Chemistry Students Call for Dept. Changes

Two juniors have proposed more contact with chemistry professors and changes in the department's advising system in a letter delivered to all sophomore and junior concentrators this week.

Virginia S. Loo '96-95 and Sue Y. Kim '96-95 said in the letter that they feel the concerns of undergraduates "are not presently being addressed."

The letter complains of limited access to department faculty, due at least partly to class size.

"Most of the chem classes I have been in have been very large," Kim said in an interview yesterday.

Scheduling meetings or dinners at the Houses might be one way to provide chemistry students with more opportunities to interact with their professors, Kim said.

The letter also claims the current advising system is not equipped to deal with the growing number of students concentrating in chemistry each year.

Currently, the approximately 100 chemistry concentrators are technically assigned to be advised by Head Tutor James E. Davis, Loo said.

The letter suggests alleviating the tutorial office's load by having undergraduate chemistry concentrators advise first-year students considering chemistry as their concentration.

"As a freshman, did you try to choose between 5,10,17, and 20?" the letter asks. "As upperclassmen...we canadvise incoming first-years, and offer first-handaccounts of workloads for classes and necessaryprerequisites."

The letter also suggests that chemistrygraduate students be designated to adviseundergraduates.

This proposed advising would be provided bystudents on a volunteer basis, and would helpalleviate some of the burden on "very busy"chemistry professors, Kim said.

The letter also suggested the distribution of adepartment newsletter, which would keep studentsinformed about potential research options andupcoming events.

Kim and Loo have met with Davis and severalother members of the Chemistry department todiscuss their proposals and the faculty has beenvery supportive, Kim said.

Davis could not be reached for commentyesterday.

Loo said student response has also beenfavorable.

Kim and Loo said they will hold a meeting forstudents who are interested in these issues afterspring break, when a more formal proposal will bedrafted

The letter also suggests that chemistrygraduate students be designated to adviseundergraduates.

This proposed advising would be provided bystudents on a volunteer basis, and would helpalleviate some of the burden on "very busy"chemistry professors, Kim said.

The letter also suggested the distribution of adepartment newsletter, which would keep studentsinformed about potential research options andupcoming events.

Kim and Loo have met with Davis and severalother members of the Chemistry department todiscuss their proposals and the faculty has beenvery supportive, Kim said.

Davis could not be reached for commentyesterday.

Loo said student response has also beenfavorable.

Kim and Loo said they will hold a meeting forstudents who are interested in these issues afterspring break, when a more formal proposal will bedrafted