Major Changes

Joel Swirnoff and Zach Trabitz Staff Writer and Junior News Editor

throughout the past few years, including a new Department of Statistics & Data Science and a publishing concentration within the English major.

not only to promote interdisciplinary learning, but also to meet students' interests in specific subject areas.

The publishing concentration under the English major began in the fall of 2022, and focuses on both the theory and practical aspects of publishing. The concentration stemmed from English Professor Martin Riker’s course “Business of by students. Riker said the structures in English.

“The English department already had in place most of the basic elements that were needed for the concentration,” Riker said. “Within the department, we talked about what we already had and what we new classes — particularly around place now, but we are still working an internship program through the Career Center and to work with other departments for crosscurriculum.”

The concentration is unique in training, it has a broad focus on the philosophy of publishing as well. The major requires a three-course core sequence of “Publishing

Publishing,” and “Copyediting,” along with two additional publishing

“I teach two of the core courses: ‘Publishing History & Contexts’ and on looking at publishing as a cultural phenomenon, while the second has students follow the progress of the third core requirement, which will launch in Fall 2023.”

Riker said that students would optimally, through the publishing concentration, get a broad understanding of how language operates — a skill that he thinks is

“In my opinion, if a young person language operates, or how we read texts and culture and make informed sense of all the language we're surrounded by, then they are doing pretty well,” Riker said. “Ideally, the study of publishing would be useful and interesting interest in taking on publishing as a profession. Though I certainly hope it is useful for those who do!” offering a Data Science major, which includes classes in both the Department of Computer Science

Department of Mathematics and

Professor Ron Cytron, who teaches courses in Computer Science and creation of the major.

“The Data Science major is, in some way, recognizing the importance of being schooled about computation, but also about math and statistics,” Cytron said. “If you think about computer science meet[ing] big data, it’s some kind of data science.” plan to establish a Department of Statistics and Data Science, which the new major will then fall under. Following the creation of this new department, the current Department of Mathematics and Statistics will become the Department of Mathematics. Michigan, would head the new department.

December 2021 that it plans to construct a new building for the expected to be built west of Olin Library and north of Graham Chapel. With its footprint creating a new quad, the architectural firm Weiss/ Manfredi would take charge in its design and building.

Michael Manfredi, co-founder of Weiss/Manfredi, said in a town and Sciences community that he was excited for the growth of the campus.

“This is a campus and institution said. “What’s exciting for us is to that [members of the community] are engaged in.”

Manfredi remarked about the location, saying that “The strategic location is unparalleled,” referencing its central location on campus.

Demolition has begun in the process of building new biology laboratories on campus as well. Nine new teaching labs will be built on the second and third floors of Jolley Hall, functionally replacing the older labs in Rebstock Hall that biology students currently use. The so that they can be used by faculty for research.

Joseph Jez, the chair of the Biology Department, described himself as process of creating the new labs. He cited increased class sizes, the outdatedness of the labs in Rebstock, and a need for more research space for tenure-track faculty members as main reasons for the project.

Jez emphasized student interaction in discussing plans for the new space, which is largely limited to Rebstock’s lab spaces.

“There are going to be a lot of where students can hang out between classes.” Jez said. “Right now, Rebstock isn’t particularly happens really well,” Jez said. “It’s going to be really exciting to see when these open up.”

Jez also touched on his excitement in seeing the project go through, Director of Facilities Dzenana teaching faculty as playing key roles in its success.