September 21, 2016 The Signal page 5
SG scholarship exceeds original goal
SG discusses SOAR, a student involvement retreat that is mandatory for all student organizations.
By Megan Kelly Staff Writer
On Wednesday, Sept. 14, Student Government (SG) held its first meeting of the fall semester. The meeting was primarily used for introducing cabinet members and acquainting new and potential SG members to the layout of meetings, but salient points included the announcement and explanation of the Student Organization Advancement Retreat (SOAR) and that the SG scholarship has reached endowment. The meeting began with the introduction of each cabinet member and a few words about their respective positions and responsibilities. Afterwards, Executive President Kevin Kim introduced the first topic: SOAR.
SOAR is a meeting between student organizations to discuss goals and ideas that student leaders have for their respective groups. Previously, the event had taken place on a weekend and was an allday affair, but this year, the retreat will be on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in room 115 of the Education Building from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. More information about the retreat will be given during the first half of the event, which is planned to last about an hour and a half, and the second half will be a time for the student groups to collaborate on their ideas rather than listen to lectures, which had been done in previous retreats.
Kim Iannarone / Photo Editor
“Different focus areas are going to meet together and collaborate and discuss different issues in their areas,” Kim said. Later on in the meeting, Vice President of Advancement Samantha Williams announced that the Student Government scholarship has exceeded its endowment goal and has currently raised $26,183.29. “We have worked really hard through the past few years to get this scholarship going, and now our hard work is coming to fruition,” Williams said. Vice President for Governmental Affairs Tori Mazzola later announced a Constitution Day Bingo planned for Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in
room 115 of the Education Building. “Basically, it’s like normal bingo at TCNJ... so yes, gift cards, prizes, we’re about it, but it’s going to be focused around the Constitution and the U.S.,” Mazzola said. Mazzola also spoke about TurboVote, a website that streamlines the process of registering to vote and makes it easier for students to fill out absentee ballots. Mazzola will speak about TurboVote more at the next meeting. Lastly, sophomore class council President Carly Mauro announced there is full funding for a Moonlight Cruise for the sophomore class. The cruise will take place on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 11:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., and the cruise is limited to 200 students.
IMM / Courses from CSS to woodshop continued from page 1
“We don’t assign a mini course, we just find motivated people,” Kuiphoff said. “It’s about the people, not really about the topics.” Kuiphoff and the IMM department are always on the hunt for that unbridled passion that indicates a potential mini course professor. When someone piques their interest, they ask if they’d like to teach a mini course, and those interested send in a topic and description of the course they want to teach. If at least six students are interested, the course runs. The city-bound stranger Kuiphoff overheard turned out to be a social media coordinator at a major news network. She is currently in talks to head a mini course next semester, but her story is an anomaly among mini course professors. Usually, the hunt for professors is limited to alumnis, local business leaders and, occasionally, College professors looking to teach their secret passion. IMM adjunct professor Josh Fishburn, for example, taught a course on GitHub, a web-based repository hosting service. Sometimes, mini course professors surprise the IMM department by choosing an unexpected topic. Kuiphoff, whose specialty is web design, taught a woodworking
The IMM department offers mini courses.
tcnj.edu
course, and alumna Liz Wolfe, an artist, opted to teach a class on game theory. Given the experimental nature of mini courses, there are bound to be some failures, Kuiphoff said. Certain courses might need extra sessions to be fleshed out properly. Since no degree is required to teach a mini course, professors might not be able to effectively teach their chosen topic. Passion does not always lead to good teaching. Most of the time, however, the mini courses go well. Digital fabrication was so popular among IMM students that it was turned into a full course. Professor Donna Shaw, chair of the Journalism and Professional Writing (JPW) department, appreciates the ability to test out new courses. “I like the idea that we can experiment with the mini courses to see what works, to see what grabs the students,” Shaw said. Shaw invited JPW students to try two mini courses for the Fall 2016 semester that she felt fit the JPW curriculum — Storytelling for Business and Introduction to Advertising Copywriting. These courses, she said, help fill holes in the oft-neglected professional writing half of the JPW major. “The skills that are required, when you think about it, are quite similar,” Shaw said. “It requires being able to write something that’s short, succinct, punchy.” JPW isn’t the only department looking into mini courses. Kuiphoff has been talking to the business and art departments about implementing them, and the communications department is fiddling with the idea, as well. “If I had an ultimate goal, I’d like to see every major and every school here inside the College offer (mini courses) because they add so much life,” Kuiphoff said. Mini courses were envisioned as a way for students to further their education in topics they otherwise may not have tried — topics such as Storytelling for Business and Introduction to Advertising Copywriting. Often times, students take away more from four sessions than a full semester course. Kuiphoff recounted how one senior — who had a highpaying job lined up for him in his major’s field — took the welding mini course and fell in love with it to the point where he wanted to turn it into his career. This, to Kuiphoff, was a success story: a student had found his passion through a mini course.
The School of the Arts & Communication was supportive of the idea — even still, it took a long time and careful planning to implement. The concept questions the norm of having to “slog through” a 14-week semester to receive credit, according to Kuiphoff. “What if I’m, like, halfway through (a full course) and I don’t like (it) anymore?” Kuiphoff said, echoing the worries of many students. “So, at least (mini courses) allow students to kick the tires and try something new.” To implement the mini courses, the Office of Records and Registrations had to break many established norms of higher education that didn’t agree with Kuiphoff’s education philosophy. A typical college course has a 10-student minimum, but Kuiphoff believes the optimal number of students in a classroom is between six and eight, so mini courses only need six students. He also insisted on four week courses instead of the usual 14, and he was set on a pass/fail system. “Pass/fail was imperative,” Kuiphoff said. “I don’t like grades. It doesn’t work in my world.” Kuiphoff is also toying with the idea of having mini courses taught off-campus. Why not have an art history course at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City? The idea even went as far as allowing alumni to return and take mini courses, should they choose. Kuiphoff introduced the idea as a way for alumni to continue networking and learning even after graduation. He called it “routine maintenance.” It’s like taking your car back to the shop every few years. Mini courses aren’t open to alumni just yet, but Kuiphoff hopes to welcome back former students soon. After all, alumni are the foundation upon which mini courses are built and are a largely untapped resource for current students. Both Shaw and Kuiphoff believe alumni can identify more with students than other professors can. “(Alumni) can look at the students and say, ‘I was sitting right there in that chair just like you are now and here’s what I learned since then,’” Shaw said. A college can’t teach its students everything. Alumni can learn a lot from just a few years of living in the real world, which was exemplified when Kuiphoff opened up his laptop. On the screen was a long list of skills from the LinkedIn accounts of IMM alumni — some learned in a classroom and others learned elsewhere. “Any of these can be a mini course,” Kuiphoff said.