The Learning Programs Working Group, a committee consisting of numerous faculty members and administrators, has recently taken it upon themselves to review the curriculum. After nearly 30 years without evaluation, one can only admit it’s well needed.

Plans for experiential learning are a plus, fewer classes with more depth don’t sound like a bad idea. Also, who could argue with a reduced class load on professors?

Internships really do matter, and creating time to participate is needed. After all, there’s really not a substitute for the hands-on experience.

And anyone who’s taken a full load at Simpson knows how stressful it can be. Many of us end up focusing on two or three courses while the others are put on the back burner. Four courses may be a bit more manageable.

Professors. We love you, and we know you’re over-worked. The idea of cutting you all some slack sounds good to us!

Although there are benefits, many of the other proposals are subject to varying opinions

May Term is a unique experience to Simpson offering three weeks to really get to know and understand a unique aspect of a department. Still, only requiring two May Terms of each student would alter the entire experience.

The idea that commencement would be before May Term doesn’t sound like such a grand idea, either. If we’re only going to require two May Terms, and seniors will graduate before May Term starts, why not just get rid of it? Talk about a culture change!

And now that whole idea about a week break before May Term. Did anyone think about what the students would be doing during this time? We can guarantee it most likely won’t involve a whole lot of work or a canoe ride in Ahquabi, unless there’s alcohol involved. A week before May Term would just be an excuse to have a week-long party, without any classes in the way.

While many of the proposals of the LPWG group were well-intentioned and a few of them have merit, many of them fail to even keep students in mind. We sure hope there will be an opportunity for student feedback, as we’re sure there will be, but where was the students’ voice in the drafting of these proposals?