Leaders of the Senate Advocacy Committee gathered with mid-year students on March 27 to hear concerns they had about the new admissions program as well as pass on those concerns to the office of admissions and to other relevant administrators.A number of mid-years said they would have benefited from more information on how to utilize their summer and fall semester.

Many said that they were uncertain about whether they could take classes at other universities and have them accepted by Brandeis, where they should look to find an internship and what kind of study abroad programs are available for students coming directly from high school.

Present at the meeting were Rosenthal Quad senator Ezra Stark '06, Senator-at-Large Donnie Phillips '06, Senator for the Class of 2007 Jenny Feinberg and about 15 members of the mid-year program.

The Union Senate passed a resolution Sunday in response to the meeting, expressing the concerns brought forward in the mid-year panel.

The resolution also included some suggestions that would resolve these concerns for the next mid-year class.

Feinberg and mid-year committee chair Emily Spreiser '07 asked students what improvements they would make to the program.

Feinberg also initiated the meeting.

"My responsibility as class senator is to advocate for concerns of all members of my class," she said. "Thus, when hearing that numerous mid-year students weren't happy with their situation, I realized we had to get together to hear people's concerns and come up with ideas to make the program better for the future."

Mid-year students also said that they felt the admissions process was confusing and misleading.

Many recalled receiving a giant envelope, similar to one they would receive had they been accepted for the fall semester, and at first not realizing that they had not been admitted until second semester.

One student at the meeting said, "the envelope was so standard that I didn't even realize I was admitted into the mid-year program until a few days after I got the letter. I went to read it again and saw I was part of this new program."

Mid-years said they were also confused about why they had been admitted to the new program.

On one hand, they said they said they heard that they were chosen from the accepted student pool as strong candidates for a mid-year class.

But on the other hand, students said they heard that they simply did not make the cut and were "the top of the waitlist."

As a solution to these problems, students present at the meeting suggested that the admissions office work to create a more standard admission letter that would include suggestions for the fall semester, and a clear explanation of why they were chosen for the program.

In response to the mid-year panel's complaints about the admissions process, Director of Admissions Deena Whitfield said that many problems have already been addressed.

Whitfield said that a Web site was launched with detailed information about what mid-years can and cannot do for credit during before they attend Brandeis second semester.

She also said she believes that the new mid-year class will be better prepared for entry in January 2005.

"No class will have more tension than the current mid-year class," Whitfield said. "They were the pioneers."

Many students at the meeting voiced their desire for an administrative liaison between them and the admissions office. They said they needed someone who could focus on their unique admissions process, and more effectively help them transition into college life.

"Just having a phone number to call would be good," Spreiser said. "Brandeis loves using the Internet for everything from registration to announcements, but having a human being to talk to has tremendous value."

Responding to the idea of having an administrative liaison, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and First-year Services Michelle Rosenthal said, "What we need to do better, instead of one person serving as an administrative liaison to the mid-years, is to make sure they have an academic dean and an academic adviser."

Rosenthal also said that the best way she can be helpful is to know about the problems facing mid-years, and that "Jenny Feinberg, in her role as Class of 2007 Senator, has done a good job keeping her thumb on the pulse of these issues and bringing them to the table."

Students also suggested that past participants in the program volunteer as "buddies" and call recently accepted mid-years to give them a clearer vision of the program and answer any questions they may have.

The issue of transition was also addressed when discussing orientation programs for mid-years.

Though there was some debate over the timing of an orientation program, most mid-years agreed that they would have benefited from two orientations-one with only mid-years, and one with the first-year students admitted in August.

Students said they would have liked to have had the option to live with a mid-year or first-year. They also complained that they weren't notified of their housing location or roommate until just days before they moved in.

Many mid-years said they felt that the administration sees many of these faults, but doesn't seem to acknowledge them.

"The administration has the knowledge of how to fix these problems, we don't." Mike Cohen '07 said. "They need to communicate with us better. This program should be much more assisted, much more guided, but many people seem unwilling to help."

"We are in college," Scott Sheps '07 said. "We are old enough to reach out and make these contacts in the administration ourselves."

Since the March 27 meeting, Feinberg has met with a number of administrators to pass on these concerns, including Whitfield and Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy.

All parties involved say they want the program to succeed.

"I am very much for the mid-year program," Feinberg said. "I think it is rejuvenating to bring new faces to Brandeis every semester because new students bring more excitement to all aspects of the campus. We have to address these issues with the mid-year program because every student at Brandeis has a right to comfortable and welcomed.