News briefs
Spring 2009
Campus housing to be reconfigured
A series of changes in campus housing will result in more spacious accommodations for upperclass students and clustering of freshmen.
Vice Provost for Student Affairs Greg Boardman recently presented a Housing Master Plan that will shift 426 beds out of crowded rooms, thanks to the opening of the Munger Graduate Residences and the conversion of Crothers from graduate to undergraduate housing.
In addition, the Stern and Wilbur complexes will be converted to all-freshmen residences, meeting the greater demand for such housing among first-year students.
The Draw lottery system, which is used to equitably assign housing for upperclass students, has been revised to be more transparent and to give upperclass students a better chance at premium housing.
Emergency siren system being installed
The university is installing an outdoor siren system that would be activated during an emergency. Meant to supplement Stanford's emergency-notification measures, the system will consist of three sirens mounted on poles and four installed on the roofs of select buildings across campus.
Stanford currently has a mass-notification system in place called AlertSU. In the event of an emergency, the university can send out time-sensitive information directly to students, staff and faculty simultaneously via e-mail, voice mail and text messages to cellular phones or any other devices listed in the system. Read more.
Academic calendar changes result in less student stress
Reducing student stress is behind changes to next year’s academic calendar, according to Registrar Tom Black.
Under changes proposed by Black and approved by the Faculty Senate, the number of academic deadlines students face has been reduced from five to three. Specifically, deadlines to drop and add courses and to withdraw from a course or change its grading option will be combined. In addition, course selection and enrollment will open earlier and preliminary study lists will be due earlier. Classes will start on Monday during each quarter, meaning essentially that the university is investing more resources in undergraduate education by adding three teaching days to the year.
“These changes will promote and encourage more advising, will encourage the faculty to get expanded course information up earlier and will simplify life for students and create less stress,” Black told the Faculty Senate.
Click to view the university’s academic calendar.
BJ Fogg offers ‘Facebook for Parents’ course
Psychologist BJ Fogg, founder and director of Stanford’s Persuasive Technology Lab, offered a four-part lecture and lab series for parents eager to understand their children’s social networking habits.
Fogg, author of “Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do,” studies how computers can change people’s thoughts and behaviors. The class, which he is teaching with his sister—the mother of children 10 to 25—was designed to help parents understand the social network Facebook. Facebook allows users to connect via the Internet and to share photos, interests and conversations. Although Facebook caters to a college-age crowd, middle-aged adults are among its fastest-growing demographic.
He says his parent/students were motivated to keep up with their kids, but ended up enjoying the experience more than they expected.
Visit BJ Foggs' website.
Stanford partners with CashCourse to help students with finances
Stanford is partnering with CashCourse, an online service of the National Endowment for Financial Education, to help students learn more about finances. NEFE is a nonprofit foundation that helps people acquire financial knowledge and skills.
CashCourse presents free financial information in an unbiased way to students who may make unwise financial decisions. The service is available to institutions by subscription and contains no advertising.
Visit CashCourse.
