Making Olin a Better Place

From last time: “What is one thing you think could be done to make Olin a better place?”

I really like Gui and Eric Van Wyk’s seminars this semester. I hope we see more low-commitment “come and learn for fun!” classes like these in the future. – Forrest Bourke

Removing the credit system. Credits are outdated and inaccurate; they hardly represent how much effort each students puts in to a certain aspect of his/her lives. If we are a truly innovative college, we would find other ways that make validation for success more logical. This way, budgeting for time spent during a semester would not be as unbalanced, and people could make better choices that shy away from over-commitment. – David Zhu

There are far too many things, for me to pick just one! I’d like to see a stronger feedback culture at Olin. I’d like to have more discussions in our community about our cultural context. I’d like to see students consider whether they should choose to work less. I’d like us to make an effort to embrace risk. I’d like to explicitly incorporate reflection into every course. And I’d like everyone to be more understanding of people who have different beliefs from them – but that’s going to be the case anywhere and always. – Graham Hooton

Better transportation to Boston. The Olin bubble makes us think too narrowly. I often hear students talk about Olin making a better place, but perhaps if we got out of Olin more, we’d think more about making Boston and the US a better place. Maybe even the world, if we went out of country. – Anonymous

A lower credit maximum. – Anonymous

If the dining hall plated the small items on big plates. I need space for more food! – Anonymous

My main complaint about Olin (specifically West Hall) is the kitchen. One too many times, I’ve found the sink clogged up with slimy food scraps, stepped on or leaned my elbow into a sticky puddle of some unnamed sauce, or grabbed a supposedly clean pan from the shelf and found my hand covered in grease, butter, or even left-over food gunk.

Any improvement would be a good one. Some examples could be installing an actual garbage disposal, scheduling a weekly cleaning (perhaps with some reward for participation), or some kind of check-out check-in system for kitchen supplies (pots, pans, measuring cups, etc.) to encourage personal accountability for the care of community resources. – Allison Patterson

Sky bridges between the buildings. Think how much more interaction between Halls there would be if you could just walk between the top floors. No longer would we have to drudge through the cold during the arduous walk to class. Besides, who doesn’t love walking on sky bridges? – Zach Homans

It would be amazing to have a design stockroom (butcher paper, post-it notes, sharpies) in East Hall. – Anonymous

More well rounded students who do athletic-based extracurriculars rather than just academic. – Anonymous

A lost and found spot. And an ability to recognize what is put somewhere and what is left somewhere. – Anonymous

For next month: “Who is someone at Olin you appreciate a great deal, and why?”

+ posts