Merry Joins CS Department
New Professor Teaches Third Stream Minor
by VIVEK BHARATHAN

Last fall, approximately 100 computer science third stream minor students were unable to attend classes they had registered for. Computer Science 101 and 221, taught by former Professor of Computer Science Daniel Steinberg, were canceled because Steinberg resigned approximately two weeks before the beginning of the fall semester.
Steinberg was the last in a series of temporary professors the department had hired to teach Oberlin's third stream computing program. His departure, due to frustration at not being able to find a more permanent position at Oberlin, was just one example of the ongoing problem the CS department has had hiring long-term faculty for the third stream minor.
According to Christian Koch, Professorof compiter science and director of the CS program, the department is understaffed in third stream. "We teach courses that basically have too large of an enrollment," he said.
Last semester, those who had lost their seats in CS 101 tried to get into CS 100, taught by Koch. He granted admission to as many students as he could, but was limited by the number of computers in the lab section of the course.

Koch also said that there is an equal number of students interested in the minor program as there are in the major program. While the major program has five faculty members, the minor program has one, sometimes two. "We're well staffed in the major. We have many more students interested in third stream than we have faculty to teach them," Koch said.
The department has had problems in finding people who are willing to actually teach the minor program. "PhDs in computer science want to teach majors," Koch said. Koch said he would like to see two to three faculty members teaching minor courses.
Finding professors to teach third stream has not been the only setback for the CS program. A large part of the problem has been a failure between CS and the administration to see eye to eye on how to resolve the issue of the third stream minor.
Associate Dean Bob Geitz said that in 1997-98 the CS department applied for a new faculty position. EPPC said that it did not find the plan convincing, and that it was not clear what new courses were needed.
According to Geitz, since then, the department has not requested more staff. Koch also said that at the time of the application EPPC ranked the CS department very highly on a list of departments to which new positions would be added. While other departments received their seats, the CS department did not.
When asked about the possibility of a tenured third stream position, Geitz replied that a tenured position is thought of as lasting 30 years or so. For someone teaching minor computing courses, a tenure track position might be impractical.
"If they feel there's a need, they ought to apply for it," Geitz said. He would not comment on the likelihood that EPPC would grant this request.
Koch said that according to an EPPC review of the computer science major in 2000, the department was encouraged to find 'creative solutions' to finding new faculty. According to him, the administration wants temporary people on annual or biannual contracts to fill up the third stream faculty.
Steinberg wanted a tenured position, but, said Geitz, "There was never a position that he could apply for." As for the courses that were canceled when Steinberg left, one of them, CS 101, is being taught by visiting professor Mark Merry this semester.
Merry is a full time professor at Tiffin University and was hired the Friday before the beginning of the semester. Every Tuesday and Thursday he makes a 95-minute commute to teach his class in the Environmental Studies building. He does not have an office and holds his office hours after class in the auditorium.
"I'd like [the time at Oberlin] to be longer. I like it here. But we'll see. The students are overwhelmingly polite in class. The students are really sharp and they're doing high quality research," Merry said.
As for the possibility of a more permanent member of faculty to teach minor courses, student input is of great importance. Koch saw first-hand what happened when a flood of CS 101 students came to his CS 100 class to get in. Asked if he had heard from any of the students who had been dropped from CS 101, Geitz said that he had not.
Stephen Wong, a professor in the CS program, said, "It would be nice if students would make their needs known for the third stream."