I
Univ
Thursday, December 1, 1966
The Daily Nebraskan
Vol. 90, No. 42
TO TEACH THE UNORTHODOX . . . students plan the format of a free university.
Quarter System Switch
'Seems Likely' For NU
By Randy Irey
Senior Staff Writer
The possibility of the Uni
versity adopting a quarter
system appears favorable,
according to John Hall, chair
man of the ASUN Academic
Research Committee.
The committee is present
ly conducting an investigation
concerning the quarter sys
tem. Hall said.
"There seems to be a defi
nite possibility of the Univer
sity adopting a quarter sys
tem in the near future, op
posed to the present semes
ter form," Hall stated.
"I gained this impression
after talking to Chancellor
Clifford Hardin. He did not
take a stand one way or the
other, but he gave me the
impression that he was not
opposed to the system," Hall
said.
"No action seems to be de
veloping in the near future
concerning the system, but
people are definitely talking
about the possibilities of a
change," he continued.
Concerning the chances for
summer school changing to
two five-and-a-half-week ses
sions, Hall said that such a
proposal is presently under
consideration of the Calendar
Committee of t h e Faculty
Senate and has not been
brought out for discussion in
the entire Senate.
It is Hall's opinion that the
adoption of such a summer
school schedule would be a
step in the direction of the
quarter system.
"The same disadvnatages
and advantages apply to both
and the consideration of such
a summer school schedule is
an indication of a trend
towards quarter system,"
Hail declared.
Stillman Students See Progress
In Negroes' Acceptance At NU
Student Senate heard the
impressions of the Universi
ty from two Negro exchange
students from Stillman Col
lege in Alabama.
Alice Watts and Michael
Figures both agreed that the
pace and the competition set
at the University in the class
room is much greater than is
found at Stillman, a s m a 1 1
Negro college.
Figures said that he found
the "lack of direct communi
and the Instructor to be a
hindrance" that he did not
encounter at Stillman.
In the area of the Negro
Winter Chills And
Burglars
It appears that winter has begun in earnest in Lincoln.
The Lincoln Weather Bureau predicted that temperatures
would be 10 to 18 degrees below normal for the next five
days.
University students are not alone In their reactloa to
the cold. But the weather can play an Important role In
the activities of many Lincoln city offices and businesses.
Crime, for instance, is affected considerably by the
seasons. In winter, the number of burglaries is likely to
increase, according to Lieutenant Schwartz of the Lincoln
Police Department.
"The expenses for the average family are greater In
winter," according to Schwartz, "and sometimes businesses
don't check their safety measures as well in the winter."
The Traffic Division of the Police Department Is busi
er in the winter because of an Increied number of auto
mobile accidents.
On the other hand, according to Schwartz, injury acci
dents are reduced, because most drivers travel at slower
The purpose of the commit
tee's investigation is to find
out some definite facts con
cerning the quarter system
and devise a model of such a
system.
In addition, Hall said that
the committee's actions
should act as a guarantee
that the students have a
chance to consider the quar
ter system and have a chance
to voice there opinions on the
system before it is acted
upon by either the adminis
tration or the faculty.
Hall explained that is set
ting up a model system, his
committee has been trying to
determine the advantages
and disadvantages of a quar
ter system.
One advantage is that the
quarter system could elimi
nate the problem of summer
employment, he said. The
student would be required to
attend only three of the four
quarters with the choice of
which quarter to stay out of
school left to the student. He
would therefore not be limit
ed to working only in the
summer.
In addition, the University
buildings would be used the
year around, eliminating
wasting vacant buildings in
the summer, according to
Hall.
The student could acceler
ate his planned time of grad
uating. The average load
would be 10 hours, allowing
the student to take more
hours in a school year.
The program would be de
signed so that three quarters
would equal two semesters.
The scheduling of when the
quarters would start would
be left up to the University
being accepted as an equal,
Miss Watts stated that she
felt that rapid progress is
being made as far as the Ne
gro being accepted as a stu
dent. "Some people at the
University are definitely
striving towards equality,"
she declared.
Senate action included the
unanimous approval of a res
olution which would have the
ASUN Constitutional Com
mittee investigate the possi
bility of working with the
Faculty Senate Subcommit
tee on Student Organizations
in approving student organi
Come In Out Of Cold
with a "myriad of ways for
the system to be instigated"
Hall stated.
One way would be to have
4 nine week sessions in a
school year with two to three
weeks between sessions and
still maintain the present
Christmas and spring vaca
tions. A disadvantage, deter
mined by the committee, is
that the system would prob
ably complicate registration.
However, with the heightened
dependence on computers,
this problem could be mini
mized; Also the University would
have problems in scheduling
events such as rush week
and new student week since
theoretically a student could
begin school anyone of t h e
four quarters in the year.
Another problem would be
that the concentrated study
in a quarter would result in
longer labs, "something that
is complained of at the pres
ent time," Hall added.
