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UNL may begin religion studies
By Charles Johnson
UNL may offer a program of religious
studies by September 1975, according to
Raleigh Peterson, dean of the Nebraska School
of Religion (NSR formerly Cotner College).
He said the old Cother College Brard would
provide an endowment of $250,000 for the
university of Nebraska Foundation to establish
a Cotner College professorship in religious
studies.
The endowment would' include the present
NSR building at 1237 R St. and a permanent
endowment fund of $150,000. The building is
valued at $100,000, he said. In addition, the
Cotner College library will be transferred to
UNL. . .
With the Cotner College professorship, a
minor in religious studies would be approved by
the regents, Peterson said. Ha said it ha been
discussed informally with tha regents.
"We feel the University students ought to
have a better opportunity in courses in religion
than they have," he said. The College of Arts
and Sciences presently doesn't allow religion to
be studied as one of the humanities, he said.
The College of Arts and Sciences made a
study of religion on the UNL campus and
found that the University already offered a
number of courses related toeiigion, Peterson
said. '
They found that 23 courses related to
religion existed on the campus and they
recommended that more courses be developed,
according to Peterson.
He cited the success of similar programs at
tha University of Iowa and the University of
Indiana, and said ha anticipates no problems'
implementing the program.
"The Supreme Court has ruled that the
academic study of religion is legal and, in fact,
highly desirable," he said.
World religions and Biblical studies are the
most needed courses, according to Peterson. In
addition to the course offetings, he sees the
need of another full time religion professor (in
addition to the one stipulated in the
endowment).
"We are waiting on a declaration judgment
as to the legality of the trust," he said. "If that
moves quickly, the program jould begin in
September of 1975."
The idea for establishing religious studies at
UNL was first considered seriously in 1970.
Peterson attributed NSR interest in the plan to .
"difficulties in scheduling students and finding
funds for our program."
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friday, may 3, 1974
lincoln, nebraska vol. 97, no. 56
By Marl Hoffman
Over the past year, UNL students have found at
least one appeals committee appealing and others
unnecessary or unused.
The ASUN Parking Appeals Committee has heard
about 100 appeals every two weeks, or 1,800 during
the school year, according to committee member
Russ Nelson.
( ' Ha said about 70 of the appesii iri thingod In
t he student's favor wSh'tlberecomm to "
Ron Gicrhan, UNL coordinator of studs nt conduer
t referrals. '
Most of the cases involve instances such as a
student parks illegally while he or she runs into a
building for five minutes and has 8 ticket when the
student gets back, Nelson said. Others might be
students charged with parking within a "red line," or
no-parking zone, or blocking a driveway when tha lot
they had a permit for was so full they could not park
in one of the stalls.
"Most of the time it is a clear-cut case," he added,
with a student proving he did not block the driveway,
or the Campus Security unable to provide he didn't
block it.
He said of 100 appeals, 80 are presented to tha
committee in writing and 20 are presented in person
by the student.
At the other extreme, the Faculty Senate
Committee on Student Suspension Appeals has not
heard a C3se all year, according to chairman Don
Shaneyfelt. Shaneyfalt is the Law College assistant
dean. ,
Gierhan, the UNL coordinator of student conduct
referrals, said that no student had been dismissed .
from UNL for disciplinary reasons over tha past year.
Likewise the Faculty Senate Scholastic Appeals
s most appea
Committee has not heard a case this year, according
to chairman Robert Johnston, a UNL chemistry
professor.
His committee hears cases involving students
suspended from school because of bad grades, he said.
Gerald Bowker, academic services director, said
there have been UNL students put on scholastic
probation or suspended during the last year, but he
declined to say how many. He, said giving numbers
' may lia a breScfr6f cdrifiSenc t3 tftfisfpeople.rr:.
Ha explained that ttudcrrts do not go to tha
scholastic Appeals Committee because "Everyone
who is suspended is scheduled for a conference (with
his office).
'They are given the critieria for what they h3ve to
do to become eligible," he said. Problems usually are
straightened out there or in the colleges themselves,
he added.
Another appeals body, the University Judiciary,
has heard only four cases this year, said member Jania
Erdenberger.
