Present: V. Munoz, T. Lumumba-Kasongo, D. Reis, E. Hall, M. McCune

E-Mail Draft
The meeting began with a review of the e-mail that Reis will send to
faculty announcing the Open meeting. Minor changes included:
1. replacing "three" with "few" in describing the Admissions
presentation
2. adding the word "recruitment" in the Student presentation
3. including the phrase "exit interviews" in the Dean of
Students/Experiential Learning presentation
4. deleting the further call for questions at the end of the note.

The rest of the meeting was framed around a discussion of what
information to include in the Student presentation.
McCune remarked that students often say that their
impression of the school during
campus visits and tours is different from their experiences after
enrolling. Specifically, while the campus
visits appear to be closely regulated and controlled in order to present
Wells in the best possible way, other realities of student life, such as
the Women's Resource Center and the Sex Collective, are not
given adequate attention. McCune noted that the decision not to make
all aspects of the campus life at
Wells open to visitors was a distortion of reality, and perhaps leads
the college to accept students who
are not a good fit. This may be a reason for some students'
dissatisfaction with Wells. Hall also said
that some parents on admissions tours had complained in the past about
the material displayed in the
student activities hallway. Munoz stressed that the job of the Director
of Admissions is to bring
students to campus. While it is thus not reasonable to hold this office
responsible for student
dissatisfaction, Munoz stated that the Director of Admissions
occasionally feels as though this criticism
is directed toward her office and staff.

Reis then observed that some faculty have commented upon a similar
distortion between the academic
programs presented and the academic programs that are in place (e.g. the
possibilities, and lack thereof,
for individualized majors). Lumumba-Kasongo noted that their must be a
balance between the way
Wells presents itself in its public relations and the way it operates in
practice. He, along with Munoz,
mentioned the lack of classroom visits by prospective students in recent
years, and both suggested that
student perceptions of Wells might be more accurate if there were
increased visitations and overnight
visits with current students.

From this discussion it was decided that McCune should focus her
presentations on what students
really think of the Wells experience. This will include perspectives on
the admission process,
recruitment, and financial aid (i.e. views on the Henry Wells
scholarships).

Open Meeting
All presentations for the open meeting will be between 5-10 minutes. A
discussion, directed by Munoz,
will follow the four presentations. Hall remarked that the joint
efforts of the AFA and EMT is a positive
step, and she, along with Munoz and Lumumba-Kasongo, agreed that
providing faculty with useful and
accurate information is essential for arriving at informed views of the
goals of Admissions and Financial
Aid.

Next AFA Meeting and Future Plans
Munoz did not see a need to call a meeting for next Thursday (10/17),
and Lumumba-Kasongo
suggested that the committee's future work would be dictated in large
part by the questions, reactions,
and suggestions that come from the open meeting.

Respectfully Submitted,
David Reis