Undergraduate voice is left unheard

As I’m sure you are aware, President McRobbie has appointed a new search and screen committee to fill the position of vice president of research.

Although graduate students will be appointed to the committee, there does not seem to be a plan to appoint undergraduate students, and this concerns me. The exclusion of undergraduates from the committee seems to highlight an institutional point of view that research and undergraduate eduction are disjoint and mutually exclusive endeavors, and that undergraduates cannot possibly offer an intelligent perspective on the University’s research affairs. I must take issue with such a viewpoint.

The vice president of research has an effect on undergraduate education, and it would be important to include the perspective of undergraduates on the committee. As the VOICE report highlights, undergraduate involvement in research is valuable because it provides learning experience, close mentoring by a faculty member and guidance in choosing a future career. As a distinguished public research university, IU is obliged to provide research opportunities to undergraduates. The rise of such programs like STARS and Cox Research Scholars further illustrates that research is not something to be reserved solely for graduate students.

This is a concept that the new vice president for research must understand. Additionally, research often is at odds with undergraduate teaching at big research universities. Having an undergraduate perspective on the search committee would go a long way toward emphasizing to the vice presidential candidates that part of their job will be to collaborate with other administrators and ensure a balance is struck between undergraduate teaching and research.

Alexandra Chtchedrina
IU junior