Although the proposed changes to the General Studies curriculum were voted down, discussion about the proposal and improvements to the current curriculum continue to take place.

The General Studies Review Committee has disbanded, leaving the General Studies Council and the Curriculum Committee as the two groups capable of vetting proposals for General Studies improvements, according to Jeffrey Coker, director of General Studies.

The council met Nov. 11 for the first time since the Oct. 28 vote to discuss the possibility of implementing some of the proposed changes.

Although the meeting did not conclude with a concrete idea as to where the proposal is headed, members identified parts of the proposal that are well-supported, which many faculty see as being potentially positive improvements to the General Studies program.

"There are many people on campus that feel like there were some very good things in the proposal that need to come back," Coker said. "As far as I'm concerned, the most important thing going forward is that we have the best General Studies program that we can possibly have."

While it may be too early to know exactly what these two committees will decide, it is likely that at least one part of the proposal will get passed, Coker said. If the council or the committee puts forward any one of the seven parts of the proposal in its entirety, it will most likely be considered for a full faculty vote because of its importance and widespread interest. Despite the possibility of controversy between faculty members, the committees aren't going to try and hide anything, Coker said.

"I think everybody on both the committees is very concerned about the common good and how other people feel across campus," he said. "We don't want a program that so angers certain groups. We want a really strong program where everybody really supports the common good of the university and of the students."

Larger-scale changes will most likely not be implemented until late spring, according to Coker. But smaller changes to individual courses and specific departments that have resulted from these discussions are already in place.

"There was an enormous number of small things that have come from this," Coker said. "They're not things that show up on a check sheet. But they are really positive improvements. There are lots of ways to improve the General Studies program that don't involve changes to the curriculum itself."

Coker said because all students participate in the General Studies program, it is important to him that students feel like they have a voice in determining the future of the program. The purpose of the committees will always be to look out for the academic interest of the student body, Coker said.

"There's been some questions about whether the current program can address the mission and goals that were passed," he said. "I think that's an important question, but the better question is, what program would best serve students, and prepare them for fulfilling lives? Whatever that best is, that's what we're shooting for."