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Information For Students
Audio Message to Students
from APSCUF
Open Letter to Students
"Town Hall" Meeting on Thursday, March 29th
APSCUF-KU will host our second Student Forum/Open Discussion on March 29th from 11:00 to 1:00 in the President’s Room (SUB 250) of the Student Union Building. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the Academic Forum
building, quality education, the current state of contract negotiations, and the implications of a possible job action.
APSCUF-KU Scholarships
APSCUF-KU is pleased to announce that we will be awarding five $500.00 scholarships to undergraduate students returning to campus in Fall 2007. In addition, APSCUF-KU will also give $100.00 to those students
interviewed but not receiving the scholarship.
PowerPoint Presentations
The Student Union
by Christopher Tiefel
The fountain in the Alumni Plaza is
shut off. Its faux-riverbed dry.
All the pennies have been scooped out,
wishes spent.
Six sickly trees have given their all to fall
& trampled
dusty remains
gather in the fountain’s base.
The only rumble now is passing traffic,
& the shuffle of students steps on
a mud line cut through dying grass,
always rushing five minutes before, or after class in
shields of iPod interference--sound tracked
bubbles--& cell phones stringing invisible
electric laundry lines for all to hear:
(insert cliché here)
The students stacked in trailers
behind Lytle Hall will soon move
to the academic forum; a giant glowing
17 million dollar fishbowl filled with
goldfish eyes in 200 seat amphitheaters,
the teachers
will never have to
learn my name again.
The dry recycled air echoes
recycled ideas pounded into
five paragraph containers,
reused in the library, wasted computer printout
pages, all grades
the same--one
pen stroke pass
or fail--like
finding a parking space
five minutes before class.
We are (the new) Penn State
repackaged in another field, in
another ground broken ceremony
high-rise honeycombed dorms,
where a single room is now a triple
in a numbers game of how many students
can we jam in one place, for one price
& still get away with it. Better yet--
put a food court in the forum so
they can buy freedom fries. Please just
keep the Republicans away from bake sales.
The turned up corn fields give again--
the illusion of space--like
the fairgrounds on a weekend,
& diversity is half the population
taking a bus back to the city,
taking a truck back to the country.
Monday thru Friday we walk in streams but
never pool into a student union,
it’s just myspace now, faux
facebooked friends & waiting
for the season to slide by,
a fountain filled again. (Published with Permission)
Student Blog
Student Petition Regarding Larger Classes
Academic Forum Presentation Items - 11/15/2006
Memos and Letters to the University Student Body
THE ACADEMIC FORUM BUILDING AND YOU
Monday, October 23, 2006
What is a forum? According to Webster’s Dictionary, it is: a) the marketplace or public place of an ancient Roman city forming the center of judicial and public business b) a public meeting place for open
discussion c) a medium (as a newspaper) of open discussion or expression of ideas. 2: a public meeting or lecture involving audience discussion b: a program (as on radio or television) involving discussion of a
problem usu. by several authorities.
A forum is an ancient, wonderful concept suggesting a place for argument, discussion, and exchange of ideas. The origin of the term comes from the Roman word for the center of
democratic discussion and decision-making. This is indeed a terrific vision for education. An “Academic Forum” ought to name a place where professors and students meet, think, and discuss together.
In the Academic Forum building, however, it will be difficult to engage in the kind of intellectual exchange that the term “forum” embodies. We might well ask then: Why would
you call a combined cafeteria and large-classroom space that discourages discussion and interaction between students and faculty a “Forum”? Wouldn’t “Academic Food Court and Auditorium” be a more accurate name?
The Academic Forum is in many ways counter to the very definition of forum. In a movie theater like room seating 85 to 200 students, effective interaction between students,
and between faculty and students, will be stifled. This is completely counter to APSCUF’s idea of what constitutes quality education.
APSCUF believes the best educational experience occurs in smaller groups.
Why Small Classes Matter:
-
No one will get lost in the crowd
-
One-on-one consultation is possible
-
Hands on learning is possible
-
Reflects the literature on quality education
-
It is aligned with the Kutztown University Mission Statement
How will the Academic Forum building affect you?
-
Limits your opportunity to enroll in smaller classes
-
Decreases your contact with your instructor
-
Limits how a course can be taught
-
Limits activities for learning
What you can do:
Keystone Newspaper Ads
Press Release Monday, October 23, 2006
APSCUF-KU, the union representing Kutztown University faculty, will hold a open forum for KU students interested in the impact the new Forum building (large classroom) will have on the quality of instruction,
student learning, student retention, student recruitment and the current Kutztown University mission. The panel discussion will take place on November 15th between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
All local media providers are invited to attend and cover the event which will be held in the Alumni Auditorium in the McFarland Student Union Building, room 183. |
