Dear Editor,
This is a liberal arts university. We're supposed to be giving students the opportunity to expand their learning, try new things and become active, well-rounded citizens in our globalized and high-tech world. For Tufts University to shut students out of the Computer Science department due to lack of resources well, that bites. And not just a little bit.
I'm a senior. I'm a liberal arts student. And I'm graduating this spring. When I got to Tufts, I had no idea what I wanted to study. It wasn't until my sophomore spring, as an undecided student, that I took Intro to Computer Science with Ben Hescott. I was hooked, and I took COMP 15 that spring. I didn't declare until after I had registered for those courses. Now I'm graduating with degrees in computer science and political science.
My story isn't possible for the Class of 2018. It isn't even possible for the Class of 2017. Because rising sophomores will now find it difficult to continue in computer science unless they declare the major. That creates a big problem, a binary division between those who know they'll major and those who can't even try it.
To Tufts: you're doing it wrong. And to anyone interested in taking more computer science courses: Go declare a bogus computer science major, and then cancel it later. That's right, hack the system. Because you deserve a high-tech liberal arts education. You certainly pay enough for it.
Brian Pilchik
