Improve ESL support to foreign students, perhaps through summer courses. Increase number of relaxed study areas for students, including comfortable areas in the libraries that allow food and drink. Re-evaluate the size and structure of graduate programs with large numbers of master's students who are funneled into small Ph.D. programs. Insure that Core courses introduce undergraduates to a similar array of skills and provide a comparable level of interaction with instructors as do freshman seminars elsewhere. Make every effort to insure that the faculty's accessibility to undergraduates is preserved.
Many students feel socially isolated.
The perception of inadequate social opportunities appears to be driven more by academic pressure and geography than by the availability of planned social events. There is much room for improvement, particularly in compensating for the commuter lifestyle that many students have, even when living in residence halls, and in broadening the sense of community within year-class cohorts, with the campus at large, and with Hyde Park and the city of Chicago. Recommendations Proceed with Phase II of the Reynolds Club renovation as well as with long-range planning to establish an effective, adequately sized Student Center for unscheduled and planned activities. Promote regularly scheduled events in which students may participate singly or in small groups. Consider extending Chicago Card use to charge rides on campus buses.