4-21-09: Newsy times at DePauw
By: Andrew Bruner
Issue date: 4/21/09 Section: Editor's blog
This semester has been a fun, hectic time to reportr news for The DePauw - and we've still got some big headlines coming in the final two weeks.
I've been involved with the newspaper since the Saturday I moved into Humbert Hall as a freshman, and I can say that this semester has definitely been the newsiest of my eight at DePauw (or seven if you like, since I spent a semester off-campus).
Consider the developments we've seen so far and the big news that's yet to come:
o President Brian Casey's charge to rethink the University's "intellectual life" has made faculty and students alike take a new look at parts of the DePauw experience we previously took for granted. People are now asking questions like, why do we have all these group requirements? and, why aren't Winter Term classes graded?
As The DePauw's editorial board recently wrote, no one knows what's going to happen in two weeks when the faculty are scheduled to vote on such questions at their final faculty meeting. My guess is that they'll avoid making big decisions until next year, but as far as the news goes, the intellectual life journey has been as important as the eventual destination.
o The national recession is affecting all colleges in countless ways. We've run stories about Casey's tentative plans to cut the budget: suspend faculty searches, not renew term professors' contracts, freeze salaries. We'll get a final answer on these possibilities next week when the board of trustees meet on campus to approve next year's budget.
The budget is only the most noticeable way the economy is affecting DePauw. We've reported on the University's fundraising efforts - which were flat compared to the same time last year - and plan on doing so again before the end of the year. Casey has said that the economy has thrown the admission cycle out of whack, and no one knows what to expect as next year's freshman class takes shape. It could be that families will decide a cheaper college option makes more sense in these tough times, and that could mean more cuts to DePauw's budget.
I've been involved with the newspaper since the Saturday I moved into Humbert Hall as a freshman, and I can say that this semester has definitely been the newsiest of my eight at DePauw (or seven if you like, since I spent a semester off-campus).
Consider the developments we've seen so far and the big news that's yet to come:
o President Brian Casey's charge to rethink the University's "intellectual life" has made faculty and students alike take a new look at parts of the DePauw experience we previously took for granted. People are now asking questions like, why do we have all these group requirements? and, why aren't Winter Term classes graded?
As The DePauw's editorial board recently wrote, no one knows what's going to happen in two weeks when the faculty are scheduled to vote on such questions at their final faculty meeting. My guess is that they'll avoid making big decisions until next year, but as far as the news goes, the intellectual life journey has been as important as the eventual destination.
o The national recession is affecting all colleges in countless ways. We've run stories about Casey's tentative plans to cut the budget: suspend faculty searches, not renew term professors' contracts, freeze salaries. We'll get a final answer on these possibilities next week when the board of trustees meet on campus to approve next year's budget.
The budget is only the most noticeable way the economy is affecting DePauw. We've reported on the University's fundraising efforts - which were flat compared to the same time last year - and plan on doing so again before the end of the year. Casey has said that the economy has thrown the admission cycle out of whack, and no one knows what to expect as next year's freshman class takes shape. It could be that families will decide a cheaper college option makes more sense in these tough times, and that could mean more cuts to DePauw's budget.
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