The Student Learning Experience Task Force, led by Geography Department Chair David Lanegran, was created by President McPherson last fall to examine the experience of Macalester students outside the classroom – a perspective that, according to Lanegran, has been long overlooked.

The committee, which was made up of seven faculty members and two students, settled on five primary topics to investigate: the place of spiritual fitness at Macalester, the students' physical fitness, utilization of our urban location, the percentage of students living in on-campus housing and the function of career guidance. The Task Force initially intended to examine multiculturalism and the role of community service as well, but other committees took up these issues.

To conduct its research, the Task Force invited students and faculty to report on different issues at their bi-weekly meetings. A survey of off-campus students was also conducted, as was a sample study of an introductory geography class to help determine what exactly goes on during students' out-of-classroom lives.

It was this study, examining how students spend their time that was most fascinating for Lanegran. It found that students spend the large majority of their time in the dorms and pointed to a lack of sufficient space for socializing as well as studying. "It was one of those 'ah-ha' experiences for me," he said. "I was amazed at the intensity of negative feelings about recreational space in dormitories."

According to Lanegran, the lack of informal space for students to socialize is problematic in several ways, but primarily for off-campus students. "Since there's no space where people can just hang out, off-campus students eventually turn in to commuter students" said Wyn Douglas '03, who lives off campus.

Sarah Griesse, Director of Residential Life, contends that the problem is not as much lack of space as under-use of the spacevailable. "Students don't view the campus center as a space where they want to hang out" she said, "Student organizations have space that they don't fully utilize. People haven't discovered the Kagin basement yet either." She also pointed out that the Task Force's study was conducted last year, when an entering class of record size forced lounges to be converted in to dorm rooms and the general "crunch" that is not felt in the same way this year.

For Lanegran, however, lack of space goes back to what he sees as a fundamental problem at Macalester. "Students are secondary," he said. "There's no sense of planning with the student at the center." The report addresses the fact that "no comprehensive plan for the student learning experience exists." Citing the power held by the Curriculum Committee, now EPAG, and the report questions the lack of a parallel decision-making body for issues of the general student learning experience. With this in mind, the report recommends that a new committee be created to develop a "student-centered" plan for the school.

Dean of Students Laurie Hamre, who is now in the position of examining the committee's recommendations and reporting on them to the president, pointed out that when it comes to the student experience, "it's a bit more difficult" to assign to a single committee. While she agrees that "any way we can get faculty interested in the out-of-classroom experience is a good thing," she added that there are in fact groups in place that already discuss such issues, listing the group of campus deans that meet weekly as well as MCSG organizations.

"We would like the faculty to be more student centered. If that means a committee then we'll do it," Hamre said, while still hesitant to eliminate other options. "The outcome recommended in the report needs to be the outcome" she said.

The next issue discussed in the report is that of the percentage of students living on campus. While the survey found students living off campus to be satisfied with their living situation, there is evidence of more upperclassmen trying to live on campus than can currently be accommodated. Therefore, the report suggested that the college attempt to increase the percentage of on-campus students to 80 percent. Right now it is 76 percent and with the additional construction going on in Wallace and an extension to Turck, by the fall of '04, capacity will be at 77 percent. Griesse pointed out the importance of creating housing that appeals to upperclassman, and said that the new renovations will create 57 new beds for juniors and seniors.

The report also recommended that the college work with local landlords to discuss possibly converting those buildings into campus housing. Both Hamre and Griesse were quick to point out, however, that the high cost of the renovation that would inevitably be necessary as well as the dislocation of Mac students that currently live in such buildings has inhibited the progress of this suggestion.

Next, the Task Force said that their research reinforced what had already been determined as the need for a new athletic/recreation facility. They suggest that before the plans for such a building are created, however, a "general plan for health and wellness" be developed for the student body.

Although not mentioned in the report, the school is also aware of the need for a new Fine Arts building. According to Hamre, it is "evident that the need is there" and the school "is poised to start working on it." However, she added that such development involves the establishment of two capitol campaigns and that some feel that now is not the best time to begin asking people for such large sums of money while so many are struggling with their own finances.

The committee then sought to examine the role of what they called "spiritual fitness" at Macalester. Philosophy professor David Sunderland wrote what Lanegran referred to as an "elegant" analysis of the situation on our campus, and came to the conclusion that "Macalester has a level of spiritual fitness that may not be apparent if we consider only traditional religious affiliation." Although no official recommendation was included, the report did suggest that no further ties be established with the Presbyterian Church.

Chaplain Lucy Forster-Smith was hesitant to embrace the implications of this statement, stressing the danger of "denying one's history," which she believes Macalester would risk if the ties with the church were ever to be severed entirely. It is precisely this denial, she asserts, that would "undercut Macalester's value of multiculturalism," not ties with the church, as the report claims.

In addition, the Task Force recommended the furthering of a relationship between the Center for Multicultural Affairs, the Career Development Center and the Alumni Office. They also suggested that grant initiatives be incorporated into the work of such offices. According to Lanegran, these recommendations merely reinforce and support the work done by the Center for Scholarship and Teaching.

Finally, the report examined on-campus programming and special events. The findings concluded that while there are a plethora of activities happening on any given day, few draw a significant audience.

The report found that the problem was not lack of funding but rather a "lack of coordination in the timing, selection and planning" of events. As Lanegran put it, "We've got programming that could serve a school of 20,000 and we barely have 2,000." It suggests that Campus Programs make an effort to aid in coordinating major events and that more variety in the type of programs sponsored be ensured.

Hamre is hopeful that the Programming Board will provide an answer to this problem. As for the future of the rest of the report's recommendations, she urges students to contact her about their reactions and concerns. She will be examining the feasibility of the report's suggestions over the next month, after which she will present her findings to the Resources and Planning Committee as well as President McPherson. "We'll take a look at the kind of sense they got about what the student experience should be" she said, "There's a little bit more work to do."