soozievt

Is this Professor Neuman's course? My D is definitely a TA leading two sections of his course. Perhaps I have the course title wrong? But I have the professor correct for sure.

renix

Yeah it's Neumann's. He's the only one who teaches it and he only teaches one other class this semester and that's Film Architecture. How is your kid considereed the "leader" of the major? I'm sure some other Arch. concentrators might laugh at that statement.

soozievt

Renix....first, you were in error when you said that there was only one female TA for Modern Architecture. I happen to just hear from my daughter and I rechecked the name of the course she is TAing and indeed, she is a TA for Modern Architecture, taught by Prof. Neuman, and leads two sections.

As far as your question about "student leader of the major"....I didn't use the offical term as I don't think readers of this Arch forum, which is NOT a Brown forum, would be familiar with the real term used at Brown and so I paraphrased the position. The fact is she is the "Departmental Undergraduate Group Leader for Architectural Studies" and happened to also just mention she has a meeting for it this evening. In her role as the DUG leader for this major, she advises students, generates interest in the program, promotes lectures, and coordinates activities for majors in architectural studies. You are a transfer, yes? Perhaps you are unaware of these student leaders of concentrations at Brown who had to be selected in fact. I highly doubt other students who know what a DUG Leader is will laugh. It is a position with a title. Perhaps you may wish to ask the faculty head of the major, who is also her advisor, Ms. Lincoln. She is also doing an Honors Thesis with Professor Neuman. Everything I have written is factual. If you wish to laugh or undermine it, go ahead. I stand by my statements. She has been at Brown longer than you and I think I know a little bit about her major and what she is doing.

PS....in case you think I am making it up, I researched DUG on Brown's site for Architectural Studies. Here is the link:
http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Art...duate/dug.html
Indeed, there are DUG officers who are selected for each concentration.

renix

Wow, talk about a defensive reaction. Maybe you should specify what you mean by "leader" of the department. There's a ton of posturing done at the Ivy League schools by both students and parents so a statement like that wouldn't be too far fetched for someone to make. If you're talking to me, then use specific language about Brown to communicate what you want to be communicated.

I'm not sure where you read anything about there being only one female TA. I never mentioned gender. I mentioned there was only one D person. So, I'm sorry but you were the one error on that one.

The TA's from the syllabus and website have only one name starting with a "D".

One D name. If your kid isn't on there it's not my fault and don't jump on my ass about it. I noticed something was funny with your statement and made a note about it. Chill out. I wasn't accusing you of fabricating stories for Christ's sake.

entomom

renix,
It is common knowledge that "D" stands for daugher on CC forums, thus the missinterpretations

soozievt

Renix,
My response to your post was due to your undermining what I had stated which was indeed a true statement and you went further to say others would laugh at such a concept of a student departmental undergraduate leader. So, I attempted to explain what that was and back it up with informtion. You also at one point doubted that my daughter is a TA for the course.

I now see one area in which you were confused. When I had written about my "D", I was using an internet/CC shorthand for "daughter" (if you read many of the CC posts by parents, we tend to use S or D referring to our sons and daughters). I never said my daughter's name begins with a D. I accept your misunderstanding in that respect when you doubted my kid was a TA for the course and I went on to verify that she is definitely a TA for the course. No problem.

When I explained she is also a student leader of her undergraduate major, you doubted me and called it laughable. This is an arch forum. I didn't know I had to look up the exact title of the position she was selected to do as it is a relevant term to just one college. I used a generic term for the position and would have had to look up the exact position title. My generic term fits what a DUG LEADER of an undergraduate concentrator is. Once you doubted it, I took the time to look up the proper name on her resume and then went further to look it up on Brown's site. Indeed I think it is my right to defend your undermining and doubt of what I had posted and so I came back with some facts to support my original true statement. I never said she was the leader of the department. I said she was a student leader of her major and that is what a DUG leader is. Perhaps you had not heard of it as you are a transfer student and I can understand that. But you were not exactly polite in your question. You could have said you had not heard of such a position and I would have explained it. But given how you went about it, I deserve the right to defend my statement.

