Evaluators praise
dentistry program
Four months ago, NU's College of Dentistry opened the doors
of a new clinic designed to meet the needs of the mentally and
physically handicapped.
Financed by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, the clinic was to provide training for dental students
in the treatment of handicapped patients.
A recent evaluation of the program brought praise for faculty
members and students who have been involved in the preliminary
stages of the clinic. According to Dr. Richard Bradley, Dean of the
College of Dentistry, the evaluation team "was very pleased with
the attitudes of faculty and students. It's been a well-received
program."
Evaluation team
The evaluation team consisted of four members, including two
dentists, a behavioral psychologist and a representative of the
American Fund for Dental Health. The team visited the site to
"give consultation and inform us of what other schools are doing,"
said Bradley.
The UNL College of Dentistry was awarded the grant after
competing with fifty-six other schools. Eleven schools received
grants. Because of such stiff competition the UNL program will
receive a lot of attention, Bradley said.
According to Ken Keith, a behavioral psychologist who "teaches
preventive dentistry and community health, the theory of the
program is to treat handicapped patients as regular patients.
Helping students accomplish this are a series of courses which look
at "general notions about human behavior."
These courses study "human behavior, not handicapped
behavior," Keith said, adding, "we avoid pointing out the
differences (between the handicapped and regular patient)."
Volunteer students
The students involved in this first phase of the clinic have been
"primarily volunteers," said Bradley. In the future all junior and
senior dental students will be assigned two or three patients for the
semester to treat, Bradley said. Workshops will be held at the
University of Nebraska Medical Center clinic which specializes in
treating multiply-handicapped children and is also funded by the
Johnson Foundation.
The clinic serves handicapped members of the community in the
same way the dental college's regular clinic serves the Lincoln area.
When asked where the handicapped person went for dental
treatment before the clinic opened, Bradley said that while "some
went to private dentists, many were not cared for at all."
No new equipment
Dr. Myron Pudwill, Chairman of Restorative Dentistry, said the
program's goal is to train students so that they will realize they
don't have to buy new equipment to treat the handicapped. The
program's goal is to prepare students to treat such patients in
private practice, he said.
The clinic presently treats about four patients each afternoon.
The program also involves making a series of tapes and
workshops for the continuing education of dentists already in
practice.
The project is directed by Dr. John Simon, and is scheduled to
continue for four years, with annual evaluations.
Housing office selects
fall student assistants
Alter a two and one-half month' selection process, the UNL
Office of University Housing has rehired 45 residence hall student
assistants (SAs) and hired 61 new ones.
Marie Hansen, coordinator for residence hall programs, said they
may hire several more over the summer if occupancy increases or
SAs resign.
Three hall residence director (RD) positions are open and
probably will be filled in June, she said. Two applicants from other
campuses and several people from the current housing staff are
being considered, she said.
The two out-of-town applicants visited UNL, stayed in the
residence halls and met with students and staff members, who
evaluated them. One sat in on a Residence Hall Association (RHA)
meeting, which she said was very well organized, Hansen said.
The SAs will attend several sessions within their complexes this
spring to meet with the staff and become acquainted with their
responsibilities, she said. This summer they may have some
material to read, but will not have to be in Lincoln until Aug. 1 2, a
week before the residence halls open to students.
This week the SAs in each hall will work with other SAs to learn
initial administrative processes, Hansen said. In some halls, they
may make goals for next year.
In further orientation meetings, the SAs will discuss problems
affecting students and how to help with them.
Student room assignments in residence halls were made this
week by the RDs. Students wanting to change should talk to their
RDs this week before final rosters of returning students are made.
The SAs' floor assignments will be made late in the summer,
Hansen said, after the ftaff knows the SAs better. In some cases it
isn't quite so important, she said, but when a floor has a large
number of students returning, it's important to have an SA who
fits into their community and can work well with them. '
For their services, which include being the first to return and
the last to leave the halls for each vacation, the SAs receive one
year's single room and board free.
thursclay, may 1, 1975
APPLICATIONS DUE HAY 9T
FOR UriiOfl OFFICE SPACE
The Nebraska Union is now accepting applications for student
organizational space assignments for 'the 1S75-76 school
year. If your organization desires to obtain or renew office
space, you must send your application form to the Nebraska
Union, Suite 228, no later than 5:00 pm, Friday May 8th. If you
haven't received your application go to Suite 220 and pick one up.
Remember, only applications received, by May Sth will be
considered for assignment.
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