Arnmons to Step Down As Dean of Arts and Humanities This Fall by GREGORY GEIMAN Joyedit Very Much,” Ammons Said

THETUFTS DAILY . L. - [Where You Read It First Tuesday, February 20,1996 Volume XXXII, Number 19 I GOING FOR TEN INA ROW 1 Arnmons to step down as Dean of Arts and Humanities this fall by GREGORY GEIMAN joyedit very much,” Ammons said. which a University trustee ques- Daily Editorial Board “I think that a person in a position tioned the writing skills of Tufts Dean of Arts and Humanities such as mine can help shape im- students. “The writing skills of Elizabeth Ammons announced at portant agendas, such as working students nationwide could im- the last meeting of the Arts & to have a more diverse faculty. I prove,” she said. “I look at it as Sciencesfaculty that she would be think we’ve made some progress, one of the jobs we have to do, to stepping down from her position. and there are a number of people look at the ways that student writ- Ammons, who will have served here who care a lot about that.” ing could be improved.” two years as dean when her term The $400 million “Tufts To- She said that she feels Tufts ends on Sept. 1, will continue morrow”capitalcampaign kicked has a very talented first-year writ- teaching in the English Depart- off in Ammons’ second year as ing department, and that student ment. dean. She said she hopes that the evaluation forms the department Ammons had served as chair money raised through this cam- has received over the past few of the English Department for paign will be used in part to ben- years have been a tribute to the three years prior to being named efit arts and humanities on cam- success of those teachers. Dean of Arts and Humanities. pus. “I’d like to see money raised In addition,Ammons said, even After becoming dean in 1994, she forthecompletionofarts spaces... though a first-year student who said she told her colleagues that for rehearsal rooms and a concert gets an A or A- in the expository she would not be able to serve hall.” writing course English 1 does not more than two years in that role. Ammons also addressed the have to take English 2,14 percent “That would make this year my comments made at the November fifth in an administrative role,” Board of Trustees meeting, in see AMMONS, page 12 she said. “For me, it was as much time as I could be away from teaching. At heart, I am a profes- DiBiaggio meets with sor.” In the upcoming fall semester, Ammons will return to the En- forty campus leaders glish Department where she will by AILEEN CARR versial issue of culture represen- teach courses in American Litera- Daily Staff Writer tatives in the Senate. Senate Vice ture, focusing on women’s writers Presidents of various campus President Andi Friedman agreed and other “multi-cultural” topics. organizations joined University with Delaney. “I have been trying I The men’s basketball team takes on Amherst at 7:30 tonight. I “I liked serving as dean, I en- President John DiBiaggio at a to think of a way to set up some “Presidents Meeting” on Satur- kind of positive debate of this day afternoon in the Coolidge issue,” she said. Students meet with Stackman and Room of Ballou Hall. TCU Sen- DiBiaggio said that a dialogue ate President Ancy Verdier and like the one suggested would not other senatorsorganized this event be unprecedented. He also said discuss quality of Tufts social life to provide a forum for communi- that the Philosophy Department cation between campus groups. could be used as a resource to by JESSICA ROSENTHAL Many participants in the focus sees is that “outside vendors are Nearly 40 students were in at- facilitate debate and discussion. Daily Editorial Board groups expressed a need for “a only willing to do it if they could tendance, representing over 30 “We have an extraordinary Phi- The University has begun to cafe one can go to and hangout set up a normal retail operation so campus organizations. They were losophy Department,” he said. respond to student concerns and after midnight.” Increasing the that they could sell to anybody, given thechancetoexchange ideas “They could help set up a thought- is implementingsome changes in options that students have after not just Tufts students. It’s not with other campus groups and ful exchange of ideas and discus- response to a series of five focus midnight is a major concern. clear if Medford will be willing to publicize their organizations’ sion.” groups concerning campus social “We want to implement a lot of grant a license for that.” events. Verdier said he hoped that After the meeting, Friedman life. While a major student issue, people’s ideas, and the big one In addition to voicing the need bringing campus leaders together and Delaney said that they would the campus coffeehouse, is still in unanswered yet is the coffeehouse, for a