Committee Discusses 2010 J-Term

The Committee on Student Life reflected on the College’s inaugural January Term yesterday at the first meeting of the semester and contemplated possible minor improvements for 2011.

The 18-member committee—comprised of Undergraduate Council members, House Masters, and College administrators—concluded that the break offered students unique opportunities for reconnecting with friends and family, recharging for the spring, and pursuing productive endeavors.

“Getting home was really nice after the intense fall,” said Dean of Freshmen Thomas A. Dingman ’67.

Much of yesterday’s discussion centered around how to better allocate resources to students who choose to stay on campus during January, based on the committee members’ personal observations of this J-Term.

For example, undergraduate use of the libraries—all of which remained open over break—was minimal, and Pforzheimer House Master Nicholas A. Christakis suggested that if thesis writers on campus were not using the libraries, the College’s financial resources could be redirected elsewhere.

Another improvement proposed was keeping the Malkin Athletic Center open instead of just the smaller Hemenway Gymnasium and the Quad Recreational Athletic Center.

A few committee members suggested providing more structured January programming, similar to MIT’s four-week January “Independent Activities Period,” though it seemed unlikely the College would undertake such a project in the current fiscal climate.

“In this era of budget cuts, I can’t imagine we’re going to build a whole new program on campus,” Dingman said, expressing uncertainty about “how we’re going to pay for it without sacrificing other things.”

But UC Vice President Eric N. Hysen ’11 said that the College could provide more support with helping students take advantage of their J-Term

The Office of International Programs, for example, did not offer funding opportunities for this year’s J-Term.

During yesterday’s meeting, the committee also expressed general support for Crimson Cable, a student-run organization founded in 2006 by Nicholas J. Castine ’10, to offer television service to all undergraduates through Harvard Student Agencies—provided that the cable service would not slow down Harvard’s network.

Christakis, however, expressed concern about the “intellectual and social consequences” of allowing students to watch a large amount of television.

—Staff writer Danielle J. Kolin can be reached at dkolin@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Naveen N. Srivatsa can be reached at srivatsa@fas.harvard.edu.