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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1967)
s Examining Deferred Rush Merits By DAVE BUNTAIN STAFF WRITER The Board of Regents is now looking at the merits of switching University fraterni ties and sororities to a "de ferred rush" system, accord ing to Regent Edward Sch wartzkopf. "I don't interpret this to mean that deferred rush is inevitable," he said. "This is an honest study to see which way we ought to move in future years." Under the present rush sys tem, University fraternities and sororities pledge most of their members during a rush week that precedes their freshman year. Should the Board of Regents order a switch to deferred rush, then freshmen would pledge at some later period in the year. The Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association have been asked to prepare reports concerning the merits of each type of system, said G. Robert Ross, vice-chancellor for student affairs. These groups were also asked to recommend the type of deferred rush system they would prefer should the Re gents decide to alter the pre sent approach. Ross said that IFC and ranhcllcnic representatives would probably discuss their findings at the next Board meeting on September 29. The deferred rush study de veloped from a Regents' meeting this spring, Ross said. "The question arose wheth er deferred rush had been seriously considered by t h e University. The Regents de cided that they would like to consider the pros and cons of the present system and of a deferred system," he ex plained. "We called representatives of the alumni groups and the active groups and asked them to submit reports to help us in the study, The Re gents will also have a report from our administrative staff," he continued. Ross said that "no one has any sinister or hidden motives" in carrying out the study. He noted that a spe cial committee has been look ing into the question period ically over the last four years. Schwartzkopf also discount ed hidden motivation for the nothing that promulgated this." "We owe it to the students, to the parents and to the ad ministration to evaluate pro grams like this periodically," he said. "We want all the in formation possible no we know just how it stands." "Nothing says deferred rush will go in next year or the following year," he added. Ross pointed out that there are "a hundred reasons for going to deferred rush" and just as many for keeping rush as it is. "We are concerned about what system is the best way for bringing students into the University," Ross said. Such a question is nut unique to the University, but is being considered by most schools having Greek sys tems, he said. Ross said that a number of Greek alumni have expressed support for deferred rush in addition to the ones favoring the present system. Both Ross and Schwartz kopf indicated that deferred rush could not be accom plished "over night." Many alumni have expressed fears that houses would not be able to weather the financial cri sis created if they were not allowed to take a fall pledge class. "I'm sure nothing is going to be done that would place economic hardship on the groups involved," Ross com mented. He joined Schwartz kopf in stressing the need for a "phase-in" period to en able houses to accumulate the financial reserves neces sary should the Regents ap prove the change. Regent UNIVERSITY SEP 15 Friday, September 15, ELD THE UNAVAILABILITY OF MODERN HOUSING ...resultsin overcrowding and Sororities Pledge 470 During Smooth Rush University sororities pledged 470 women during the four day rush period this year, according to the Pan hellenic office. "Rush Week ran smoothly and the overall schedule proved effective," Panhellen ic President Shari Mueller said. Miss Mueller said, "I feel that an ideal situation exist ed this year for rush since all sororities were able to rush in houses." She indicated that the in completion of some construc tion hampered rusli but these Molicre, Alhce Kepeat . . . Repertory Opens New Year Plays by Moliere, Albee, Shakespeare and Pinter, plus an opera by Britten will be featured in this season's Uni versity Theater in Repertory. This is the third year the repertory system has been used at Howell Theater and the combination of classical and modern plays promises the most varied and colorful season ever, according to Stephen Cole, director of uni versity theater. "Misanthrope" by Moliere, author of last season's suc cessful comedy "Scapin", will start October 20 and run on alternate weekends with "A Delicate Balance" by Ed ward Albee, who also wrote "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". REJECTS SOCIETY Directed by Joseph Bald win, "Misanthrope" is a com edy about a man who can not stand the faults of socie ty and therefore goes to live as a hermit. "A Delicate Balance", which won this year's Pulit zer Prize for Drama will be fjj 1967 What Minimum? circumstances did not seem to dampen the spirits and enthusiasm of those partici pating." DROP OUT LOW Statistics support this claim as the percentage of women dropping out of rush was comparatively low, according to Panhellenic. The number