Similarly, though the survey asks how important (scale of 1-5) it would be for Harvard to expand the Faculty in a number of specific areas, including more minority faculty and more women faculty, it might also be useful to ask students how many minority faculty and how many women faculty (tenured and non-tenured) have taught us in the last four years, a better reflection of the distance still to go to have true diversity on the Faculty.
For the Class of 2000, questions on issues and events which have helped shape our College experience:
On a scale of 1-5, how closely did you follow the Radcliffe merger? On a scale of 1-5, how involved were you with Radcliffe before it became an allied institute? How active are you now with issues affecting women at Harvard College? Did you participate in a protest in the last four years?
On a scale of 1-5, how important is it to you that Harvard a) give its workers a living wage? b) have no involvement with sweatshop labor? c) build a student center? d) build a women's center? How important is it that University Health Services give refunds to students opposed to abortion? On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate the financial aid program at Harvard? If you gave to the senior gift, did you direct your donation to the financial aid program?
Any of these issues could be addressed by individual seniors in a free response answer, I realize, but the College would get a more widespread, not to mention statistically significant, response if it were to include questions like the ones above in multiple-choice format. I suggest these questions not necessarily with the expectation of certain answers but because the questions probe aspects of life at the College which the survey, useful and thoughtful though it already is, does not address directly.
The senior survey is a requirement but also an opportunity, the last chance we have to make a meaningful contribution as students of this College. We should share as much of our experience as possible in the hope of truly reinforcing all that is wonderful here and articulating all that could be improved.
Susannah B. Tobin '00 is a classics concentrator in Lowell House. This is her final column.