Some of the major changes include lectures on alternative careers in chemistry, confidential off-campus psychiatric help, and social events that help bring together the different research groups within the Department.

In addition to these changes, one specific problem that Altom mentioned in his suicide note is on its way to be remedied. Until this year, graduate students had one adviser with whom they worked closely from their first year until the completion of a thesis.

Now, for the first time students can form a pre-thesis committee comprised of their adviser and two other Faculty members.

"A lot of what we've been trying to do is increase communication between the students and the Faculty, says Krista A. Beaver, a third-year graduate student who is also the co-chair of the Chemistry Department's Quality of Life Committee. "New committees do that."

A physical overhaul is planned as well. The lobby of Mallinckrodt Laboratory will be renovated in order to make the building more user-friendly.

"The lobby will contain the offices of the chair of the department, the lab director, and support for students," Anderson says. "It establishes a human face of the department to anyone who comes in."

The lobby will then lead into one of the biggest additions to the Chemistry Department in years, a new student center.

"The student center is a distinct departure from the past," Anderson says. "It will have a cafe, a place for computers, and students can view lectures or sporting events.