of sorority pledges was five less than last year. During the summer months 758 applications were processed by Panhellenic for fall rush. When rush week began Sept. 4, the number had dropped to 645 for vari ous reasons. directed by William Morgan. It concerns the syndrome of fear associated with middle age. The remaining productions in the season are: "King Lear", "The Homecoming" or "The Birthday Party" and "Albert Herring". SHAKESPEARE OPENS Shakespeare's "King Lear" will start March 1, alternat ing weekends with either "The Homecoming" or "The Birthday Party" by Howard Pinter. The former play is currently running in New York and has won Pinter the Tony Award for best play wright of the season. There is a possibility that the production of "King Lear" may be toured in the state, according to Cole, who noted that "Macbeth" met with great success two years ago when the production made several out-of-town per formances. . "Albert Herring", the op era by Benjamin Britten, neatly divides the season with performances starting As rush week proceeded with open houses and the dif ferent sets of parties, 107 women withdrew. REPORT REQUESTED Last year the Board of Re gents requested a special re port from Panhellenic con cerning deferred rush and other possible changes in the present system. Panhellenic workers compiled this infor mation over the summer and the final report has been filed with the Regents. Copies of this report will be circulated to sororities next week and discussions will be held after action is January 31. It is a modern British comic opera. OPPORTUNITY PROVIDED Cole noted that the reper tory system provides an op portunity for the viewer to attend two plays within two weeks and to make compari sons of classic versus con temporary works. "We have selected plays that allow students to see the tradition of our culture, such as 'King Lear', and also to view those things that are pertinent in today's society," Cole stated. Season tickets for the five shows are now. being sold through the University Thea ter box office. Cole explained that the entire operational budget for the productions is supplied through the box of fice alone. "The Theater exists pri marily for the University community and in order to sustain the great burden of a repertory system, it is nec essary that the community support the Theater's shows," Cole said. University of Nebraska . - slum-like conditions. Women Week taken on the measures, ac cording to Panhellenic. On this subject, the Pan hellenic president said that she hopes the sorority sys tem "builds on what : is al ready started rather h a n change to an entirely new system." OPEN RUSH STARTS Panhellenic requests that all coeds interested in par ticipating in Open Rush fill out an application in the Pan hellenic office any time after Sept. 25. Informal open rush will officially start Oct. 9 and will continue throughout the year. A registration fee of $2.50 must be paid by all women who have not previously paid. During the period of open rush Panhellenic rush rules are in effect just as during formal rush, and those inter ested in pledging will be en tertained on an individual basis. jf t,. " i ' ' v . 1 f I is L 1 ) r: J ADDRESSING THE WEDNESDAY MEETING ... of the ASUN Senate, Dean Ross comments on the cur rent NU housing situation. Legislative Funds Help Financial Aid Totaling $3.64 Million Awarded To Over 4,000 Students More than 4,000 University students have received finan cial aid to continue their edu cation this year, according to Dr. Edward Lundak, director of the Office of Financial Aids and Scholarships. A total of $3,644,000 has been allotted to University of Nebraska students. This fig ure includes money obtained through scholarships, loans, grants, and part-time employ ment. Of the total funds allocated to the University $200,000 was provided by the Unicam eral to compensate for the rise in tuition. Dr. Lundak reported that 1700 students had each re ceived a stipend of $100 for the present academic year, $30,000 of the original $200,000 grant having been reserved Dr. Lundak said that over 8,000 students applied for as-' sistance this year. He added, while almost all available funds have been committed, the University will continue to aid students to the degree possible through existing pro grams. PROGRAMS USED Financial aid programs now in operation include the Nebraska Legislature special tuition awards, guaranteed loans through Nebraska fi nancial institutions, Universi ty Foundation loans and scholarships, and Regents scholarships. National Defense Education Act Loans, educational oppor tunity grants, federal health professions loans, and grants, work-study grants, and part time employment in Lincoln other than work-study are also being utilized. "A significant element in the figure for loans is a com paritively new program of guaranteed loans," stated Dr. Lundak. This year guaran teed loans total $256,000. CONDITIONS TO MEET To obtain a guaranteed loan a student's school agrees to have his loan charged against the appropriate re serve fund, and certifies his academic standing. If the lender approves, the student's request is sent to United Student Aid Funds for final action. Under this program an un dergraduate may borrow up to $1,000 a year and a grad uate student may borrow up to $1,500 per year up to a combined total of $7,500. 