Published by Pitzer College, Claremont, October, 7977 A member of The Claremont Colleges Vol . 5, N o. 4 "What courses shall I take?" COLLEGE RESPONDS TO "LOST" FEELING OF FRESHMEN WITH YEAR-LONG PROGRAM Pitzer College has a habit of asking allow for easier switching for freshman tinue to meet students on a "one-to­ itself, "How am I doing?", "How can I advisees at an early stage if the student one" basis, and in addition, she will be better?" When it inquired, "How am so desired. (4) It would provide a focus meet twice a week with three groups I doing in student advising?" it did not for academic orientation. of 15 freshmen for "simple, low key give itself aI! "A" and for some good The Committee further recommended talks on problems that are shared by reasons. that the plan be given a one-year trial many freshmen." period, that students be involved in For students who need information "] really didn't get much advice. ] Just evaluating the program, and that an oat­ and guidance on graduate schools, there picked what] wanted to do as far as side person be appointed to make an is a Graduate Studies Advisor, Miss choosing courses. ] said, '] want to take independent evaluation. Barbara Beechler, Professor of Mathe­ this, this, and this, ' and she wrote it down The Executive Committee proposed matics. The doors of the Dean of Stu­ and signed it; and once in awhile she that a Special Advisor to Students be dents office and the Claremont Colleges said, 'what do you want to take that for, appointed as a resource person for con­ Counseling Center are also open. or oh, that sounds like a good course,' sultation in ways supplementary to or­ With summer over, the wheels of the and that was about it; and then we talked dinary academic advising and personal newly-formed advising machinery be­ about other things. " counseling, e.g., for consultation con­ gan to turn. Miss Sharon Nickel, As­ "] have several freshmen in my suite, and cerning life objectives, the 'relevance' sistant Professor of Political Studies, going by their experiences, they need of education to life and career, and the (continued on page 2) more direction. They don't know what choice of a field of concentration. The they want, they don't know if they are Special Advisor to Students should also going on to graduate school, or if they are be available as a consultant to the Reg­ Woodcuts by Alumna not, and so- it's a problem. " istrar, the Academic Standards Com­ mittee, the Orientation Committee, and Mark New Pitzer Catalog The above comments, typical of many possi bl y to the External St udies students' reactions, prompted a harsh Committee. evaluation of the College's advising pro­ Appointed to that oSitIOn, with the cedures. As a result of its findings, this approval of the faculty, was Mrs. Cyn­ year's advising system has been thia Si bel, who is als Assistant Pro­ strengthened and intensified, particular­ fessor f Education. S now divides ly for incoming freshmen and transfer her tim between couns ng and teach­ students . ing. Sh is teachlrig a dvanced semin­ May, the Academic Standards ar, "Field Work in Education", a course, om .ttee recommended that eleven "Education and Human Development," faculty embers be selected by the Dean and Fresh' ~mi ar on the same f Facul , in consultation with the Freshman Seminars are manda­ cademic Standards Committee to ",,,'''''',r entering freshmen. team of advisors for the en- views her role as one who is a- 'vail'l8,lble to . about why The talents of alumna Jonnie Russell, class of '68, are evident in the 1971 -72 catalog. Her wood cuts were used on the cover and throughout the catalog to introduce each major section. Miss Russell is the mother of a three­ month old son, John Ulysses, born at home with the assistance of his father. The family lives in the semi rural area of Windsor, California where Miss Russell says, "The cows poke their heads through our bedroom window." (continued from page 1) 25, classes for students of all The Clare­ and Allen Greenberger, Associate Pro­ mont Colleges began. Within one fessor of History, acting as co-chairmen month from the start of school, the of the Freshman Advising Committee, Freshman Advising Committee must called the group together a week before present a report to the Academic Stand­ the arrival of students on campus. The ards Committee on its organization and other freshman advisors were Professor work, and an evaluation of the program Beechler; Harvey Botwin, Assistant at the end of the year. Feed-back on Professor of Economics; Stephen Glass, the effectiveness of the advising pro­ Associate Professor of Classics; Beverle cedures will come officially and through Houston, Assistant Professor of