If you ever knew my kid, she is the last person on earth to "posture". She could care less about going to an "Ivy", has no clue of rankings, is OVERLY modest to an extreme, and in fact, I have heard others ask where she goes to college and rather than come back with "Brown", she often replies "in Rhode Island." She downplays it. She downplays any position or achievement. I realize you do not know me or my kid but you assumed wrong.

I do feel you were questioning if my kid was a TA (though I now realize your confusion over "D" in my post) and that you were saying it was laughable to say she was a student leader of her concentration. Now you say you were not accusing me of fabrcating but it could very well be read as undermining my statements. If you were confused, say so. Calling it laughable or doubting my word is the approach you chose. I think you should understand why I would come back to defend my word.

In any case, the tone here is a bit too bad because my D loves Brown, would likely be a good friend or advisor if you met her (she is also a Mikkeljohn advisor and likes to help others), and I also love trying to help students. In fact, that is what I do in my job.

So, I hope this resolves this matter and that the tone can be friendly because I SURELY know that my kid would want a friendly exchange as she knows I love to help kids and she is known for getting along with EVERYONE. I hope you guys meet one day and you will see of yourself and I hope she meets you and finds that you are also a wonderful person, I am sure.

renix

Thank you for clarifying about the D. Again, you lost me in vagueness.

"You could have said you had not heard of such a position and I would have explained it."

If I didn't read it as a position to be held in the place that's not possible.

"in Rhode Island."

That's usually what I say because if I say Brown people where I'm from think of Brown Mackie and assume I still live in that state.

"If you were confused, say so."

Well, I obviously wasn't confused at the time. Now I know that you're choice of words lent to my misunderstanding.

"I do feel you were questioning if my kid was a TA"

I was just matching my info your info and didn't stack up right. Had I known D was daughter...


But yeah, for all I know I'm in her section.

soozievt

Well, now we have cleared that up!

If you are in her section, say hi for me. She's from VT and her name doesn't begin with D. Some of the TAs are graduate students. She is a senior. Hope that helps.

renix

i figured as much since your name is soozie VT lol

soozievt

Well, ya got THAT shorthand, LOL.

renix

I know who your daughter is now.

cheers

Rumour has it that a certain software jockey wandered into that class and loved it, sooze. Not sure if he is staying ...

soozievt

Yeah, well it is still shopping period which is a great thing. You really get to decide on classes by sampling them and once you decide, everyone in the class is there because they want to be there. My D really wanted a particular class this semester in architecture and there were too many who wanted it and she had to write a statement about why she wanted to take it, etc. and wait to see who would get picked. So, she was thinking she might not get in and had to shop other courses just in case, but then the one she wanted came through yesterday.

Professor Neumann is apparently extremely popular as a teacher. My D took Modern Arch earlier in college. In fact now that she got picked to be a TA, she asked me to mail her old books she left at home from when she took the course. Not sure if your son knows, but Prof. Neumann also is a Visiting Professor in the Yale School of Architecture. He teaches at both schools, though is on Brown's faculty. Let me know if the software whiz decides to stay...or gets my D for TA...what a hoot if that happens.

renix

Yeah Neumann gets a round of applause after every lecture which I think is a tad strange. He's a great teacher speaker but it's a bit weird to me. I had a more inspiring teacher at my community college and he never got any rounds of applause, haha.

soozievt

You may find it strange, but I have been a college teacher and I think it would be wonderful to have students appreciate the work I do with them. Thanks and recognition don't come too often to teachers and it is nice to hear that this professors' work is inspiring enough that the students show appreciation for it. It also says something for the Brown students.

How do you know how inspiring this professor is if you have only had classes for less than two weeks? But even if you don't think so, that's fine. Obviously many students do admire him and his courses are quite popular to even those who are not studying the field and obviously at Brown are not required to take the course either but have chosen to. Prof. Neumann also has a named visiting professorship at Yale School of Architecture and I imagine for good reason including his teaching skills. Dietrich Neumann was named Rhode Island Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation in 1995, and won Teaching Awards at Brown University in 1993, 1994, 1999 and 2006. I think it is great that students show appreciation!