As the University attempts to create a more intellectual campus climate, next year's Duke Student Government vice president for academic affairs will likely play a key role in several issues, ranging form online course evaluations to the honor code. Three candidates have expressed interest in taking on those challenges: junior Lyndsay Beal and sophomores Avery Reaves and Mary Helen Wimberly.
One important issue continues to be the online course evaluation system, a focus of the past two vice presidents. Although both managed to make data available on a per-semester basis through SACES, they were unable to institute the program permanently.
Senior Abhijit Prabhu, who currently holds the position, said although the issues are difficult to predict, they have not changed much. Specifically, he cited the honor code and technology in the classroom as other top concerns.
Beal, a biology major from Dallas, Texas, studied last fall in Madrid and served on DSG's academic affairs committee her freshman and sophomore years. She also was a member of the Board of Trustees' academic affairs committee her sophomore year and said SACES, technology and improving safety in academic areas such as Perkins are her top concerns.
"[I want to] continue some things started by Abhijit," Beal said. "I was very involved in setting [SACES] up sophomore year.... Hopefully, I can extend it to the [Pratt School of Engineering]."
Beal said she also wants to establish a way for students to receive credit for lab hours, adding she would like to see Duke move to an hours system for all course credits. Additionally, she said, courses should be more relevant to the real world.
"[What you learn] is not particularly applicable to your job when you get out of school," she said. "My goal would be to influence professors to do what they can [to make their courses more applicable]."
A political science and economics double-major from Memphis, Tenn., Reaves said if elected, he would focus on the honor code, online course evaluations and Perkins Library renovations.
He serves on DSG's academic affairs committee and is a member of the council that has been guiding the renovation of Perkins.
"We're not a second-tier school," he said. "We shouldn't have a third- or fourth-tier library."
On the honor code, Reaves said it should be similar to those at the University of Virginia and military academies.
He also hopes to make online course evaluations permanent and emphasized the importance that future construction, such as the new engineering plaza and the genomics center, will have on the academic environment.
"We all love to watch basketball and go to the frat parties, but we all chose Duke because of its academics," he said.
"I think people should come here not for basketball. We should be known for world-class teaching and world-class facilities."
A former East Campus Council member, Wimberly, a native of Atlanta, Ga., has not declared a major. She currently serves on the Honor Council, and listed improving the honor code as one of her primary concerns. She also hopes to better integrate academics into the student experience and revamp Curriculum 2000.
"We need to expand what it does mean to lie, cheat and steal," she said. "I think we need to eliminate the turning in of [peers] as a question of honor."
Wimberly said she would also like to create a better link between curricular and extra-curricular activities, perhaps by encouraging more faculty involvement with clubs. In addition, she has proposed a student academic advising system to help freshmen adjust to academic life in college.
Wimberly also said she hopes to change Curriculum 2000.
"Its goals are good, but I think it's kind of flawed in the breadth requirement," she said. She added that certain areas of the curriculum, such as math, should not be required and the University should expand the cross-cultural inquiry elements to give students greater multi-cultural exposure.
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