monday, february 27, 1978
page 2
daily nebraskan
English professors claim Johnny can read, sort of
By Todd Hegert
l-L-L-l-T-E-R-A-C-Y. The word recks of
ill. But if one can read the word and under
stand its implications it does not apply to
him.
Neither does it apply to the mythical
man called "Johnny" who Time magazine
popularized as a typical high school gradu
ate who was not adequately trained to read
or write, according to some English instruc
tors at UNL
The fuss about college freshman illitera
cy is unfounded, said (lerry Brookes, vice
chairman of the English department.
Freshman English students at UNL have
a basic competence in reading and writing
skills, although those skills may not be very
developed, Brookes said.
When people say that student literacy is
deteriorating and that they can no longer
write, well I want to ask them when it was
that they could write," Brookes said. "On
ly one guy has ever tried to tell me. He said
it was in 1932 in Carlton, Minn.
When first asked about illiteracy at
UNL, Brookes gave a long sigh and said
"Oh God. Not this again."
The fuss about illiteracy has been going
on, on-and-off, since the Middle Ages,
Brookes said. Something like Time wili
pick it up and it becomes a big deal all over
again, he said.
Dudley Bailey, professor of English, said
"illiteracy is a recurrent theme in literate
societies and it should be considered in its
proper historical perspective.
"All this bother about illiteracy has
been going on about every generation or so
since the 1660's," Bailey said. "After 300
years we should know better."
"It is very engaging entertainment for
some folks to think the language is going to
shambles. And in another 20 or 30 years I
suspect the newspapers will be carrying this
same kind of story again."
Bailey said he has seen no change in stu
dents' ability to read and write during his
30 years of teaching at UNL.
While basic reading and writing abilities
hav. not changed, student's backgrounds
and attitudes, which affect their reading
and writing habits, have changed. Bailey
said.
Students today do not know things stu
dents knew 20 years ago. such as Latin,
Bailey said. But students today know more
SSS' - Ik
about some things than students 20 years
ago did, he said, citing sciences as an c
ample.
"I am continually amazed by what my
students know," Bailey said.
Students today are less concerned about
spelling and punctuation than they used to
be. Bailey said. "But you only have to read
the newspaper," he said, "to see that this is
only part of a broader social trend."
Ered Link, professor of English, said that
the economy is responsible for some of the
background and attitude changes thai af
fect students' reading and writing skills.
Link said students are becoming more
interested in job-related classes, which hae
more immediate practical value, and less in
terested in English classes.
Most students have not read widely be
fore coming to the university. Link said.
"Freshman students tend to read words
and plots only, as if they were reading a
newspaper." Link said. "They tend to read
fast, and read simple things. When they try
to read complicated poetry or fiction full
of symbolism and packed with meaning,
they are not trained to understand it."
Bruce Erlich, associate professor of En
glish, said that although the reading skills
of freshman during his four years at UNL
have not changed, these skills have not
been very good.
Erlich said freshman seem to have two
recurring problems.
"The special problems freshman have
are, number one, restricted vocabularies
and number two, they have never been
taught to think in concepts. They tend to
think in terms of concretes and have trou
ble making generalizations from the con
crete," Ehrlich said.
short
stuff
Nursing, undeclared students get vote
The Mai one Community
Center needs a ballet in
structor 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday. Salary is $3 an
hour. For more information
contact the Community In
volvement Center, 472
2454. The University of Min
nesota is sponsoring low
cost charter flights to
London, Frankfurt, or
Amsterdam. Thirty-two
flights leaving between June
6 and Sept. 5 are available.
For more information con-
unionj
calendar
12:30 p.m. - IFC Execu
tive luncheon, Pewter
Room.
3:30 p.m. - ASUN -S.Q.A.R.
News Conference,
Room 202.
3:30 p.m. - Panhellenic,
Room 232.
4 p.m. - Daily Nebraskan,
Room 21 6.
4 p.m. - UPC rehearsal,
Ballroom.
4:30 p.m. - Chancellor's
office, Room 203.
5:30 p.m. - College of
Arts & Science - dinner,
Room 242.
6 p.m. - Towne Club,
Harvest Room AB.
6:30 pjn. - Tau Kappa
Epsilon, Auditorium.
6:30 pjn. - Beta Alpha
Psi - Volunteer Income Tax
Assistance, Room 225G.
7 p.m. - Table Tennis
Club, Conference Rooms.
7 p.m. - Delta Sigma Pi
exec, Room 232.
7:30 pjn. - Delta Sigma
Pi, Room 232.
8 pjn. - Delta Sigma Pi
pledges, Harvest Room C.
Booths: 1A - Outreach,
2A- Students for Dyas, 3A
Iranian Student Association.
tact Evelyn Jacobson,
Flights and Study Tours,
345 Nebraska Union or call
472-326432653266.
Mortar Board is accept
ing applications for Notable
Persons from freshman,
sophomore anJ senior men
and women who exemplify
excellence in leadership,
scholarship and service.
Applications are due March
1 and can be obtained from
the Panhellenic office your
presidents, student assist
ants, City and East Campus
Unions, and Love Library.
Beta Alpha Psi is spon
soring an accounting lab
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. today
in CBA 106 from 6:30 p.m.
to 8 p.m. in CBA 124.
VITA, the free income tax
preparation program, also
will be tonight and Tuesday
from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30
p.m. in the Union 225G.
The UNL Prayer & ftaise
organization will meet at
7:30 p.m. at St. Mark's on-the-Campus
Church, 13th &
R.
The UNL Tassels will
meet at 5 pjn. Tuesday in
the Union. Room number
will be posted.
The ASUN Government
Liaison Committee will
meet at 6:30 p.m. in the
union. Room number will
be posted.
UNL College of Nursing students and
undeclared students will have represen
tation on ASUN this year as a result of
last 'week's UNL Student Court decision.
The court established the nursing col
lege as a separate college for election of
senators and gave the ASUN Electoral
Commission discretion to divide unde
clared students among the colleges.
Previously, nursing and undeclared stu
dents could not vote to elect senate repre
sentatives. However, they could vote for
executive officers.
Undeclared students will be assigned to
vote in a particular college by the last
two digits of their student identification
(social security) number. They may vote
in the college of their choice by present
ing a notarized request, according to an
electoral commission report.
One undeclared student has taken
advantage of the new system. Mike Demp
sey, an undeclared freshman from Alliance,
filed a request to vote in the College of
Arts and Sciences and is running for a
senate seat in that college.
The number of seats in each college and
distribution of undeclared students by the
last two digits of their student identifi
cation numbers are listed below:
College of Agriculture (3 seats), 00-10
College of Architecture (1), 11-14
College of Arts and Sciences (8), 1542
Business College (5), 43-60
College of Engineering (3), 61-71
College of Home Economics (2), 72-78
College of Nursing (1 ), 79-82
Teachers College (5), 83-99
Professional colleges (1)
Graduate college (6)
Take
. stock
ujnerica.
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OPEN
4:30 P.M.
MONDAY
i
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Reg. 12" Pizza - wPepperoni, Mushrooms,
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