coffeehouse, students looked would promote school spirit. “We begin organizing this school-wide the planning stage, less complex and that one is a complex issue,” at smaller issues of campus life as need to push school spirit on the debate on the issue of culture rep- changes are already being put into well. One major area of concern students as a whole,” he said. resentatives. They plan to meet effect. to participants was publicity, and DiBiaggio said that he also this week with members of cam- The focus groups were held students complained that bulletin encouraged the growth of school pus culture groups, media groups, last spring and were led by Direc- boards were too cluttered or awk- spirit. He stressed the importance Programming Board, and other tor of Student Activities Bill wardly placed on campus. of student leadership,both for the members of the Tufts community. Stackman. The sessions, which Inresponse,Stackman saidthat University as a whole and for the The student leaders also used Stackmanconducts annually,con- the Office of Student Activities individual leaders’ futures. the meeting as an opportunity to tained ten to fifteen undergradu- has installed two boards outside “You’re getting a great deal par- announce different activities that ates per group, with an equal num- of the Campus Center and placed ticipating in student leadership, their respective groups wereplan- ber of representatives from each four new bulletin boards across skills that you will carry with you ning in the near future. A member class. campus. Further, Stackman said for a lifetime,” he said. of the Pan-African Alliance said Stackman said that the discus- that his office has developed a He added that many of the suc- that her organization has planned sions were about social life, but he newsletter (the Campus Center cessful business CEOs and pov- many events throughout this told the participants “to not think Commique) that is distributed ernment officials that he knows month, which is Black History about just parties, but life outside monthly to all studentson campus were in leadershippositionswhile Month. These events include a the classroom and how they feel and all student organizations to in college. photography exhibit, ajazzshow- about that.” inform people of events. Many individual students dis- case, and a semi-formal dance. In past years, Stackman said Some students expressed the cussed ideas for coordinating Representatives from the Tufts that students voiced complaints opposite concern, that there were events with different groups. Edi- Spirit Army, TCU Senate, Con- about parties and the campus so- Dai/y file photo too many posters. Stackman said, tor-in-Chief of theprimlySource cert Board, and Programming cial policy, but this year, the com- Bill Stackman ‘We’ve been enforcing the poster Colin Delaney suggested the de- Board discussed JumboFest and ments in this area were more posi- Associate Dean of StudentsBruce policy. We’ve now seen adecrease velopment of a forum in which tive. One student said that “cam- Reitman said. “But I’m hoping in illegal spaces for posting and students could discuss the contro- see PRESIDENTS,page 12 pus parties are better - they’re that we have something in place posting on other posters.” not busted anymore,”and another by September.” Students also expressed the concurred that “policies are not as Regarding the possibility of a feeling that the Campus Center is Inside: strict, especiallythe social policy.” coffeehouse in Curtis Hall next not inviting, commenting that Viewpoints................ P- 3 One concern of students this year, Reitman said that the issue “aesthetics are poor,” it “does not More students speak out against cul- year was events on-campus in ad- of performancegroups now using feel like it is our space,” and that ture representatives, plus the dark side dition to fraternity parties. Many that space “is an important issue. it “is sterile - it feels plastic.” of the Telecom Bill. participantssaid they wanted more It’s partly why we’ve looked at Placing the coffeehouse in the outdoor Spring Fling-type events. other locations for it ... Not having Campus Center instead of Curtis A& E.. .. .. .. .. .. P. 7 Additionally, some students ex- an alternative space for the many might relieve this feeling. Samantha’s guide to movie pressed an interest in MacPhie users of Curtis could be a project According to Stackman, an- munchies, music from Walt Mink, and Pub sponsoring more events for stopper.” other student concern was the in- the Muppets (left) set sail again. all ages. Stackman said that this Reitman confirmed that “Din- effectiveness of the Tufts Com- year, many organizations are tak- ing Services would love to [run munity Union Judiciary (TCUJ). p. 8-9 ing advantage of the Pub, and the coffeehouse].

Load more