This year's freshmen will have the opportunity to participate in a new program geared toward integrating their academic and social lives. In the University College program, three floors in McDowell Hall and four in Anderson will have 18 to 20 freshmen living on them. Those students choosing to participate in the program will also have the opportunity to take classes in their residence halls.
While it is a noble idea put forward by President Ladner's 15-point plan for strategic change, the program could lead to isolating students socially. It is akin to study-abroad students staying in English-speaking enclaves instead of immersing in the host country's culture.
While some students may actually thrive in such a program, many freshmen would like to be more in control the first time they strike out on their own. The various courses with trips around the city are doing what the students can easily do themselves. They can get to the Smithsonian just as easily without the University's prodding.
Another possible problem is the number of freshmen who will be placed in McDowell and Anderson. Some early estimates say one-third of the students in McDowell will be freshmen in the fall. This could upset the balance on floors, and the segregation of freshmen to an entire wing of a floor does not serve to incorporate them into the community.
We welcome these "enthusiastic learners" to AU, but we would like to see them live out a true college experience as freshmen.