In addition to developing a
model quarter system, the
committee is writing letters
to schools presently using the
quarter system asking them
for information on such a
system.
"We hope to poll the facul
ty before Christmas to get
their opinions on a quarter
System. A student poll will
probably be conducted at the
beginning of next semester to
get the student's feeling on
such a change," Hall said.
"The problem is that pres
ently people are just not well
enough informed on the quar
ter system. One of the goals
of the committee is to elimi
nate this lack of knowledge,"
he stressed.
zation's constitutions.
. The committee would in
vestigate the feasibility of the
two committees combining
their actions.
A second resolution Involv
ing the Investigation of the
pass-fail system was also ap
proved unanimously by t h e
senate. The Investigation, to
be carried out by the Public
Issues committee, would be
Involved In finding out why
seventeen University depart
ments refused to offer classes
on the pass-fail basis while
the remainder of the depart
ments accepted the system.
speeds in bad weather. Even if they do have an accident,
Schwartz explained, the chances of serious injury are re
duced. The Lincoln Fire Department is busier too. Since most
fires are in the home, and since most people are inside
during the cold months, the number of fire calls increases
considerably, according to a Fire Department spokesman.
Weather can affect Lincoln businesses, too. Power con
sumption decreases in winter, according to Consumers
Public Power, because most heating Is done with gag, most
cooling with electricity.
The gas consumption increase was corroborated by a
Gas Company spokesman. "But many large buildings, in
cluding the University of Nebraska's heating plant, switch
to oil for heat since oil is more economical," he said.
' The days when man was forced to huddle around a
fire for protection from the elements are long gone. But
the weather still plays a major role, in the northern and
southern latitudes at least, in man's social and economic
life.
Eight CCFU Members To Create
Free University Second Semester
By Cheryl Tritt
Junior Staff Writer
A group of eight University
students will establish a Ne
braska Free University next
semester to "give students
relevent academic course ma
terial and to provide creative
learning experience that is
student-centered," according
to Gene Porkonny, one of t h e
group members.
The group, which is called
the Coordinating Committee
for Free University, (CCFU)
feels that the establishment of
NFU "will construct a step
toward the real goal of total
education," Pokorny said.
CCFU members will hold
an open meeting Dec. 8 to ex
plain the cnocepts of a free
university and how the NFU
will be organized, Pokorny
said.
The NFU will be an auto
nomous organization offering
students courses which they
designate themselves and will
not duplicate University
academic subjects, Pokorny
said.
From now until January
CCFU will compile a ' sched
ule of courses from sugges
tions which University stu
dents submit to the commit
tee.' Student Administered
"We (the committee) do
4 I
Free Education Experiments
Develop In Nation's Colleges
Students ought to take re
sponsibility for their own ed
ucation, states the preamble
to the course catalogue of
San Francisco State's Ex
perimental College, accord
ing to the November 1966 is
sue of Moderator magazine.
Experimental colleges or
free universities, are devel
oping throughout the country
as supplements to regular
university curriculum, and
have achieved national notice
within recent months, the ar
ticle continued.
San Francisco State Col
lege, University of California
at Berkeley, University of
Texas, are just a few of the
colleges across the nation
that have set up free univer
sities. The Experimental College
at San Francisco State was
initiated by students and is
completely administered by
students. At the moment over
eleven hundred, or some ten
per cent of the student body
is engaged in the free univer
sity curriculum, according to
an article in Moderator mag
azine. The course catalogue of the
Experimental College states
that the school was built to
develop a new style of learn
ing and teaching, Moderator
reports.
This particular free univer
sity has the backing of S a n
Francisco State's Academic
Senate and the Council of
Academic Deans, the article
states. Special study and oth
er arrangements made it pos
sible for some students to re
ceive academic credit from
Experimental College
courses.
Subjects studied Include so
cial change, personal devel
not want to be looked upon
as people who are going to
run the NFU," Pokorny said.
"The students are going to
run it," he added.
Students should consider
NFU a challenge where they
have a "structure to use as a
means to get a quality edu
cation," Pokorny said.
At the end of January
CCFU will publish a list of all
the courses which will be of
fered. Then an open registra
tion will be conducted the
second week of next semes
ter and students may sign up
for specific courses.
The CCFU will find loca
tions and times for the
classes to meet, Pokorny ex
plained. However, no academic
credits will be received for
NFU courses.
Faculty members, graduate
and undergraduate students
and people from the Lincoln
community will assume re
sponsibility for individual
seminars.
