The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, August 27, 1985, Image 1
1 13 1 A S I I mam m. mam mm m. ma am am a m mam Ek ar ff . I J 77 i-res Weather: Today mostly sunny and warmer. Southeast winds 10-15 mph with a high near 85. Clear and cool tonight with a low of 63. High Wednesday in the upper 80s. Barb BrandaDaily Nebraskan Tayl another Gill? Sports, page 15 or - uii no proyiub in uiu ippTJiV t m i i . a ii i for residence hall cable vbm V Arte onrl onJorfslnmonf nana 10 w August 27, 1985 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 85 No. 3 T (til ( 71 T! .JlmeinLt By Todd von Kampen Senior Reporter Despite a slight drop in enrollment, UNL is not losing as many students as other colleges and universities, UNL officials said Monday. Harry S. Allen, UNL director of insti tutional research and planning, said official enrollment figures for 1985-86 should show another small decline. Enrollment has declined from a peak of 25,075 students in 1982 to 24,789 in 1983 and 24,228 last year. These figures (en rollment) don't mean a lot because declar ing a college doesn't indicate how much teaching is going on in that college.' Hsrry S. Allen A national trend toward smaller high school classes has taken its toll on enrollment, Allen said. Many other schools, however, have lost more stu dents to decreasing youth population, said outgoing Dean of Student Affairs David DeCoster. "We must be doing something right in attracting the same number of stu dents as against the dramatic decline in the pool of graduating seniors not only in the state but throughout the country," DeCoster said. Although UNL enrollment was sup posed to show a net drop over the last five years, Allen said the number of students actually rose 2.5 percent from 1979-80 to 1984-85. The number of stu dents in business administration, engineering and journalism, as well as the number of graduate and unde clared students, went up during the period, he said. Rising educational costs and Neb raska's weakened economy also have contributed to falling enrollment, Allen said. But the number of credit hours taught in many UNL colleges has risen as enrollment dropped, he said. Credit hours generated in the College of Arts and Sciences, which lost 540 students between 1979-80 and 1984-85, rose from 124,100 to 128,900 during the same period. "These figures (enrollment) don't mean a lot," Allen said, "because declaring a college doesn't indicate how much teaching is going on in that college." To keep its numbers steady, Allen said, UNL has concentrated on high school recruiting and programs that encourage its present students to fin ish school. Recruiting among high school students is "progressing quite a bit," he said. UNL provides several services that have helped convince students to stay in school, DeCoster said. In addition to financial aid, good counseling services, career guidance and student activities can help make university life more attractive, . ( "Those are the kinds of things that contribute so much to the retention factor," he said. Allen and DeCoster agreed that enrollment will begin to rise again when today's grade-school students reach college age. But enrollment numbers are unlikely to reach the peaks of the post World War II "baby boom" years, according to Allen. "It'll be a small boom more of a whimper," he said. - r 1a - '-Y- I s l O 8 rui, " v. - : : V 1 14 U I I . .. - ... , David FahlesonDaily Nebraskan Phi Delta Theta alumni asked the Lincoln City Council to designate their house, 1 545 R St., as a historical landmark, Fraternity alumni ask council to declare house a landmark UNL's Phi Delta Theta Fraternity alumni requested at a Monday City Council meeting that its property and house be designated a historic land mark. The designation, if passed by the council, would establish a resolution allowing for a preservation easement, said Mike Rierden, an attorney repres enting the fraternity. . - "The preservation easement would protect and secure the building (fra ternity house) from any facial devel opment deterring from its historical and architectural significance," Rierden said. Through the resolution, the Housing Corporation, which consists of Phi Delta Theta alumni, can contribute money for the restoration under a tax shelter without the property value of the house increasing. The Harris House was the only other case where someone has applied for historical landmark status, Rierden said. The Phi Delta Theta House quali fies to be a landmark because of its architectural and historical signifi cance, he said. Rierden said the city council will not vote on the ordinance until next week. Meanwhile the resolution, which is pending upon the ordinance vote, could come up for vote at the executive ses sion Monday night. Current members rent the buildings from the housing corporatioa Mike Carter, the fraternity presi dent, said the housing corporation and Rierden are making every effort to gain the historical status. "It's out of our hands and is com pletely up to the alumni," Carter said of the push for historical status. He said current members of the fra ternity can see that the housing corpo ration would get some tax breaks on improvements inside the house. Tim Burke, the social chairman of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, said, "It was a positive move made by the alumni that can only serve to benefit all inter ested. I'm looking forward to some new carpet." . f i t Av ,0 ' ' f ;' ' lJ Student assistants' jobs offer rewards Mark DavisDaily Nebraskan Abel Hall student assistant Gordon Hitchcock. Student assistants may have more responsi bilities than other students who live in UNL residence halls, but they dont' want to be treated any differently. Judith Anne Dysart, an interior design major from Carmel, Maine, said she doesn't feel like an authority figure. She said she finds it excit ing and enjoyable to deal with her fellow students. As an Abel 12 SA, Dysart said, she has "learned to be more tolerant of others." That changed quickly when she became an SA last semester. Now, she said, she opens up to other people and is much more outgoing. Interacting with other students is the best part of her job. Yet sometimes interaction can be the worst part, especially when she has to report hall residents for disobeying university policies, Dysart said. Although she said she doesn't consider enforcing the rules the main part of her job, Dysart often must confront other students with noise, visitation and alcohol violations. "When I'm confronting it (a violation), I wish it hadn't happened," she said. "It's my least favorite part of the job." Although not all students look at SA's as symbols of authority, Dysart said, "some people just don't care for authority." "There are those incidents where people are just gonna hold it against you," she said. The first time she confronted someone, Dysart said, she was "a little nervous of what to expect" from the students. "It's all part of learning and growing and teaching people responsibility as well," she said. Although she doesn't like reporting people to university officials, Dysart said, she enjoys working with other students. Constantly meet ing new people and interacting with other stu dents teaches her a lot about herself, she said. Gordon Hitchcock, also an Abel 12 SA, said SA's have few frustrations, but they can be reduced by the acceptance of other students. When he has to discipline students for breaking the rules, he said, he looks at the situation differently than he used to. "I don't feel like I'm coming down on them," Hitchcock said. "I look at the situation and try to decide how he or she might best learn some thing from it. I want them to get the most from their experience." Although communication among residents is important on a hall floor, he said, SA's learn various psychological theories to help them deal with possible personality conflicts. "We are trained to watch very closely for anyone's change in behavior that might be a sign that they are having some problems that they are not talking about," Hitchcock said. "If they (residents) begin to withdraw into them selves when they have otherwise been outgo ing, then that may be a sign that they are having some problems." Police walk cam IIP set Pc2 5