1 ySi mr i I .. s INTEREST REGULATIONS No notes under this plan may bear more than 6 sim ple interest. The Federal Government will pay the 6 interest until repayment is due and 3 interest while the student is repaying the loan. Dr. Lundak reported that guaranteed loans are usually extended to upperclassmen rather than to freshmen be- cause the University has to certify the academic standing of the applicant. Another program from which the University recruits funds is the National Defense Student Education Loans sup plied $520,000 this year. Students who have been ac cented or who are enrolled in college and who need finan cial assistance for education al expenses are eligible for student defense loans. LIMITED AMOUNTS An undergraduate may bor row up to $1,000 each year to a total of $5,000. Graduate students may borrow $2,500 a year up to $10,000. The repayment and interest do not begin until 9 months after the student leaves school. The loans bear an in terest rate of 3. If a borrower becomes a full-time teacher as much as half the loan may be elimi nated at the rate of 10 for each year he teaches. UNIVERSITY COLLECTS The University approves and makes the loans and is responsible for collections. Repayment may be deferred for 3 years while a borrower is in the Armed Forces, Peace Corp or VISTA. Repayment is also deferred as long as a borrower is in Higher Education Studied By Unicam A special Legislative com mittee is studying the need to co-ordinate Nebraska's in stitutions of higher education, Sen. John Knight, the group's chairman, said Thursday. The committee has defined higher education as "any ed ucational program geared to those students who have ter minated their high school ed ucation," Knight explained. Thus, it is intended to include Nebraska's vocational, tech nical and business schools in addition to the colleges and universities. The committee was creat ed by the 1967 Unicameral to study methods of co-ordinating these schools in an at tempt to "evolve better use of state funds." It will rec ommend Legislation to the next session on the basis of its findings, he said. Knight cited the state's ju nior colleges as an example of the lack of co-ordination which the committee hopes to correct. The Legislature ap propriates funds for the ju nior colleges, yet it has no control over how the money is spent. "The money may be for knitting classes or for foot ball scholarships," he said. "There is nothing the Legis lature can do as things now stand." Another area to be ex Vol. 91 No. 3 an institution of higher edu cation. The University has also re ceived funds totaling $94,000 from the Educational Oppor tunity Grants, according to Dr. Lundak. These grants are given to undergraduate students with exceptional financial need. To be eligible, the student must also show academic or crea tive promise. The money allotted to the student ranges from $200 to $800 per year and cannot ex ceed more than one-half of the total assistance given him. The amount a student may receive depends upon his need. FEDERAL GRANTS The College Work-Study Grants, another federal pro gram, provided the universi ty with $450,000 a year. This program in particular is for students from low in come families who are in need of a part time job to help pay college expenses. Students may work up to IS hours weekly with the basic pav rate set at $1.25 per hour. WORK REQUIREMENTS The student may work for the University or for an ap proved off campus agency. On campus jobs can include work in dining halls, labora tories, libraries and mainte nance. Off-campus jobs are generally for non-profit orga nizations. To be eligible for employ ment under this program a student must be enrolled and in good standing at the Uni versity. The student's eligi blty also depends upon the students' need for employ ment to defray college ex penses, with preference giv en to low-income families. plored is "the unnecessary duplication of curriculum." Knight pointed out that both Milford Technical School and the University have comput er training programs and that such a duplication might be an unnecessary expense. He also cited the state schools' graduate programs in education as falling into this category. Six such pro programsare maintained throughout the state. "The question is how many of these graduate programs do we really need?" Knight said. Among the possible solu tions being considered by the committee are: a state-wide co-ordinating board that would oversee all the state schools and the var ious Boards of Regents. a separate board designed to co-ordinate all aspects of vocational education. a separate board to chan nel funds into non-state-sponsored institutions. a permanent committee similar to the legislative one aimed at recommending pro grams of co-ordination. Knight stressed that it is still too early to tell which of these solutions might be proposed by the committee, adding that other proposals may arise in the course of the study.