The DePauw, Friday, Oct. 4, 2013

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pages 6 & 7 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

Proposals for condensed Winter Term on the table

Indiana’s Oldest College Newspaper

VOL. 162, ISSUE 12

“Low Road” art gallery struggles on through financial troubles

By DANA FERGUSON news@thedepauw.com

A document titled “A Proposal for Winter Term Changes and New Summer Programs” circulated to select faculty members this week, detailing ideas for a Winter Term condensed from a current three full weeks to two and for regular DePauw courses taught during the summer. Larry Stimpert, vice president for academic affairs, said an updated copy of the document that reflects the material from the original draft will be sent to faculty members this weekend and will be discussed at the monthly faculty meeting Monday. “We don’t have anything that we’ve decided that is perfect or that is final,” he said in a phone interview Thursday night. The proposal suggests dropping the existing Winter Term requirement, paying faculty who teach the two-week courses a “flat stipend” and discontinuing the incentive for faculty of “banking” courses for year-long sabbaticals. Both drafts of the document say, “Incentives for Winter Term are lacking.” For students, the required, but not graded classes do not generate enough incentive to work hard. For that reason, Stimpert said the proposed, shorter Winter Term would be an improvement. “Students should want to engage in activities,” Stimpert said. “If they’re great experiences, there shouldn’t need to be a requirement to do it.” The document also addresses lacking incentives for faculty members with respect to Winter Term teaching and trip leading. “Faculty members see Winter Term teaching as either an unattractive obligation or as a means to work toward a fullyear sabbatical,” the document says. Stimpert said motivation by obligation for faculty members hardly seemed likely a good enough reason to continue the tradition. “We’re obviously willing to compensate, but we shouldn’t say they have to do them,” he said. “That’s bad motivation for doing anything.” While past “banked” time would still transfer for professors working toward sabbaticals, guiding future trips or teaching classes would not. Instead, the document said the committee members advocating the change, “anticipate offering additional opportunities for faculty members to obtain full-year sabbaticals through grant-writing, opportunities offered by consortium partners and possibly by teaching extra courses if the university moves to a five-course teaching load.”

Winter Term | cont. on page 2

Fifth-year Peeler interns Alex Chamberlain, Emily Wilson and Brittany Sievers struggle to financially support the Low Road Gallery located on West Washington Street after the Vice President of Academic Affairs’ Office cut funding. SUNNY STRADER/THE DEPAUW By NETTIE FINN news@thedepauw.com

On the whitewashed walls of a basement level space on Washington Street just off of Greencastle’s town square, hang entrancing pieces of modern art: something not every town of 10,331 can boast about. Three Peeler Center fifth-year interns, Alex Chamberlain ‘13, Brittany Sievers ’13 and Emily Wilson ‘13, have taken it upon themselves to make sure this space, the Low Road art gallery, remains up and running through its

present financial predicament. Currently in its fifth exhibition season, or third year, the Low Road began with two previous 5th year interns, Lukas Schooler ’11 and Julie Rooney ‘11. “They started this space because they wanted a place where contemporary art could be showcased to the Greencastle community, as well as the DePauw community,” Chamberlain, the Arthur E. Klauser Collection and Community Outreach Intern, said. Unfortunately, the Low Road has fallen upon hard times.

Two years ago, the students in charge of the gallery at the time received a grant from the Vice President of Academic Affairs’ Office (VPAA). This grant would supply the Low Road with funding to last them two years. “Last year’s manager told us, ‘Oh you’ve got another year of funding.’ […] Well, on the second day of the job, we found out that wasn’t true,” Chamberlain said. The funding from the VPAA’s office ended last semester, leaving Sievers, Wilson and

Low Road | continued on page 3


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