The University's now-pervasive alcohol discussion spilled over into an unlikely setting yesterday as members of the Academic Council shared their thoughts on the topic.
Janet Dickerson, vice president for student affairs, told the faculty that it was time to move past adjusting the physical architecture of the campus and start focusing on its social and psychological architecture. "We need to look at the nature, extent and consequences of some of our students' use of alcohol and drugs," she said.
Dickerson said the letter she sent home during spring break has prompted tremendous response from parents. Some have recommended that the University ban the substance completely while others have admitted that their own children have drinking problems but that they have chosen to avoid the subject until now.
The presentation stirred up memories of another era for some faculty members who recalled when fraternities and other living groups would host cocktail parties and invite professors to a setting of responsible drinking. "It was very nice, and very mature.... No one was binge drinking," recalled one faculty member.
A University-wide task force held its first meeting Wednesday in a discussion that was initiated after a junior's alcohol-related death last November.
Dickerson stressed that she and the task force are envisioning a campus culture that is not reliant upon alcohol-a culture to be achieved not simply through policy enforcement and regulation but by helping students help themselves, she said. "It's a question of what we need to do and what we can do," Dickerson said. "It's not easy. There are no magic bullets, no Neosporin solution. We can't only deal with the symptoms."
IN OTHER BUSINESS: In more standard procedure, the council also addressed the proposed creation of a Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics in the School of Medicine.
The proposed department would merge the disciplines of biostatistics and bioinformatics to provide a suitable environment for two disciplines seen by many in the field as arrows to the future, said Dr. Joseph Corless, vice dean for faculty and academic affairs at the School of Medicine.
"Biostatistics is a department that has status at most major medical centers," he said. "We have difficulty attracting really good people [since we don't have an appropriate home]."
When pressed by electrical engineering associate professor John Board, William Wilkinson, professor and chief of the division of biometry, acknowledged that there are conflicting definitions of bioinformatics. "We've defined it loosely as 'computational biology,'" he said, adding that its vague definition should not cause concerns that the department will be an "exclusive club." Wilkinson emphasized that the department would be collaborating with the computer science department as well as the Pratt School of Engineering. The proposal will be voted on at the April meeting.
The council also discussed possible renovations to the faculty dining and meeting facilities on the second floor of the West Union building. "Our recommendation is that we take advantage of what is currently unused space," said Mike Munger, associate professor of political science and chair of the Faculty Commons Committee. The committee will be conducting a survey of faculty members to gauge support for an improved eating and meeting establishment.
The council elected Professor of Physics Lawrence Evans for a one-year term as editor of the Faculty Forum, replacing long-time editor and Professor of English Victor Strandberg.
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