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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 1976)
.M m. Mm Goc&wcrk Kubridt: Three of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick's films return to Lincoln. . .' .p. 5 full GGVD FOG 3 ' daily nebfasfean thursdsy, scptcniber 2D 1976 vol. ICO no. 18 lincxiln, nchrsska HislU ooau en nin Ey Lany Lctz The original hopes for the State University of Nebra ska's (SUN) enrollment and financing have not been realized, according to the school's dean, Dr. Milton Ilasseh SUN was designed to be a supplement to higher educa tion, he said, delivering its courses through a variety of media, including television, tapes and newspapers. After two years of planning and nearly $32 million in federal aid for research and course development, SUN's first two classes were delivered in 1974. The initial enroll ment was 610 students studying psychology and accounting- - Original projections, abased on a SUN interest survey, said up to 30,000 students might enroll in SUN within the first five years. Hans also called for up to 50 course offerings by that time. During SUN's short history, semester registrations have been sporadic, according to Ilassel. After what he called an "encouraging" start with 610 in the autumn of 1974, enrollment dropped to 375 the next spring then increased to 1400 in the fall of 75 and back to 375 that autumn. Courses specialized Ilassel attributed the dramatic increase to two special interest courses offered during that term. A disability learning course drew more than 400 teacher registrants and a freehand sketching course added more than 300 persons, he said. The SUN program was designed to deliver education to people who would not otherwise have the opportunity to enroll in college courses, he said. It was supposed to be offered at a tower cost than existing college courses to broaden its appeal, he said, and would be financed by grants and tuition money. After three years of operation, those goals are not being met and the program is falling behind schedule. Enrollment from September 1974 until July 1976 has totaled 2,840, with 325 students currently enrolled in the autumn schedule of 10 courses. ' - Sources cited SUN is in its second year of state financing, receiving $129,352 for the fiscal year which began in June. Most of the money finances the school's learning centers, ad ministrative costs and faculty salaries. The school's budget also relies on a cash fund of $209,993, mostly from tui tion and $107325 from a revolving cash fund. - SUN also relies on grants from the Ford Foundation: and the National Institute of Education (MIE). NIE's annual $13 million financing win be discontinued in 1978 at the end of a five-year agreement. D. B. Varner, NU president and president of the Uni versity of Mid-America (UMA), which is the research and development arm of SUN, sail NIE funds, though "help ful," were not as much as SUN had counted on originally. He said at one time SUN planned on getting $23 million from NIE, but a federal reduction in money to the NIE was passed on as a reduction for SUN. The cutback in funds means SUN is not able to continue the extensive research- and development it had hoped to originally, he said. Another plan, which was dropped, was to offer SUN courses at a cost lower than on-campus college courses. SUN tuition currently is $20 a credit hour, the UNLV , v iddifea to tuition costs, each student pays for a containing course outlines, lessons, instructions and other information. Costs of the kits vary with the course. Vamei and Hassel both denied that the increased costs to students and cutbacks in program financing were direct causes for the less than expected enrollment in SUN. Te don't Lear to Interpret these enrollment figures, Varner said -It could be a lack of interest on the part of the students.; v. ' "It could be ineffeciiys '-mszSeting.- Students may not be well enough informs,? anout wnsi the program otters. Varner continued. "It may be a financial problem, he said. "Many people do not qualify for student loans and are not able to pay the tuition. This discourages some potential students. . Ilassel attributed the "less than expected" enrollment to the newness of the program. He said SUN has not found the Meal time to start classes for each term and is continuing to experiment. Ha said they thought the first week in September was not the best time to start a de livery and that the first week in October would be better. Next year, SUN will offer a summer session in June besides the r?a!ar s-rmg and fall terras. 1 . That flexibility is another advantage SUN has, accord ing to UasssL SUN's courses tie delivered thresh a var iety of methods, all designed to be convenient for the students. As an example of that flexibility, I&sssl cited a pro grant Northwest Etll Telephone Co., of Omaha participat ed in. Deginnsag in March 1976, 19 employes ef the com pany had a SUN course delivered directty to them at work. They received the course through video tapes. Hazs designed . . - Ilassel said plans are underway to start similar pro grams with other companies, but would not give any SUN can offer a supplement to higher education not available to in the past, Ilassel said. However, he stressed it is not intended to be an alternative to college. Course offerings are determined from survey responses by former v students and developed by UMA. Nebraska's statewide television, used to present ' some courses, allows SUN to offer courses on a state wide basis. Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and South Dakota, the other states in the UTJA system, do not have state wide TV systems, he said. Besides television, SUN uses printed lessons in the weekend supplement of six Nebraska daily newspapers, audio cassettes, video tapes of the TV broadcasts, text books and study guides. Centers be!? Five learning centers also are located in the state. These centers have resources and part-time faculty available to students. An innovation of SUN is a toll free telephone service for students. If students have problems with their lessons, they can use the phone during specified hours to talk to advisers in the course. Although Ilassel and Varner agreed these methods were serving the students now, financing cutbacks have meant a few program cuts. "like any other h&her education institution, we've had to make some cuts in personnel, services eta, Ilassel said. "But overall, its been quite a successful pro gram. The NIE cutbacks mean we're not on our original schedule, Varner said. "We've had to opera;:, at 60 per cent of our expected budget, which has meant that our course development has fallen behind schedule. Jf2l 1 pa J 1 . - - ATI ... - r ..vs : N i) Students should protest m. id jfofs specifics until plans were mada format Students are sitting back and allowing themselves to be ripped off by bad teaching, an NU adnrnistrator told ASUN ?edneay night. "Students are here at UNL to study, said Dr. Eugene , Tram, assistant vice president for academic affairs, nd if they have a lousy professor, they should say something about it. . Trani said a new freshman course to be offered next year wO aquaint students with different methods of teaching and enable them to see which method allows them to learn more effectively. The course was developed through a $.60,000 federal grant by K. Patricia Cross, a visiting professor at NU last year, as one way of fesprovtng university undergraduate teaching. Jhs course, after being reacted for the spring semester . by UNL, will be taught here next -fall, Trani said. He added the course will be taught at UNO this spring. The Cross study, completed in May, 1975, surveyed NU faculty .members ort their attitudes about teaching and learning and made specific commendations for improving undergraduate teaching. ' The survey results indicated that most faculty members think the quality of undergraduate teaching at the univer sity is good, and also pointed out that there is little faculty interest in improving teaching by learning more about how students learn. The report said most faculty members think that teaching should rank at leaat as high as research in priority at KU. Cut, the report continued, despite what administrators sayNor do, most faculty members think the University does not recognize teaching at the same level as research, and is net committed to re-ardig good teaching. For these and ether reasons, the report said, improving undergraduate instruction at 1U would be difficult, although the report said the faculty cannot be expected to bear the total committment for improved instruction. "One reracn they (the faculty) don't see the reward system as working is because students dca't say enough tbcut teaching, Trani said. He adi?d that if studants were better Nader-type consumers of teachrg, poor prcfescrs would probably -charge to better teaching methods. Scott Cook, a member of the Intercollegiate Athletic Committee, told ASUN that the committee voted Monday night to continue the present football ticket eliglMiiy policy. " " - Cook also said there would probably be no summer pro football game in Memorial Stadium because the games' don't make enough money. The masa reason for having the games, Cook seM, was to provide money to ease the tencM crunch in the athletic department. ' Cook said several big name teams, which might draw more people to a summer game, wanted guarantees for more money than the game would bring in. The committee reaffirmed that no student fees will be used for the. intercollegiate sports at UNL, Cock said. ; He added- that ; the athletic department included in this year's -university budget a request for money which is needed for fieldhouse operations and new AstroTurf for Memorial Stadium. . ... Cock said the committee also decided against making student tickets transferable. "Football and athletics exist at UNL first for the students and second for consumers, Cook said. "But there is also a concern and need for money. Cook said students who buy a student ticket in order to sell it take money that would otherwise go to the athletic department. laiill.i ifiJ.-fj! o'ffersdin Ff69 U Registratioa for Nebraska Free University (Free U) contmues today and Friday m the Nebraska Union. Free U is an informal ccHectica of AS das suited to people's interests, according to committee co&rnan Stadsati are charged a $1 registration fee to cover the costs of printing prcgrams and posters, Maff said. The fee allows students to register for any number cf courses. Free U also is open to non-students. Classes begin Monday and subsequent meatirgs are scheduled by indirldual instructors and stadcatx,