friday, October 31, 1980
daily nebraskan
page 15
Professor discusses academic department studies
By Mary Louise Knapp
Research literature on higher education
is not sophisticated enough to meet the
needs of colleges and universities, a
University of Kentucky professor said
Thursday.
John Smart, the director of research
and programming in higher education
at the University of Kentucky, discussed
the problems and assets of current studies
on academic depar'ments.
"The research literature we have is
basically an accumulation of descriptive
studies and value statements, leaving us
with only weak and shallow knowledge,"
he said.
Smart said although fully-developed,
coherent research has been done on all
areas of the lives of college students, little
has been learned in the past two or three
decades about faculty members and aca
demic departments.
Smart referred to a report by higher
Smart explained that "hard" academic
departments include the natural and phy
sical sciences, chemistry, engineering,
mathematics, and agricultural economics.
"Soft" departments include social and
political sciences, anthropology, English,
philosophy, history, and communications.
Smart said he was not sure why Biglan
chose those terms to describe academic de
partments, and said that some people in
"soft" departments might be offended by
that term.
education researcher Anthony Bigland
titled "Relationships Between Subject
Matter Characteristics and the Structure
and Output of University Departments"
as one of the most reliable studies in that
area. The repon was published in the
Journal of Applied Psychology in 1973.
The study divides academic departments
into three categories: "hard" or "soft,"
"life systems" or "non-life systems," and
"pure" or "applied."
"'Soft' doesn't mean 'bad'," he said.
Life systems, Smart said, are those
departments dealing with life in general,
such as the natural and social sciences,
whereas "non-life" systems include other
sciences, mathematics, and engineering.
"Pure" departments refer to the gen
eral study of a subject, such as English .
"Applied" departments apply the know
ledge in a practical way.
Smart, who has researched faculty
members in universities across the country,
said he has noticed certain characteristics
of faculty in each category.
Inclined to write
For example, teachers in the "soft"
departments are more inclined to write
books and spend the greater part of their
time teaching, he said, while those in
"hard" departments tended to write
articles for journals and spend most of
their time doing research.
Smart said faculty in "hard" "applied"
and "life" departments are more inclined
to socialize with each other than arc those
in "soft" "pure", and "non-life" depart
ments. Smart said his research has proved the
Biglan study to be valid, but there are
ways in which it could be improved.
More disciplines and subdisciplines
could be added, he said, as well as studies
on personality differences between faculty
in different departments, studies on job
satisfaction and studies on the attitudes
of students and faculty toward each other.
"We should study students more, also,"
he said. Studies on students' personality
traits and their degree of satisfaction with
their studies are important, lie said.
Smart said administrators would benefit
from reading such studies.
"They should understand the
differences that exist between faculty and
not try to impose standards of uniformity
on them," he said.
Bicycle Committee investigates Lincoln projects
By Maureen Costello
The Mayor's Bicycle
Committee is looking for
feedback on 12 bicycle
projects planned for Lincoln
to improve bicycling, said
Richard Haden, committee
member and traffic engineer.
The projects range from
purchasing 180 bike route
signs for $200 to be loca
ted along the 15 miles of
bike routes, to building a
bikeway along Holdrege
Street from 37th to 48th
streets and on 48th Street
from Holdrege to Leigh
ton streets for $14,400,
Haden said.
Three of the 12 pro
jects have undetermined
prices. They are an over
pass at West 0 and Har
ris streets; a bikeway con
nection between 56th Street
and Pioneer Boulevard, to
the Billy Wolfe-Antelope
Bikeway; and a provision
for bicycle traffic from
North 1st Street to Sun
valley Boulevard along
Charleston Street.
The other nine projects
Correction
The Daily Nebraskan in
correctly reported Thursday
that State Sen. Steve l owler
lias spent $71,892 in his
race against Jerry Sellentin.
The reporter also incorrect
ly reported that Sellentin
lias spent $88,124. The fig
ures should have read that
together both candidates
have raised $88,124 and to
gether they have spent
$72 ,82.
winner of 60 international awards
Dr.
Strapekve
OR HOW I
I ll.AKNKI) TO
STOP
WORRYING
AMI LOVE
THK
BOMB,
DIRECTED BY
Stanley
Kubrick
starring
Peter Sellers
and
George C. Scott
November 2
3 p.m. matinee
7 and 9 p.m.
Sheldon Theater
12th and R Streets
Admission $2.50
(tax included)
Sponsored by Nebraskans
for Peace
would cost approximately
$389,460, he said.
Along with trying to
determine the priorities of
these projects, the commit
tee is trying to raise money
to finance them, Haden said.
The committee has come
up with a number of ideas
for funds, but has no idea
whether or not any of
them are feasible. One sug
gestion was putting the Vz
percent city sales tax from
the sale of bicycles into a
bicycle trust fund.
An ordinance would
have to be written and pas
sed by the Nebraska Leg
islature. A $5 yearly license
fee also could be used to
build up a trust fund. A
city ordinance also would
have to be passed to allow
the bicycle trust fund to
receive money from the
sales of unclaimed bicycles
by the police each year,
worth about $6,000.
An observer at the com
mittees Tuesday night meet
ing commented that instead
of adding more costs to the
bicyclist like the $5 license
fee, taxes should be added
to energy consumers. He
thought that a tax on gas
could be used for bicycle
routes, since bicylists con
serve energy.
According to Capt. John
Hewitt, there are 25,000
licensed bikes in Lincoln. If
there was a $5 license fee,
$125,000 could be put into
the trust fund.
A problem arises as to
which bicycles should be
required to be licensed.
Suggestions were to license
bikes on the streets, those
owned by persons over 13,
or those over 22 inches.
George Selvia, from the
city transportation depart
ment, said that the problem
with raising money to start
independent projects is the
risk of losing improvements
in bike paths in incidential
projects.
incidential projects in
clude widening streets on
the outside lanes when they
are repaved for bicycle use,
Haden said.
Another citizen sug
gestion was that a 15 mph
speed limit be put on
assigned bike routes to dis
courage motor vehicle traf
fic. Posts or speed bumps
could also be installed.
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