To: The Graduate Institute Administration

With a new building and a rapidly growing student body, the administration undoubtedly faces a variety of logistic and academic challenges. A few problems that MDEV 1st years students have found unsatisfactory are as follows: the nature of the building, particularly the classrooms and lack of common areas, and the large MDEV class sizes. 

* For example, each of the statistics review sessions (including both MDEV and MIA students) have between 25-27 students. Therefore the statistics review sessions are too large to fit in most of the classrooms. Review sessions held in classroom S1 do not facilitate student learning. In the absence of proper desks, students are forced to write with their notebooks and/or computers on their laps. These conditions are not conducive to student success let alone comfort.

* Not only does learning take place within the context of a classroom, but it also occurs informally outside of academic lectures. Furthermore, without common areas for students to discuss topics relevant to coursework over lunch or coffee, the learning process is stifled.

* MDEV courses have significantly more students than in prior years and the number of professors and teaching assistants has remained constant. This has reduced the quality of resources per student and the quality of our education.

Please consider better accommodating the needs of students and delivering the quality of education that IHEID is recognized for by equipping classrooms with materials that facilitate learning, by providing adequate common spaces (that permit food) for student discussion and comfort, and by recognizing the growing size of the MDEV class and The Graduate Institute as a whole. 

A response is requested in regards to the aforementioned concerns. 

Thank you,

The MDEV Class of 2013-2015