Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2001)
Honors College seeks to diversify curriculum ■The college will revamp its history courses with the help of a $12,000 grant By Brooke Ross Oregon Daily Emerald Diversity improvements are in the works at the Robert D. Clark Honors College, and over the course of the next few years the faculty hopes to see a more diversified stu dent body and faculty, and even a more global curriculum. The Honors College recently re ceived a $12,000 grant from the Williams Council that will allow its faculty to develop and eventually im plement a history curriculum focus ing on the histories of a variety of cul tures. The faculty will spend the next academic year researching and plan ning the revised curriculum. In addition to revamping the cur riculum, David Frank, associate professor of rhetoric and director of the Honors College, said he is deter mined to see diversity among the Honors College faculty and student body increase. He said focusing on these two groups while revising the history curriculum may be key to improving overall diversity. “No one change will make the dif ferences we seek,” he said. “Our in tent is to embrace diversity and do so carefully.” Frank said next fall’s freshman class appears more diverse than this year’s, and revising the history cur riculum is one way to ensure a variety of students remain in the college. Joseph Fracchia, an associate his tory professor in the Honors Col lege, said selecting material for the revised classes will be a challenge because there is so much informa tion to choose from. He said one part of the grant will fund a two week seminar allowing University faculty to meet this summer to de velop ideas for the future curricu lum, including possible course top ics, texts and materials. “We are looking to develop a cur riculum that has integrity and yet also can deal in depth with various cul tures,” he said. “We have to organize it so we do justice to all cultures.” Fracchia said improving diversity in the Honors College has been a con cern of his for nearly a decade. For a long time, he was the sole history pro fessor in the Honors College and re vising the curriculum was too much for one person to do alone, he said. Now that there are two history pro fessors and there is grant money, the faculty are more able to take action to improve diversity. “This is something that’s overdue,” he said. “I’m excited it’s happening.” Fracchia said students share his enthusiasm. “Students regularly expressed con cerns to me diat the curriculum is too narrow, so many of them are now pleased," he said. Frank said the new curriculum will be ready to test in the 2002-2003 academic year. He also said the Hon ors College will begin a search for an additional history professor for next year. The department hopes to bring in someone who is an expert in a field outside Western history. In addition to hiring new faculty, Frank said the Honors College will of fer a handful of courses next year with topics ranging from global human rights to Latin American ethnicity. He said the college invited University professors outside the Honors College to teach in their areas of expertise. Carlos Aguirre, an assistant history professor, will teach Race and Ethnic ity in Modern Latin America to Hon ors College students next winter. He said he hopes to teach them how to appreciate the complexities of racial identities among Latin Americans and also dispel some of the typical stereotypes surrounding Latin Amer icans. SASS fo rms new grou p to help assault victims ■ Survivors ot sexual assault can attend a weekly support group exclusively for students By Lindsay Buchele Oregon Daily Emerald Those who have survived sexual assault are hesitant to talk about what has happened to them and often have difficulty finding the right support system, said Robin Tiedeman, the Sexual Assault Support Services sup port group program manager. But University students who have been victims of sexual assault now have one more resource for dealing with their experiences. SASS has joined forces with the University Counseling Center to bring a safe and comfortable envi ronment to University women who can find support with each other. Starting today, the counseling cen ter will host a closed group session once a week until the end of spring term to provide support for Univer sity females who have been victims of sexual assault. “SASS does important work in our community for survivors,” said Dr. Joy Lum, a staff psychologist for the University Counseling Center. “[We] wanted to work jointly with [SASS] because we have mutual goals of helping those who have experienced sexual assault or abuse. ” Students can sign up on a first come, first-serve basis and take par4 in the exclusive group, Tiedeman said. The group will be limited to six or eight female University students. “It’s important not to add people once the group has started,” she said. “The idea is that the group becomes comfortable enough with each other to share their experiences and feel ings. If people are added, this can cre ate an uncomfortable situation. ” She has recently taken over the po sition of support group program co ordinator and said she decided that it was time to start a group again, with a new group of sexual assault survivors established every term. “At this point, the group is just for students in order to present a safe en vironment,” she said. “If the group flourishes, we may be able to add a faculty group.” Tiedeman and Lum agree that sup port from others who have shared the same experience can mean a lot to a sexual assault survivor. “So often survivors fear they must have done something wrong or have been bad to be assaulted or experi ence abuse,” Lum said, “and while this is not the case, groups like the one we are forming help survivors find more power and feel less alien ated.” Lara Modisette, a sexual assault prevention and education coordina tor for the ASUO Women's Center, said the center supports the group. “We get women looking for sup port resources all the time,” Modis ette said. “A group atmosphere might be more comfortable.” Tiedeman warns that a group at mosphere might not be best for everyone. For those who need that support, there are strict guidelines of confidentiality. “Students will need to make agreements with each other on how they communicate outside the group,” Tiedeman said. The group will meet today from 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the Univer sity Counseling Center. To sign up, call the Counseling Center at 346 3227orSASS at 484-9791. 10221 Eat till the cows come home! Holy Cow in the afternoon! By popular demand, we’ve extended our hours until 7pm Monday through Thursday. To celebrate, treat a friend to a free meal. f " — — — — — — — — — '*\ \&5& Buy 1 Meal I (3pm - 7pm M-Th) | £r your friend eats free! \ equal or lesser value/expires June 15, 2001 j LAS1K Laser Vision Correction Nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism STEVEN OFNER, MD Jerry Allen BEFORE Jerry Allen AFTER (Surgery by Steven Otner, MD) You Don’t Have To Imagine Anymore! Discover the freedom of reducing your dependence on glasses or contact lenses. Call us to see if you are a candidate & explore your options with a FREE consultation appointment. ,rt)UO STEVEN OFNER, M.D. (541) 687-1715 http://www.eugeneeyecare.com mi UO CULTURAL FORUM AND xjtiv worcTi turn JrU A vf JriJud I JUiH vr AvjATirjfrr AM1 PIM1 FRIDAYMAY U, 20017:30 AT MAC COURT TICKETS OK SALE MOW $10 RESERVES BALCONY SEATING $15 FLOOR & BLEACHERS $9A BTivrpcTnr $2 OFF WITH VALID STUBEHT ID TICKETS AVAILABLE AT UO TICKET OFFICE (340-4363) 1 AND ALL FASTIXX LOCATIONS (1-800-992-TIXXS OR FASTIXX.COM