Two cases involved students who were appealing
cases from the previous year. One involved a drug
problem, the other a dormitory problem, she said.
The other two cases involved a fight on campus.
Tha student came back because he thought the
wording in the University Judiciary's first written
opinion was detrimental to his character, Erdenberger
said.'--"' .
The body reworded its opinion, she noted.
In the other two cases, it upheld the decision on
the drug case and changed the ruling on the
dormitory case allowing him to go back into the
residence hall.
Dr. Paul Bancroft, the University Health Center
(UHC) ombudsman, said he has handled 18
ling to students
complaints over the last three months. This is average
for a three-month period, he added.
Half those complaints concerned students who
complained about having to pay fees for services
rendered, Bancroft said.
"Some students labor under the misinformation
that all the care they receive is free' ha noted and
complain about fees they receive for care such as
laboratory tgets." i .-..' ,,-..,,...,
,w;.vt"ti0-.ftmsdt?t3t wh!!3 students do have to pay the
UHC s&Us, lor such service U U sbp'4,1 telt ti of
other hospitals.
Other complaints are that UHC does not provide
service for the students' families, and some students
complain of personality clashes with doctors.
He said UHC does not have the staff or facilities
to handle students' families and students are able to
choose different doctors if they have a problem with
one particular physician.
. Gicrhan and Bancroft said if a student has a
problem or complaint the student is told he can
appeal a decision through the ombudsman, or the
appropriate appeals committees.
Bowker said a student who is put on scholastic
, probation or suspension is not notified about the
Scholastic Appeals Committee. The UNL appeals
committees are listed in the Campus Handbook.
The last hurrah "
Today's issue of the Daily Nebraskati is the last
one for the semester. Publication will resume in
the fall.
Studen
calls for
evaluation
changes
Cy Pat Scbnitzar
If UNL student Bill Freudenburg has
his way, student evaluations will become
an organized, systematic way to judge
classes and teachers.
"Students should have adequate
information to vliut tearhot-e " ho
said. The existing forms are sometimes
inadequate, he added. '
Freudenburg submitted a proposal to
the UNL Teaching Council which calls for
a "2-pronged" evaluation form to be used
in all UNL departments.
A computerized section of the form
would evaluate the teacher's
effectiveness, ha . said. Freudenburg
explained that students would answer
about 203 questions, such as: Is the'
teacher interesting? Does he encourage
, class participation?
Evaluation results would bo published
after the first year and then once every
two years, he said. This system would
allow students to compare teachers, he
said.
The other part of the evaluation
would be decided by each department, he
continued. A chairman could ask
questions specific to his department and
fill any gaps the first part of the form
left, Freudenburg said.
He also said the teachers might give
out mid-semester evaluations so they
Freudenburg said the Teaching
Council endorsed his proposal "in
principle". Virginia Trotter, vice
chancellor of academic affairs, has been
advised to organize an ad hoc committee
to study the proposal,, he explained.
He stressed that his evaluation system
should not be "pushed down the faculty's
throat" But teachers now are being
judged by rirrnor, innuedo and distorted
facts, ha said.
"This is not a good way to know who
the best teachers are," he said.
He explained that his proposal arose
from a report on evaluations ha heiped
prepare last year.
"There were different forms used in
different ways and no one understood the
policies governing z valuations," he
explained.
The newly adopted Board of Regents'
by-lsws of August 1973 said students
should have the opportunity to voice
their opinions, Freudenburg said.
Teaching Council members seemed to
favor an updating of student evaluations
but were skeptical about certain parts off
L.K. Benedict, assistant dean of the
Collegs of Pharmacy, said he doss not
want to return to the days of no
evaluations because they supply
instructors with a bread student reaction.
However, he said he had reservations
about publishing evaluation results. Some
courses, like an English honors course and
introductory chemistry class, are not
comparable, Benedict said.
English Prof. Robert Hough said he
has ambivalent feelings about the newly
proposed evaluations.
The instruction and missions of each
department are different, and it might be
unfair to compare classes, he said.
However, Hough said ho thought
evaluations results should be published.
But department chairmen should show
faculty members the evaluations first, he
added.
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