Dear Editor: Your Sept. 23 “High Enrollment is more than Simpsoncan chew” editorial intrigued the staff of the Lilly Initiative forVocational Exploration.

We, and many others at Simpson, share your warranted concern forstudents in their sophomore year, which includes the inherentretention issues you mention.

In fact, the committee that composed the 2002 application forthe Lilly grant included in the grant proposal a budget line for aSophomore Forum in which “grant funds will be utilized to establisha special section of the Simpson Forum each semester that targetsstudents in their second year of college who are undecided withrespect to career choice” and major. Substantial funds have beenset aside to provide a faculty coordinator for this program, aswell as books, supplies, and even a budget for dinner meetings.

It is my hope that your highlighting of this issue will inspiremany students in their second year to enroll in the initialSophomore Forum (SF 290A) in the spring ’05 semester. We’re happyto discuss this issue with interested students as it is our hopethat all of us find the place where our deep gladness and theworld’s deep hunger meet.

Jim Hayes

Assistant Program Director of Lilly Initiative

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