Time drags at the Con

Broken clocks, scarce parking hot topics at con faculty meeting

Though parking problems and broken clocks seemed to dominate the Conservatory Faculty meeting on Tuesday, the subject turned to reports from the Educational Policy Committee.

The meeting opened with an update on a number of broken clocks in their Conservatory. Evidently some workers that had been out in August accidentally hit a main circuit line and random shorts have been occurring since then. Bibbins 223 and 325 both have had unsatisfactory timepieces, while Bibbins 224's clock possesses non-present status.

The subject then turned to parking problems within the Conservatory parking lot. More parking licenses are issued than there are available spaces. Unregistered cars that used to be towed will now get "the boot", a form of wheel-lock. A deep "ooooh" ran through the room at this news.

Dean of the Conservatory Karen Wolff then made a few announcements. First was that Laura Stockwell has been appointed as the new assistant director of major gifts in the Development office.

Next she talked about an anonymous gift of $4 million that has been given in support of scholarship endowments from a woman on the West coast. "We'll be getting $800,000 this years," Wolff said.

She went on to announce the Conservatory's prospects in the upcoming Capital Campaign. According to Wolff, President of the College Nancy Dye said that, "We're in for $10 million for a new concert hall and $5 million for endowments." She also said John Hayes is here to run the campaign for Oberlin and he just helped Carnegie Mellon University raise about $5 million.

Finally, Wolff related "the harp story." Evidently Wolff received a phone call from a man who noticed Wolff's name in an alumni newsletter and whose late wife had the same last name as Wolff. The man's wife was a harpist .

He first told Wolff that he wanted to donate his wife's harp to the Conservatory and then that he wanted to provide some money for scholarships. He then went on to say that he would also like to build a building in her name after his death. The harp has been collected from Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Associate Dean of Conservatory Academic Affairs Kathryn Stuart then presented two proposals for the Educational Policy Committee. The first proposal was from the Music Education Division on a Minor in Community Music.

The Minor would be open to any degree student in the Conservatory recommended by the student's advisor and approved by the music education faculty. After taking four required courses, such as "The Art of Teaching Music" and "Elementary Conducting," the student would choose from a list of classes that include "Teaching Young Singers", "Practicum in School Music Experiences" and "String Pedagogy" to total 16 hours. "Students can elect an emphasis in youth music, pedagogy, church music, or what have you," Stuart said.

Students would then have to participate in an Oberlin ensemble that is open to the community, as well as in a community-based setting on or off campus that relates to music. The proposal passed.

Associate Professor of Computer Music and New Media Richard Povall then spoke on some proposed changes in the Technology in Music and Related Arts (TIMARA) department. "The major has not changed since it was approved and the time is ripe to rethink the cast of this major," he said.

Povall cited two reasons for the changes. The first was that students coming into the program are much more used to technology than they were ten years ago. "We can focus much more on aesthetics," he said. To achieve this, "Four courses in the core will be altered accordingly," Povall said.

The second reason for the changes was to provide students with more opportunities to take upper level courses. These will include an added number of junior-senior seminars. There will also be an added number of electives. This, and a few other changes, will help "provide the possibility of taking a straight music track or more of an interdisciplinary method of study," Povall said. The proposed changes were approved.