Stakes are high with new biology curriculum

Dear Editor:

In a June 6 letter-to-the-editor, concern was voiced about proposed changes to the core curriculum in biology outlined in a report from our committee (Dateline, May 23). The essence of the concern is that our view of biology is excessively reductionist, too narrow in focus, "and, at best, integrates only biology below the level of the organism."

We cannot agree with this analysis.

Leaving aside a proposed two-unit course in biological modeling -- the structure of which is presently undefined but might well be based on problems drawn from ecology and physiology -- we propose three courses at the lower division level. Of these, two deal with biology at the level of organisms and above. The proposed course, Generation of Organismal Diversity has, as our report says, "...the twin goals of exploring the diversity of life and explaining how this diversity has arisen." Importantly, as the proposed course description goes on to say, "this course will be tightly integrated with its lab component in which students will see the organisms discussed in the lectures." Virtually all of our proposed course Principles of Evolution examines populations of organisms.

Fashioning a contemporary, introductory curriculum in biology is a challenging task if only because there are so few examples of this at peer institutions upon which we can draw. Ironically, the task is made more complex by our strength, the huge diversity of biology majors offered at Davis. The opportunity to rethink our curriculum does not come often, and it is important that we get it right.

We welcome the comments of our colleagues on campus many of whom, quite properly, have strong opinions on this matter. We would ask that a careful reading of our report -- available at http://dbs.ucdavis.edu/undergrad/internal/review.html -- serve as the basis for these comments.

-- The Division of Biological Sciences Core Curriculum Committee: Judy Callis, Will DeBello, Rick Grosberg, Bo Liu, Frank McNally, Jay Stachowicz and Martin Wilson

Parking fee hike prompts cross-country chuckle

Dear Editor:

I could not help but chuckle when I read the article in the June 13 Dateline on the new parking fee increases -- an A permit will go from $44 to $46. What a deal!

I pay $150 per month to park here at the UC Washington Center in D.C., and that rate will most likely go up in September.

I don't get any extra compensation for this cost and it is not taken out pretax from my check either. So, those on campus should count their blessings and not their pennies!

-- Linda Rochin, Washington program administrator, UC Davis Washington Program, Washington, D.C.