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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 24, 1999)
j SPORTS On the Road I As the Cornhuskers travel to Missouri, NU ■ Coach Frank Solich focuses on team improve E ment offensively. PAGE 6 I-**!- FRIDAY Charged Images September 24,1999 I Using loud colors and provoking images, Robert I Colescott pulls viewers into his paintings before BRIGHT EYES m driving home his messages on bigotry. PAGE 7 Sunny, high 86. Mostly clear tonight, low 55. VQL- 99__COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 25 UNL freshman class enrollment rises By Kimberly Sweet Senior staff writer Fulfilling the expectations of uni versity officials, the number of fresh men filling UNL’s classroom have increased for the second consecutive year. Outnumbering last year’s fresh man class by 228 students, the num ber of freshmen enrolled this fall rose to 3,585 students - a 6.8 percent increase. More important than the increased number, however, is the preparedness and potential for success the classes are bringing with them, said James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs. This year’s freshman class is the third class to enter under increased admission standards, first implement ed for the 1997-98 school year. The increased standards resulted in a decrease in freshman enrollment during the first year of implementa tion. With the old standards, 18 percent of freshmen attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduated in the top 10 percent of their classes. In die last three freshman classes, 25 percent have graduated in the top 10 percent of their classes, Griesen said. Retention rates and ACT scores have also jumped with the incoming freshman classes. Ted Pardy, chairman of a commit tee looking at ways to increase the freshman retention rate, said the pre paredness of the recent entering fresh man classes was evident to professors. Pardy, professor of biological sci ences, said the “intellectual composi tion” of the classes enabled professors to do more in their classes. “Faculty now have better raw material and can move further, faster,” Pardy said. “They have an opportuni ty to bring a higher level of expecta tions to the classroom.” More high schools being aware of « Faculty now have better raw material and can move further, faster ” TedPardy biological sciences professor the increased standards has helped to increase the numbers. Efforts on the part of Admissions have also helped to recruit eligible students, said Larry Routh, interim director of Admissions. “Whenever the numbers go up or down, we’re always in search of an explanation,” Routh said. “I’m quite confident that part of the change is due to this department receiving increased support.” Better staffing, a new admissions facility and improved campus visits Please see CLASS on 2 Mid-Autumn Chinese fest honors moon ■ The Chinese Students and Scholars Association is holding its first-ever Chinese Culture Week. ByDane&tickney Staff writer When tiie full moon hangs in the sky on Sunday, many Chinese students will be seen eating mooncakes on the Nebraska Union plaza. The full moon is the most important part of the Mid Autumn Festival that marks the beginning of the first-ever Chinese Culture Week, said Yuankun Yao, publicity coordi nator for the Chinese Students and Scholars Association. The association is sponsoring the week. The festival will be held Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m. in front of the union. Other events during the week include a Chinese art dis play, a Chinese film and an anniversary celebration. Yao said the festival was one of the biggest events on the Chinese calendar. “The full moon is a symbol of family,” Yao said. “That is why the event is so important because we are away from our families.” Yao, a graduate student, said the mooncakes were essential to the festival. The round disc is a complicated del icacy that mixes sweet and salty tastes. “Mooncakes are the special food for the festival,” he said. “People eat vegetables or fruits with them. People from different areas try different things with their moon cakes.” The week ends with a 50th anniversary celebration of the current Chinese government, said T .intao Wang, presi dent of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association. It will be Oct 3 at a time that will be announced later. Yao said this was the first time that the Chinese Students and Scholars Association had held a Chinese Culture week. “Last year, we did a very brief Mid-Autumn Festival,” he said. “The weeklong festivities is something very new. We’ve never done anything like this before. Ifsa new expe rience for all people involved” The Chinese art can be viewed in the Nebraska Union Monday through Wednesday and will feature photographs, paintings and calligraphy. The film, “Ai-quing Ma-la-tang,” can be seen in the Centennial Room in the union Wednesday from 7 to 10p.m. It ' f i - . * Nate Wagner/DN A.C.E. COMMUNITY MEMBER Ryan Welder, a veterinary science major, jokes with friends in the east wing of Burr Residence Hall on Thursday afternoon. Welder and five other A.C.E. students were thinking of games to holp them review fer a test. Program an t aid By Eric Rineer v Staff writer As part of a wider system of learning communities at UNL, an agricultural pro gram known as A.C.E. offers incoming stu dents a better shot at success. The Academic Commitment and Excellence program, located in Burr Hall on East Campus, helps freshmen and trans fer students enhance their learning experi ence, said Melanie McQuarters, program coordinator. The program has been steadily climb ing in numbers since it began three years ago. With 54 students, A.C.E. now ranks close to the middle of campus learning communities i» terms of numbers. UNL has 10 learning communities. In A.C.E., administrators try to ease the transition stage for new students at the uni versity by scheduling many of their courses in Burr. They also hold student-faculty din ners once a month in the Nebraska East Union. During the dinners, students can chat with their professors about classes or even shoot the breeze, said McQuarters, who is also the Burr-Fedde Residence Hall direc tor. “We try to get rid of the misconception that faculty only care about you when you’re standing in their office.” Social events for A.C.E. members this year have included trips to Mahoney State Park and Camp Carol Joy Holling. At their last social outing, students had a chance to blast their friends with paint-ball guns. Besides the dinners and social events, A.C.E. also provides mentors for studenfs. The mentors help the students study, and Please see A.C JE. on 2 Read the Daily Nebraskan on the World Wide Web at dailyneb.com