r.
Centennia
project aids
Free School
It's time for a change in education, say some UNL
students. And they think they may have an answer
the Lincoln Free School.
Fifteen Centennial College students, dissatisfied
with their own education, are involved in the project
supervised by Scott Morgan, assistant professor of
English and Centennial College Fellow.
For six hours credit, the students go out to the
school twice a week for a couple of hours. Though
they have only been involved for three weeks, most
students have reacted favorably.
The Free School, run by Bob Frangenberg , is an
experimental non-accredited program at 27th and
Vine Streets. They are free to paint, watch television,
play games or almost anything they wish to do, he
said.
"Kids are really cool. They are creative,
spontaneous and uninhibited," Marry DeBacker
explained, "I really like the Free School. No two days
are alike.
"The theory is that the children can learn on their
own. The teacher doesn't have to be there," she said.
The children "aren't inherently more creative, but
the Free School allows them to express themselves,"
Drey Samuelson said.
Children aren't made to think they are either
smart or dumb, Samuelson stated. "That's the way
education should be. The kids are the ones
responsible for learning."
Freshman Karen Brumm agreed, "I found
school intimidating. At the Free School, the teacher
is not your superior. Instead, he is on your level and
both teacher and student respect the other's wishes.
"Children are free to do what they want, they
aren't forced to learn things they aren't interested
in," she added.
Mary Hansen stressed that Frangenberg was the
central figure and that the children did obey him. She
said the children were "testing" the students and they
did not know when to "say no" to the youngsters.
Samuelson said children will jump on tables and
even throw scissors. However, Brumm noted that
Frangenberg did place certain limits on them. They
can't use the phone and are supposed to pick up after
themselves.
"But in a free atmosphere like that, it's hard to tell
them what to do," Brumm noted.
Because of the lack of structure, many UNL
students involved said other alternatives to education
might be a happy medium between the extremes of
the regular classroom and the Free School.
Several of the UNL students mentioned that
because the Free School was such a .radical
approach, it would be many years until it reached the
school system.
Debacker, a junior in Teachers College
commented, "The methods courses I've taken would
be of no use in a Free School because there is no one
true method."
Nebraska Public Interest
Group, (NebPRIG) will meet at
7:30 p.m. Thursday in the
Nebraska Union.
There will be an
organizational meeting for a
local chapter of the National
Audubon Society at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday in 20 Morrill Hall.
The Union Program Council
Talks and Topics Committee
will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in
the Union.
Young Democrats will meet
at - 7 p.m. Thursday in the
Union to elect new officers.
A student composers recital
will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday
in Kimball Recital Hall.
Students interested in
working at the Nebraska Youth
Caucus Saturday and Sunday
may call 475-1361 or meet at
the Union at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Applications are being taken
in the ASUN office, 334 Union
to fill an ASUN Senate vacancy
in the College of Architecture
and Engineering.
Graduating seniors who plan
to work for graduate degrees
and who are members of Phi
Eta Sigma, freshman honor
society, may contact Leslie
Hewes in 232 Burnett about
the national $300 scholarships
available. The local deadline is
Feb. 25.
Interested students may
contact the Lincoln Family
Planning Center for volunteer
work. An information session
will be Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at
the Center, 3 8 30 Adams.
Students may sign up in the
student YWCA office, 345
Union.
Training Retarded Youth
(TRY), Headstart and the
Madonna Home need
volunteers, interested students
may contact Mary Dean at
472-2486 in the Volunteer
Bureau, 338 Union.
There is an opening for a
student on the Faculty Senate
Convocations Committee. Any
full-time student may apply at
the ASUN Office, 334 Union.
Sears
Sears is on campus.,
looking for
men or women
interested in
starting a career in
ADVERTISING
COPYWRITING
Our representative will be here
March 23 and 24
Sign up in Journalism Office
Ag students get
honors option
The UNL College of Agriculture has
developed an honors program which director
Franklin Eldridge said aims "to get talented
freshmen out of standard beginning courses
and challenge them."
"If there's any indictment of a university,
it's to have students come and to have them
leave without a challenge," said Eldridge, an
associate dean of the college.
In an attempt to challenge the top
agriculture students academically, 16
freshmen the upper four per cent of their
class are selected yearly for the agriculture
honors program.
John Robinson, associate dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences, said he
disagrees with the honors approach. First, in
comparison, Robinson said the Arts and
Sciences' integrated studies program, which
like agriculture honors allows a student to
choose much of his academic program, has
no grade average restrictions.
And Robinson said any honors program
tends to elevate the status of a few students
over the majority. Treating students
more-or-less equally "presents an amazingly
complex problem," he said.
"The way to go with gifted students is
not to have specific honors programs, but
rather to move them along quicker,"
Robinson said.
During the second semester of their
freshman year, agriculture honors students
take a two-hour seminar course designed to
give them a broad perspective of
agricultural studies.
The sophomore year includes two
one-hour independent research courses.
Midway through the first semester the
student writes his own degree requirements
(128 hours minimum).
Vernon Williams, coordinator of UNL's
Teaching and Learning Center, is currently
evaluating the agriculture honors program.
His research indicates the program is
achieving "openness in the advising
relationship and realism in occupational
thinking."
Although advocating such ends, Williams
said he finds it "difficult from a practical
point of view to justify spending that much
money for the number of students it does
affect."
The honors program costs more because
professors spend more time with individual
honors students than they do with regular .
students.
i i
Thursday
5:30 p.m. Union-Mortar
Board
5:30 p.m. Union-Phi Mu
Alpha Sinfonia
5:45 p.m. Union World in
Revolution
6 p.m. Union Union Talks and
Topics Committee
6 p.m. Union-AUF exec.
6:30 p.m. Union-AUF
6:30 p.m. Union Recreation
Advisory Board
6:30 p.m. Union Union Board
recognition dinner
7 p.m. Union Christian
Science Organization
7 p.m. Union Spanish Club
Film "Dona Barbara"
.7 p.m. Union Young
Democrats
Nebraska
Free School
12:30 p.m
Union-NFU
Philosophy"
2:15 p.m. Union-CSL Student
Fee Committee
4 p.m. Union NU Governance
Committee
5 p.m. Union Placement
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THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 17, 1972
THE DAILY NEB RASKAN
PAGE 3