Below are the written and spoken comments of session attendees - in response to the following dialogue points presented at the conclusion of the presentation

crp internships: (link to the most current info on the web)

- as part of the closure process,UTSOA-CRP never follows up directly with your employer/sponsor to see how you actually performed / what was achieved.

- what about the difference between the internship-pr route and the thesis route? Is the thesis really only good for students who wish to continue in academia? Or is an experience like what this internship presentation demonstrates more like a thesis than an internship?

- why do we have to pay for an internship credit (3 credit hours) when we get little assistance finding one / during one? Students literally have to fend for themselves . . . . (students in LBJ are not required to pay for internship credit)

- what is the best way to share students' internship experiences with other students?

- the CRP program should build stronger ties with previous internship sponsors - keep a contact list, at least?

- there doesn't seem to be consistency in the type of feedback students get from internship opportunities - or on their reports. Some students never get their reports back, others get hand-written comments. How are these graded? Should the report / internship experience even be graded? What is the value of the internship experience if it is treated by the program as just a checkmark?

center for sustainable development (csd):

- I'm not sure exactly what the CSD's policies are, let alone how they may or may not shape other UTSOA decisions - including policies or guidelines related to travel or other use/purchasing decisions.

- there is a big failure in communicating their work - to students, via their website, and about there research. There is NO info exchange (the website, though, is easy to navigate).

- they could do a better job of promoting their research and work - and allowing students more opportunity to get involved.

- the recent focus of CSD activity on New Orleans seems opportunistic . . . and a sidetrack.

- the CSD should be better linked with social / community development faculty and research - both in and beyond the UTSOA (the under-represented side of sustainable development).

- overall, a disappointing organization - especially, considering the draw of the program name to attracting prospective students to the CRP program.

- there should be more CSD interaction with CRP classes.

- why is there just one major course in SD for CRP students, one that is more theoretical?

- could SD be better incorporated into daily UTSOA-CRP practice - as easy as promoting recycling, re-use, ride-sharing, etc?

student-directed learning: (link to UT student-led courses)

- we need a true CRP student work space (not ARCH nap room)

- we need more activities like the ULI Design Competition for more focused student exchange across disciplines.

- students always have the option of doing independent study for credit, but it would be beneficial for professors to express to students their areas of research and where they could use assistance or would be willing to collaborate with students on more self-directed research. Such assistance or independent research could be for credit.

- professors should present on their work in the Fall (at the start of the academic year) and students should present on their work in the Spring.

- the crp web area should list current students and provide space for posting their interest and work - and an easy way to search this area by key word or theme.

- students themselves need to get more involved in pushing for more sdl and sharing their work.

- are there grants for this? past requests for minor funding for initial stages of research were rejected by the UTSOA. Financially, is the UTSOA ready to support sdl,even in small ways?

community-based projects:

- in one class, we discussed that certain areas of Austin may feel that they are being "over-studied" by UT - we need to think more about how our collective work as a School and a University (past and present) is impacting the community. We need to keep better track, at a minimum, to avoid potential conflicts.

- projects need to be better incorporated into the core curriculum, and the core curriculum itself needs to be better linked - more continuity between classes.

- the results or outcomes of community-based project work and reflection on the project need to be shared with the communities in which the projects are being conducted, and not just with the academic community.

- is there a balance between the benefits of the project for students and the community primarily, but also for professors and the institution?

- projects can span the work of undergraduates and graduates, but graduate students need a greater role to apply their learning.

- we need to start with an assessment of who has done what where and what resulted, and what is happening now.

- a planning program, more than any other, should have stock of the community-based work it has been involved with in the last 20 years and allow easy access to this work and research - for classroom instruction, shared reflection (w/ communities), and so that we can build from or directly challenge this past work. As planners, we will be helping to create documents / constitutions that we hope will be meaningful, if not vibrant, over a 20-year time frame.