- also expressed his discontent with policy does address "the overrid- lowed to withdraw from a class at dropping as a means of G.P.A. pro- President the manner in which the issue was ing concern of grade inflation," and any point up un til the final day of tection is one of the major prob- ride that decision and instead put handled. also serves as a means of "confir- classes. The midpoint will also be lems the faculty hopes this policy the new policy into effect. "I hoped that the faculty would mation" to both faculty and stu- the date by which students must will guard against. Although the According to Student Associa- pursue the topic within the com- dents that they are taking their declare if they are to be graded Academic Affairs Committee, com- tion (Stu-A) President Tom Ryan mittee structure," R yan said. "The classes seriously.Q Colby Econ. ranks third in 17. S. News ranking Colby was ranked third among 120 of the nation's top liberal arts colleges for the quality of the Economics Department in a recent study BY ALISON BORNSTEIN Top 25 national liberal arts colleges: conducted at Mount Hdlyoke College. Former studies had only ranked News Editor Last economics departments at institutions granting graduate degrees. The Year study included all of the schools listed in the US Newsand World Report Colby moved up four places, to 19th, in the 1995 1. Amherst College (Mass.) (1) U.S. Newsand World Report ranking of the top 40 liberal 2. Swarthmore College (Pa.) (3) College Guide. Williams College was number one, followed by Wellesley. 3. Williams College (Mass.) (2) Other rankings included Trinity (4), Wesleyan (5), Middlebury (6), arts colleges in the nation. " 4. Bowdoin College (Maine) (6) Hamilton (8), Bowdoin (10), Amherst (17), Bates (37) and Connecticut "It's wonderful to move up in the ratings, said 5. Haverford College (Pa.) (6) College (58). (AB) Dean of the College Earl Smith. 6. Wellesley College (Mass.) (4) This year U.S. News conducted two new surveys, 7. Middlebury College (Vt.) (11) one of which asked college and university presidents, 8. Pomona College (Calif.) (5) Colby hosts IPSA meeting provosts, and deans of admissions to select ten schools 9. Bryn Mawr College (Pa.) (14) Former Associate Professor of Government Jane Curry and the in their respective categories that have "an unusually 10. Smith College (Mass.) (13) Colby Government Department played host to the annual International strong commitment to undergraduate teaching." 11. Carleton College (Minn.) (10) Political Science Association conference last weekend. Five sessions On the issue of affirmative action, U.S. News polled 12. Wesleyan College (Conn.) (9) 13: Vassar College (N.Y.) (16) were held between Friday and Saturday, September 8 and9 in the Millet college presidents and student editors and found that 14.