Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / Nov. 6, 1998, edition 1 / Page 9
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THE GUILFORDIAN NOVEMBER 6, 1 998 Structural changes: comparing FYS and FYE By Colin Berry STAFF WRITER The first year of college be gins a flood of uncertainties, which unfortunately never stop flowing. However, this year Guilford has focused on easing this transition for its freshmen by implementing the new First Year Experience (FYE) in place of its previous First Year Semi nar (FYS). Twenty years ago, first-year students were required to take IDS 101, which was a bookend to the required senior class, IDS 401. IDS 101 subjects were cho sen well before the professors of the classes wee selected, so pro fessors had no choice in the sub ject of their course. Conversely, the switch from IDS 101 to FYS welcomed profes sors to design their own course, one that fit their personal inter ests. The new FYE program is not to be mistaken for a totally new program. Like FYS, FYE profes sors still design their own courses, and the 18 offered classes are still based on inter disciplinary studies. In addition, faculty still aim to address time management skills, use of the li brary, and possible major and career choices. The main difference be tween the former FYS and the new FYE is that now professors are required to include three things in their course's curricu lum as well as FYS's interdisci plinary core. FYE courses must focus on speaking and listening skills, carry an experiential component, and examine the five Quaker tes timonies. The design of the new FYE program guarantees that each first-year student will receive identical information that is packaged and integrated into a subject that the student chooses to study. This way FYE courses Censar This r 1 I v Efl Features are consistent with one another yet each still holds its own unique qualities. Other improvements to the first-year program include the guarantee that each student's FYE instructor is also his or her academic advisor. Meeting with the class three times a week, the professor is ensured a better chance to get to know the stu dents on a more personal level as well as time to chart the stu dents' growth through classroom observation. Also, FYE aims to embed orientation into the students' en tire first year at Guilford and not just to plant it in the one-week of Chaos in August. Anne Lundquist, Director of the First Year Program, says, "I've been trying to move in the direction to get people to see that orientation is an ongoing process." Most recently, this continu ation of orientation can be seen through FYE's experiential com ponent. So far FYE classes have gone rock climbing, camping, on all-day field trips, and social gatherings together. "My FYE class [Rights of Passage] went rock climbing," says first-year student Josh Verleun. "It was a real bonding experience where we had to work through a physical challenge to gether." In other words, the students continue getting to know one an other and to bond well into the school year. Learning about each other does not stop just because school has started. FYE tries to facilitate the evolution of well-rounded stu dents who thrive in their four years at Guilford. "I think FYE is the best orientation," says Zee Russell. "It's gotten me into ev erything at Guilford and has touched not only the emotional side of coming here, but also the spiritual and physical sides. I definitely think FYE should con tinue here." \ II J ■ w *" iHF hi' i * * - . III *t- P* ih V ' #•>■ • •••• ,- 1 ;•. ' ,•• * W >.*' -, '/•" .. ... • >.. - •:•-■. . v ;- J! In Iv* i iV 111 I Sylvia Trelles teaches in the new FYE program Pleasant, cont'd from page 6 surprise for me. It easily could have stopped at being a parody of 50's television, or been a re versal on The Brady Bunch: The Movie. Fortunately, the writ ers decided to explore the idea on a deeper level. It's a witty and touching story about how a safer, cleaner world is not al ways a better one. In fact there is so much written into this film that is worthy being discussed, it would be impossible to fit it all in here. Apart from the wonderful writing, Pleasantville is visu ally powerful. It is said to be the film with the single most special effect sequences ever made, and after watching the population of Pleasantville turn from black and white to bril liant technicolor, I am willing to believe it. This film is beau tiful to watch. Pleasantville could very easily be one of the best films I've seen in a long time. It was well-written, well-acted, and well-directed. So go see Pleasantville, and maybe then you'll see that we're not that bad off here in the 90's after all. AticxWi Tk ]) ? xyf/ IJM 7
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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Nov. 6, 1998, edition 1
9
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