🚀 go-pugleaf

Posted for Stephen Saunders, saunders@ug.cs.dal.ca

I can't say I came to Dalhousie knowing exactly when I'd be graduating,
 or with what field of study my degree would finally hold. I can say
 that I expected to leave with confidence in my abilities and in my
 schooling: I would not doubt that my years spent as a student had
 taught me both the theoretical and the practical, that I could use my
 education to interact more completely and positively with that world
 beyond school. Now, in my graduating year, I'm happy to say that I
 have no doubts of this nature.

The amalgamation between Dalhousie and TUNS leaves two distinct and
 seperate flavors in my mind, however. One possibility will cause
 CS students (and perhaps students in general) to ignore our programs
 from "serious" consideration, and the other drive them here in
 droves. Both possibilities exist: it is simply a matter of choice.

Amalgamation is change, and change is bad, so the general feeling goes.
 I don't like the thought of "swallowing up TUNS", and if some greater
 institution was threatening Dalhousie's existance, I would be in a
 state of panic. With passions running high, it is easy for people to
 become upset, for students to protest, for administrations to argue,
 and for decisions to be poorly made.

Stop. Think. Look at the benefits if done correctly.

I picture an entry in the Dalhousie Calendar saying : "Computing Sciences.
 Dalhousie's Computing Science program has been updated and revised to
 meet the demands of changing times. With the union of Dalhousie's
 Computing Science department and formerly TUNS Computing Science
 program, we are pleased to present a discipline of study unparalleled
 in Eastern Canada. The main course stream stresses the importance of
 both the theoretical principles behind algoithmic and computational
 design, as well as practical applications that will benefit students
 in the economic world. This is a unique program in CS : it explores
 the science behind the computing genre, and its applications and
 relations with the other disciplines."

While initially hostile to the idea of amalgamation, I would jump at the
 chance to take a program like this, choosing it before the descriptions
 I have seen of CS at both Dal and TUNS. If presented and enacted in this
 way, as a merger of the best of both programs, and not the sacrifice of
 one department to another, I'm sure any of my peers would feel likewise.
 Please consider the possibilities before making the decisions.

S

-- 
Stephen William Saunders : Dalhousie University, Academic Computing Services
5th Yr -  Faculty of Sciences (Computing Science), Faculty of Arts (English)
Email :                    saunders@ug.cs.dal.ca, saunders@tuweb,ucis.dal.ca
WWW :                      http://tuweb.ucis.dal.ca/~saunders/saunders.html



--
Marni Tuttle | tuttle@ug.cs.dal.ca | Look! http://www.ug.cs.dal.ca/~tuttle/ 
'95/96 President of DSCSS | Dal Grad '96 | BA English | BSc Computing Science
All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors. - Unknown