Centennial
fraternity
plans
explored
By Rex Seline
Residents of Centennial College may
soon become members of a fraternity
under a proposal which John Fleck,
chairman of this semester's Centennial
Town Hall meetings, hopes will unify
participants.
The proposal would mean that by
participation in the program, a student
would become a member of a fraternity
or sorority, according to Fleck. The
fraternity or sorority would not be
affiliated with any existing national
organization and as yet has no name.
Some preliminary calculations indicate
residents might save money if they paid
University room rates and bought
separate meal tickets on their own, Fleck
said.
"It was originally an idea of quite a
few upperclasmen last year, who felt
there was more unity in the program,"
Fleck said. "It's hoped that this structure
would lend itself to this type of
livinglearning environment."
Search conducted
Fleck said the idea originally came up
last year when the house currently
occupied by Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity
was sold. Interest was generated in having
upperclassmen and graduates band
together and live in that house or another .
in which could be bought or leased.
"The idea came up again this year,
coalesced, and the upperclassmen and
women's floor got turned on by the
prospect," Fleck said. y
" Originally, a search was conducted to
find on or off campus housing, but once
the underclassmen and women in the
program became interested, the proposal
changed to renting or leasing Centennial
from the University, according to Fleck
"We hope to keep more upperclassmen
in the program (as a fraternity)," Fleck
said. "The possibility , that we might,
more or less, be in control of our living
quarters arose as a sidelight that
interested us."
Constitutions similar
The constitutions of the fraternity for
the men and the sorority for the women
would be the same, Fleck said. ,
"Being a fraternity or sorority
wouldn't affect the program at all,"
according to Fleck.
Nelson Potter, senior fellow for
Centennial, also foresaw no change in the
program.
"Whatever problems with it would be
from the point of view of housing. From
the Centennial point of view, I don't see
any parts being different with the
fraternity structure," Potter said.
Fleck said that the basic difference
between the Centennial proposal and a
traditional fraternity or sorority would be
less emphasis on the social aspect.
"We have no interest in having rush
week, pledges or fees of any sort. The
social and academic tie would be-more
important he said. ; . -Clearing
house
The proposal also involves the pos
sibility of national expansion through the
Ann Arbor, Michigan, conference on ex
perimental educational programs, Fleck
reported.
"Experimental colleges have been
going under because of a lack of
organization. We want to go up to Ann
Arbor and talk to other students about
this proposal to see if they're interested,"
Fleck said.
On a national basis, Centennial would
act as a clearing house for other
experimental programs involved with
fraternities and sororities. Fleck believes
that chapters could be established at
other universities to alleviate the lack of
communication.
Recruitment of members for
Centennial would be through Centennial's
own public relations campaign and would
not change under the proposal, according
to Fleck.
"We're going to worry about
developing our constitution (working
with Jayne Wade Anderson, director of
fraternities, sororities and co-ops) first,
before we consider anything else," Fleck
said.
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Fellows agree Centennial offers
an "alternative education"
Since its inception in 1969, the Centennial
Education Program (CEP) has hosted "fellows,"
or CEP professors, from many departments at
UNL.
Fellows sponsor and counsel CEP students on
projects or areas of study that interest them.
Each fellow serves a two or three-year term
before returning to his department.
This semester, Centennial has 12 fellows.'
Nelson Potter, a professor of philosophy, is the
senior fellow.
CEP students take 6 hours of Centennial
instruction each semester. These hours may
apply toward Arts arid Sciences group
requirements.
Together with the fellows, students define
goals and requirements for their program,
according to CEP Fellow Sky Houser.
Individualism emphasized
Projects can be done individually or in small
groups, he said. But individualism and the
learning experience is emphasized, he added.
To enhance individual learning experiences,
most CEP students live in Neihardt Residential
Center, he said. But the program does have
commuter students Houser said.
Houser, a visiting lecturer in history, will be
leaving the program this year after what he called
"three rewarding years."
But he won't return to the history
department. Instead, he is looking for a school
with a program similar to CEP, based on a
living-learning concept, he said.
Houser said that when the program works
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well, "It is the most exciting kind of teaching
I've ever done.".
More time consuming
"It's really gratifying to see people begin to
take hold of their own development and acquire
(Continued on p. 9)
Centennial legates
attend conference
Centennial Education Program (CEP)
members are attending a conference at Ann
Arbor, Michigan, partly to find out why
Centennial's still around, said Nelson Potter, CEP
Senior Fellow.
The three-day conference, which starts next
Wednesday, will be attended by representatives
from several living-learning centers from major
midwestern universities.
Some of these schools are having serious
problems and experiencing declining enrollments,
according to Potter.
But Centennial is "one of the better
programs," Potter said.
"Compared to the others, we're the most
solidly founded and based," he said. He hopes to
find out what makes CEP different and share it's
approach to open education at the conference.
Potter also wants to learn from the experience
of the other living-learning centers in order to
improve Centennial, he said.
Discussions at the conference will be about
problems that communities like CEP are having.
"The conference is very important for us,"
Potter said.
Three Fellows (Rick March, Sky Houser and
Potter) will attend the conference together with
three CEP students who haven't been selected
yet.
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I:
Nelson Potter
CEP fellows Sky Houser
and James Cole
Publicity may reverse
enrollment declines
Although enrollment in the Centennial Education Program
(CEP) has declined since 1970, publicity may reverse the trend,
says Nelson Potter, senior fellow of the CEP.
With lack of publicity for the program, fewer students have
enrolled in CEP each year after the peak of 243 students was
reached in 1970-71, Potter said. This year 160 students are
participating in the program.
Potter said the program received much publicity during 1969,
the first year of its existance.
"With the inception of the program," Potter said, "there was
naturally a great deal of publicity. There hasn't been as much
lately, and as a result, student awareness has tapered off."
To counter the lack of publicity, a new brochure was printed
this year, Potter said. Copies of the brochure may be obtained at
the CEP office in Neihardt Resiucnce Center.
Reasons cited
Other reasons were cited for the declining student enrollment in
the program.
Sally Gordon, CEP administrative assistant, said fewer students
are enrolling in four-year schools because of financial problems or
because potential students travel before attending school.
Potter indicated that students are less willing now to take
chances in choosing a major. He added that Centennial does not
offer a major.
"Many students perceive Centennial as taking a chance," Potter
said. "Many people believe that the program doesn't seem to be
career oriented."
Another reason Potter cited for the declining student numbers
was the lack of an updated brochure about the program. Since
copies of the new brochure arrived at the CEP office Friday,
however, this problem has been remedied, Potter said.
Students recruited
Potter said students traditionally have enrolled in the program
as incoming freshmen. More upper classmen have enrolled in the
program the last few years, he said.
"Freshmen came to the University without being aware of the
Centennial program," Potter said. "We will be writing letters this
semester to prospective Centennial students who are already
attending UNL."
Wednesday, february 12, 1975
daily nebraskan
page 7