SGA recommends changes to Math Emporium
SGA senators weren’t convinced by the presentations of Math Department Chair Dan Van Peursem that all is well with the Math Emporium, and so they drafted a resolution recommending a list of changes that should be made to the Emporium.
The resolution described Math administration officials as unreceptive to recommendations, and unable to justify why student success percentages have declined so dramatically.
The bill passed SGA unanimously.
Issues with the Emporium first came to the attention of SGA last fall, when it held a “Freshmen Forum” to discuss problems first-year students often experience.
Among the most commonly aired complaints were ones having to do with the Math Emporium, so then-SGA President Sami Zoss decided to investigate the matter.
In February, SGA held a forum to discuss student concerns with the Emporium, which was when Van Peursem first mounted his defense, despite numbers indicating an uptick in students failing Math Emporium classes in the last few years.
Van Peursem was unable to explain why success rates have been continually declining, but he nonetheless continues to view the Emporium positively.
Another common complaint against the Emporium SGA heard from students is that the tutors have a tendency to be unpleasant and unhelpful, which several senators have said they’ve experienced themselves.
“The major issues we’ve noticed are that 20 percent decrease (of students passing math classes) that he (Van Peursem) doesn’t seem worried about,” said SGA President Nathaniel Steinlicht said. “The tutors have been another big issue. I know that a lot of senators have been talking about – some of the tutors are very helpful, and some of them are just awful.”
SGA Vice President Michelle Novak stressed the issues regarding space constrictions within the current Math Emporium setting, which could potentially be alleviated by moving the Emporium to a different location.
Math Emporium recommendations within the resolution included the creation of a “Supplemental Lecture” series to complement the Emporium, improvements to the structure of the Emporium to improve access to computers and assigned sections of the Emporium especially for students having problems.
Other recommendations included stressing the importance of politeness and helpfulness to Emporium tutors, surveys to gauge how students are feeling about the Emporium and a possible reduction or waiving of the hours requirement for students who are ahead in a math course.