English; the "grapevine". Elia Ibarra, Assistant Professor of eel think an advisor should be more Spanish; Agnes Jackson, Associate Pro­ aware of your grades and how you're do­ fessor of English; Lucian Marquis, Pro­ ing-he should be somebody you can sit fessor of Political Studies; Harry Senn, down with and say, 'look I'm having Assistant Professor of French; and problems with this course,' somebody Werner Warmbrunn, Professor of you can go to and talk to about your History. classes. My advisor has been that way." Also at the initial meeting to estab­ lish guidelines and plan further the On December 8, the Advisors will activities for the coming year were Al­ meet their freshmen advisees at a din­ bert Schwartz, Dean of Faculty, Mrs. ner where there will be a discussion of Diana Malan, Dean of Students, and academic opportunities within the Col­ Professor Siebel. ; lege; academic problems such as incom­ Above: Les Leopold, Assistant Dean of Students. Center: Mrs. Cynthia Siebel, eel think that there are some of us who pletes, and plagiarism. Special Advisor to Students. Below: come to college simply because we're ex­ At the end of the school year, when Miss Barbara Beechler, Graduate Stud­ pected to come to college. Well, I don't evaluations are relatively complete, the ies Advisor and Professor of Mathema­ know what I'm interested in. I've got in­ faculty will take steps toward making tics, confers with Mrs. Bylle Whedbee, terests, sure, but I'm not sure I'd like to the procedure even more effective. Assistant Dean of Students. major in them. " Then will more students feel they are All advisors met the Academic on the "right track" academically? Will Standards Committee requirement that there be less confusion? Will freshmen 2 they be neither "new or part-time fac­ feel that their advisors at least cared? ulty" . In addition, all had reputations as effective counselors who also enjoyed At this point, those involved in the the counseling and guiding of students program already point to signs for op­ in their academic careers. timism. Others not directly involved All were aware that the freshman have observed less confusion among advising assignment would mean a lar­ those taking their first steps in a college ger-than-normal advising load. The career. normal advising load, which all faculty Next year, will Pitzer College be able members must carry, is about 15. Fresh­ to give a more positive response to the man advisors would work with about 25 question, "How am I doing in the area students each. of advising?" On Saturday, September 18, students arrived on campus. They met the resi­ dent assistants of their dormitories, and were greeted by President Atwell and Robert F. Duvall, Director of Admis­ sions. On Sunday, they met for brunch with their respective faculty advisors. At a meeting held later in the day, they learned how, where, and when to contact various people; how to register; and how to handle some of the prob­ lems that could arise within the next few days oftheir college lives. Interspersed with the business of starting a college career, were numer­ ous sports activities on the lawn, and social events with students from the other colleges. The five-day orientation program was the result of planning by students and Deans of Students of all the undergraduate colleges in the Claremont cluster. On Tuesday, September 21, advis­ ing sessions began, and on September 3 "Educational Options-Are Students Make the Big Move Schools Necessary?"-Topic of S & H Lecture Series Pitzer College has received a $2,000 grant from the S & H Foundation, Inc., to help sponsor a series of lectures on "Educational Options, Or Are Schools Necessary?" President Atwell has announced that the lectures will be presented in spring, 1972, on the Pitzer College campus. Speakers for the lecture series will in­ clude those who advocate the abolishing of schools, or "de-schooling" of society, as well as those who favor the more moderate approach of revising educa­ tion within existing systems. Lectures will be combined with seminar groups and workshops, all of which will be open to those interested in educational options. Pitzer College is one of 35 colleges throughout the country to be awarded an S & H Lectureship grant. The lecture­ ship grants are designed to bring prom­ inent and thoughtful speakers to college campuses and to help strengthen col­ lege and community ties by opening the lectures to the public. ALUMNA PROFILE: LYNN HARRIS What's a woman who says, "Pitzer's image of a self-actualizing, fulfilling hu­ the best mistake I ever made", doing on man being. If Pitzer had a Dean's List, the Board of Trustees? On top of that, her name would have been near the top.