Class lets honors students pick books
By: Aly Van Dyke
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: News
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Some would spend that time sunbathing, sleeping or scrambling to meet school or work deadlines. Others might simply sit back, relax and enjoy a good book.
One class of Honors College students is assigned to do just that.
For one hour every Tuesday, 11 students in Honors 295R gather at a roundtable in the Slonaker House to discuss books of their choice, but with a very specific goal in mind: to select the novel Honors college freshmen will get at orientation.
For the past two years, these freshmen have been given a paperback novel to read over the summer.
It was only last year that students made the choice, said Barbara Whittlesey, administrative associate for the Honors College.
"It's important that students choose the book because the administration aren't reading the books, the students are," said Christine Filer, a pre-communication sophomore and student in the course. "We know what it is like to be a freshman in the twentieth century."
Once the students arrive in the fall, they can participate in discussion groups, film screenings and other events designed to create a sense of community among the newcomers and their older peers, said Patricia MacCorquodale, dean of the Honors College Dean.
"(The resources help) freshmen acclimate to our college by furnishing them with the tools necessary to develop a strong sense of intellectual curiosity, which is absolutely vital for success both in college and beyond," said Lon Huber, a public administration senior and student in the course.
This year's selection was Tamin Ansary's "East of Kabul, West of New York." The Honors College arranged for Ansary to come to campus in October to speak to more than 300 students at the Family Weekend convocation.
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