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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1981)
par)c2 daily ncbraskan tuesday, docembcr 8, 1981 Higher enrollments limit By Patty Pryor Fnrollmcnt in the Department of, Modern Languages and Literatures at UNL has grown steadily during the last five years, but the increase has meant tighter classes and fewer teachers, David Gitlitz., department chairman said. "The demand for languages runs ahead of our ability to offer sections to meet it," he said. Enrollment has increased about 3.5 per cent every year since 1976, Gitlitz said. This increase began earlier and has kept up at a rate faster than at the national level, he said. Although the popularity of languages is encouraging, the increased demand has forced the department to tighten its belt and turn away students when class size limits are stretched, Gitlitz said. Initially, 300 students were bumped out of sections at the end of pre-rcgistration for the spring semester, he said. Save 25 to 60 on first quality name brand fashions at Kim's Fashion Corner To assist your Holiday Buying Kim's has reduced prices an additional 10" 30'. Sweaters as Pants S7.95 Blouses 9.95 Dresses 14.50 930 'L' Free Parking Gift List Long But Short On Cash? Become a plasma donor! You can earn extra money for the holidays in only a few hours of your time. $10 is paid per donation However, additional funding was made available last Friday, he said, which will allow the addition of more sections at the 100- and 200-level but will still not quite meet the need. Overflowing classes at the beginning level have taken a bite out of upper-level offerings as well, Gitlitz said. Only essentials remain "We've met the expanding need at the 100- and 200-levcl by cutting electives and enrichment courses at the 300- and 400 levcls," he said. "We've had to pare back to a core of just essential courses." The masters' program, which includes training for high school teachers, also has been trimmed, he said. "We've just had to put funds into meet ing the press at the beginning level." The greater enrollment at UNL is due to a number of factors, Gitlitz said, including upgraded teacher quality and more tightly coordinated beginning classes. 7? low as $8.95 Cords .... SI 3.95 and you can donate as- -i i Skirts.... 15.95 yT Blazers .... 36.95 fcjgi Hours Beg Dec. 1 wS; M&F 10 6pm &y T.W.& Th 10-8:30pm ft Sat 10 5 r L"- ' - T -- ----- J twice weekly (but please wait 72 hours between donations). That's up to $100 a month! And that can fill a lnt nf Qtnrbi nacf Call now for an appointment. 475-8645 University Plasma Center 1442 O Street Open Monday-Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. federally licensed language class offering The department also works with the high schools through a variety of programs, he said, including an annual Foreign langu age Fair which brings 1,600 to 1,700 stu dents from across the state to UNL for a day. "The department works real hard to foster a sense of language community among the different levels of education around the state," he said. The increase in enrollment also has been associated with an interest in international business careers, Gitlitz said. Language is success? "As the trade deficit grows and the value of our dollar falls, one key to personal success becomes a knowledge of language," he said. "Interest in languages has developed a pro-business slant the last three years." The increased enrollment also has reduc ed the availability of minor language classes, Gitlitz said. "We continually have requests for langu ages which we can't afford to teach," he said. Classes which formerly were offered on a sporadic basis can be offered now only if the instructor is willing to volunteer his time, Gitlit said. "They were classes that did meet a need, but it just became almost impossible to meet those needs except on a voluntary basis," he said. Five or six teachers will be hired to help with the added sections this spring, Gitlitz said, but these will not all be full-time positions. UNL student Dave Old father of Lincoln, placed sixth among 94 individuals in halter judg ing in the World Ameri can Quarter Horse Association Collegiate Quarter Horse Judging Contest at Oklahoma City recently. Oldfather placed 14th overall among 94 in UNL student brings home judging rank Make "There arc two or three graduate assist ants who will now be able to begin their graduate program this spring," he said. "Before, we didn't have any sections to let them teach." Budget cut hurt Gitlitz said the department's ability to anticipate demand and work out solutions in advance was hindered this semester by the state's 3 percent budget reduction. "The 300 (which were initially turned away) is considerably more than usual, but we still had anticipated that demand when we planned our budget last spring," he said . The state budget cuts passed in Nov ember, however, forced the department to eliminate more sections than they had planned, he said. "We, of course, try to accommodate as many students as possible," he said, "which usually means shoe-homing people into sections which arc already above the recommended limits." This could detract from the quality of the class and the instructor, he said. "Research shows that the optimum be ginning class size is 15," he said. "We run ours at 25." Gitlitz said a recent survey showed UNL had the highest average beginning class size among Colorado University, Purdue, Wash ington State, Iowa State, Pcnn State, Iowa University and Michigan State. When these factors are taken into account, he said, the popularity of foreign languages could serve a self-defeating purpose. dividuals in overall judg ing at the contest, and ranked 16th in individual reasons. Two NU teams com peted in the contest. One team placed 12th in the halter division and 16th in the performance division judging enroute to a 14th place finish from a field of 20 teams. it a COZY CHRISTMAS with fashions from Elizabeth's Elegant Famous Name Sleepwear Bodvwear Daywear Loungewear Shape wear Leotards Alterations Gifrwear ELIZABETH'S FINE LINGERIE Suited Louvr Level Atrium East Park Plaza Mall 66th & "O"