The Student Committee on Undergraduate Education (SCUE) held its annual Education Week from Sept. 23 to 29, featuring events designed to encourage undergraduate University students to interact with their communities and develop strong academic habits.
Throughout the week, SCUE hosted several events open to undergraduate students, offering opportunities to explore civic engagement and academic success initiatives at the University. Events included a roundtable on open dialogue, a civic engagement panel, a sub-matriculation panel, and a wellness study break.
Monday’s schedule included an Open Expression Roundtable in Houston Hall, aimed at fostering dialogue about free speech and expression on the University's campus. Focus groups, each led by a SCUE member, engaged participants with questions designed to understand student definitions of open expression and gather their opinions on the general role of a university in monitoring student expression. Around 15 attendees were present.
SCUE leaders also inquired about students’ thoughts on the current climate of expression on campus, accessibility to information regarding expression policies, and what provisions could improve the quality of discourse at the University.
College first-year, Lucy Marone, who attended the roundtable, said that the event made her more cognizant of her rights as a student.
“I learned how much I don't know and how much isn't accessible to us about our rights as students. And I thought that the disparity between what the club members knew about our rights as students and what I knew was just very vast," Marone said.
On Tuesday, students gathered for a civic engagement panel, hearing from four students who shared their experiences with community initiatives at the University and the various ways to get involved. SCUE also provided a Wellness Study Break on Tuesday, giving students a chance to make slime, eat cookies, and recharge.
Wednesday offered two events, starting with a “How to Ace your Classes 101” session, a crash course designed to expose students to the multitude of resources they should leverage during their time at the University. The sub-matriculation panel provided students with the opportunity to learn about how to pursue advanced degrees during their undergraduate careers.
For the final day of Education Week, SCUE collaborated with Bridge to Math on Thursday evening to host a study break and dinner. SCUE also held a discussion centered on fostering inclusive dialogue in the classroom, in which participants analyzed syllabi with varying policies on inclusion.
“Every year we run Education Week, really with the goals of promoting the diversity of opportunities and different resources available for undergraduates," Michelle Wen, College senior and SCUE Chair External said. "Education Week is really meant to be a celebration of education.”
Education Week is especially notable this school year as SCUE will publish the 2025 White Paper in the spring, a document released every five years that explains student perspectives on pertinent issues. The insights gathered during the week's sessions will inform the upcoming white paper, ensuring that student perspectives are accurately represented.
Maddie Pastore, SCUE Chair Internal, spoke about the community and the undergraduate educational experience.
“[T]he undergraduate experience depends on so much more than just what happens in the classroom. It also depends on student wellness," Pastore said. "It depends on students having an understanding of the community in which they’re living and learning, and how our relationship with that community impacts all of us.”
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