School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences GeoCorner Undergraduate Lounge: Support Petition
29 Comments
R
Ryan McCarty
9 years ago
Informal spaces where student to student learning can take place is something impossible to replicate by other means.
L
Leighton Watson
9 years ago
The undergrad lounge is an important space and taking it over with more admin staff from the Dean's office will harm the school - which should be trying to attract more undergrads.
E
Elise Miller
9 years ago
Earth Systems '18
D
David sheu
9 years ago
the space has always been a popular place for students of many departments to study and convene.
E
Elizabeth Miller
9 years ago
Faculty who instruct undergraduate students rely on the lounge space to connect with students and as a space where assignments can be carried out that need table space for big maps, computers and/or working as groups together. Small meetings with TA's or make-up meetings and presentations also use this space. The classes I teach that rely on this place of synergy are GS103,GS110,GS5 and GS190. 110 and 190 are particularly impacted by proposed changes because there are no longer work tables for map and seismic projects in our building except for the GS1 lab which is a scheduled, not open room. The large tables were removed from 220 a couple of years ago and replaced by skinny tables that roll around easily.
In sum, our classroom space in geocorner is overscheduled and/or have limited workspace for projects. Specifically, it does not provide us with a place where projects that involve maps and seismic sections or group work can be carried out easily at any hour. Because of the overscheduling, we cannot leave project materials out/adjacent which is another problem. Students in ES have increasingly turned to the underground lounge for that needed space for lab work and projects.
These comments do not speak to the importance of this space for the
forging of strong relationships between students, grad students and faculty. It's location is highly important as well. The proposed changes will certainly impact undergraduates, graduates and faculty who feel they have a communal "hearth" in our department and school which is so important to the exchange of information, ideas and beginnings of inter/multidisciplinary teaching and research.
A
Anonymous
9 years ago
The undergrad lounge was truly a home away from home for me and so many other students during our time at Stanford. I can't tell you how many nights I spent there working and forging lifelong connections with other students. The lounge offers a space to laugh, commiserate and ultimately be productive together.
L
Lauren Shumaker
9 years ago
Removing necessary work space for undergraduates in the major increases the disconnect between our department and the undergrads we are supposed to be serving. If the current lounge can't be preserved, the department needs to prioritize finding an adequate replacement space, whether this means making classroom(s) available after hours or finding a similar space in one of the other SE3 buildings. The students have made that job easier by outlining exactly what they use the space for and what features need to be preserved, and their needs should be taken seriously.
P
Pablo Garcia del Real
9 years ago
BS '09
PhD '16
The undergrad lounge and all the memories that it helped produce are the most cherished memories of my time as a geology undergraduate. Office space, really?
M
Melanie Cahill
9 years ago
Featured
This lounge is where I have spent my toughest moments at Stanford and I don't think I could have made it through without a place to come and a community to be with. Having a smaller lounge with more people would take away all the best things about the geo lounge. If the school wants more of a community in geo corner, more people should be encouraged to be in the lounge as it is before the administration decides to lessen space.
Informal spaces where student to student learning can take place is something impossible to replicate by other means.
The undergrad lounge is an important space and taking it over with more admin staff from the Dean's office will harm the school - which should be trying to attract more undergrads.
Earth Systems '18
the space has always been a popular place for students of many departments to study and convene.
Faculty who instruct undergraduate students rely on the lounge space to connect with students and as a space where assignments can be carried out that need table space for big maps, computers and/or working as groups together. Small meetings with TA's or make-up meetings and presentations also use this space. The classes I teach that rely on this place of synergy are GS103,GS110,GS5 and GS190. 110 and 190 are particularly impacted by proposed changes because there are no longer work tables for map and seismic projects in our building except for the GS1 lab which is a scheduled, not open room. The large tables were removed from 220 a couple of years ago and replaced by skinny tables that roll around easily. In sum, our classroom space in geocorner is overscheduled and/or have limited workspace for projects. Specifically, it does not provide us with a place where projects that involve maps and seismic sections or group work can be carried out easily at any hour. Because of the overscheduling, we cannot leave project materials out/adjacent which is another problem. Students in ES have increasingly turned to the underground lounge for that needed space for lab work and projects. These comments do not speak to the importance of this space for the forging of strong relationships between students, grad students and faculty. It's location is highly important as well. The proposed changes will certainly impact undergraduates, graduates and faculty who feel they have a communal "hearth" in our department and school which is so important to the exchange of information, ideas and beginnings of inter/multidisciplinary teaching and research.
The undergrad lounge was truly a home away from home for me and so many other students during our time at Stanford. I can't tell you how many nights I spent there working and forging lifelong connections with other students. The lounge offers a space to laugh, commiserate and ultimately be productive together.
Removing necessary work space for undergraduates in the major increases the disconnect between our department and the undergrads we are supposed to be serving. If the current lounge can't be preserved, the department needs to prioritize finding an adequate replacement space, whether this means making classroom(s) available after hours or finding a similar space in one of the other SE3 buildings. The students have made that job easier by outlining exactly what they use the space for and what features need to be preserved, and their needs should be taken seriously.
BS '09 PhD '16 The undergrad lounge and all the memories that it helped produce are the most cherished memories of my time as a geology undergraduate. Office space, really?
This lounge is where I have spent my toughest moments at Stanford and I don't think I could have made it through without a place to come and a community to be with. Having a smaller lounge with more people would take away all the best things about the geo lounge. If the school wants more of a community in geo corner, more people should be encouraged to be in the lounge as it is before the administration decides to lessen space.