Requirements
The persons in charge of
the different seminars will de
cide if there will be any lim
itations on the numbers of
students in each class or if
textbooks will be required,
Pokorny said.
opment, avant-garde art, ed
ucation and the ordering of
knowledge. Specific courses
listed in the catalogue are:
Film and Visual Dynamics,
The College and War, Anoth
er Country Early and Con
temporary African Tribes,
Seminar in Prehistory, Ges
talt Therapy, and The Search
for Identity, Moderator con
tinues. According to the Experi
mental College's courses cat
alogue, anyone may organize
a course on anything. The
only requirement is that he
accurately describe what he
is trying to do. Students make
the final decision as to wheth-
Outstanding Title
Nominations Due
Letters of nomination for
the 33rd "Outstanding Ne
braskan" awards will be ac
cepted in the Daily Nebras
kan office beginning Thurs
day until noon Dec. 15.
The two "Outstanding Ne
braskans," one faculty mem
ber and one student, will be
named in the Daily Nebras
kan Dec. 19.
The award originated in
1950 and is given for "meri
torious service in promoting
the welfare of the University
and the University community."
VOTING ... on the proposed Arts and Sciences constitution began
Wednesday. John Peters casts his ballot and Don Colbum looks on. The
polls are also open Thursday in Andrew and Burnett halls and the Ne
braska Union.
At present over ten Univer
sity faculty members have
expressed the desire to as
sume the responsibility for an
NFU course, Pokorny noted.
He added that, any course
concerning any subject will
be allowed in the curriculum
if the students want it.
As an example Pokorny
cited six students who may
wish to take a course in ex
istentialism. They would sub
mit this subject idea to the
CCFU and the committee
would find a place for the
course to meet and someone
to head the discussions.
University organiza
tions will also be encouraged
to participate in NFU.
NFU would give campus
organizations "w h o claim
their goal is the education of
the University students" a
chance to fulfill this goal,
Pokorny said.
Means To Quality
As examples Pokorny said
the Young Democrats and
Young Republicans could use
NFU to inform students about
the structure of politics and
Builders could structure a
course which relates the Uni
versity to the state, he addeu.
Pokorny stressed that the
Nebraska Free University is
not an end in itself but rather
"a means to achieve a quality
education."
eraproposal becomes a
course, by signing up to at
tend, or not.
Everyone participating in
the Experimental College is
invited to regularly scheduled
town meetings which consid
er problems and set direc
tions of work, the article
states.
George Olivarri, Universi
ty graduate student, took
part in the experimental col
lege at the University of Tex
as, started in 1965.
The Free University, as it
was called, was aimed main
ly at undergraudates, accord
ing to Olivarri. He state that
it was experimental in the ar
rangement of classes and the
subject matter of courses.-
The Free University at
Texas employed a seminar
arrangement of classes as
opposed to the usual under
graudate lectures, Olivarri
stated. Such courses as Thea
tre and the Arts, and Modern
American Literature were
offered.
Experimental colleges are
being conducted in conjunc
tion with many other univer
sities. Newsweek magazine
noted the Valley Center in
Central Massachusetts.
Some 90 undergraduates from
Amherst, Mount Holyoke,
Smith and the University of
Massachusettes started the
Valley Center free university.
"IK -
it,?..
This "quest for quality" is
necessary, Pokorny noted, be
cause it is "becoming more
and more obvious that politi
cal and business pressures do
not give the student enough
chances to achieve total edu
cation." "Too much of students' cur
riculum today is totally irrel
event to our lives," Pokorny
said.
At the University "a course
passes judgment on the stu
dent; the student doesn't pass
judgment on the course," Po
korny declared.
Pokorny added that sever
al universities such as the
University of Texas, Univer
sity of Colorado and Univer
sity of California at Berk
ley have incorporated free
universities and numerous
other colleges are starting
them.
Twenty largest cities also
have free universities which
are not connected with any
universities or college, Pokor
ny said.
The other members of CC
FU are Phil Boardman; Ka
thy Augustin; Susie Diffen
derfer, UNSEA president; Su
sie Phelps, ASUN senator;
Dick Schultze, chairman of
the ASUN student conduct
committee; Mel Schlachter,
ASUN student advisory board
and Gary Watzke.
Housing
Is Topic
Of Panel
The requirement of living in
on-campus housing will be the
central topic considered
Thursday afternoon in a panel
discussion.
Dave Snyder, the organizer
of the discussion, said that the
panel will be composed of
Dean Helen Snyder, Dean of
W o m e n. Bob Muschewske,
resident director of Abel Hall;
Dick Schulze, chairman of the
ASUN Student Conduct com
mittee; Elaine Kallos, pres
ident of Pound Hall; Bob
Samuclson, a student living
in an apartment; Tish Voich
ahaske, also residing in an
apartment; and Jan Kaufman,
Secretary of Mortar Boards
and past president of Burr
Hall. Snyder will serve as
moderator of the discussion.
The purpose of the discus
sion is to bring into the open
both sides of the problem.
Snyder said that this is neces
sary for "if a change is ever
desired in the regulations,
both sides should be openly
known."
"In addition, it is important
that the rights of the student
be clarified and also brought
out into the open," Snyder
stressed.
The discussion is scheduled
for 3:30 p.m. in the Small
Auditorium of the Nebraska
Union.
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