Education panel brainstorms solutions
Standardization
limits Compromise,
researcher says
By Steve Smith
Senior Editor
and Angie Brunkow
Staff Reporter__
The National Educational
Goals Panel discussed prob
lems of the nation’s schools
and six goals to begin solving them
Wednesday on UNL’s East Cam
pus.
The group, meeting in the Ne
braska Educational Television
building, included Govs. Ben
Nelson of Nebraska, Roy Romer of
Colorado, John McKeman of Maine
and Terry Branstadt of Iowa. -
Carol Rasco, chief domestic ad
visor to President Bill Clinton, and
Madeline Kunin, deputy education
secretary, also participated in the
discussion.
i ne panel s goal is to acnieve
six major objectives by the year
2000. They are:
•to make all children in America
begin school ready to learn.
• to increase the high school
graduation rate to 90 percent.
• to ensure all students are pre
pared for responsible citizenship,
further learning and productive em
ployment.
• to make U.S. students first in
the world in scientific and math
ematical achievement.
• to eliminate drugs and vio
lence from all American schools.
• and to offer an environment
conducive to learning.
The panel passed Branstadt s
resolution to set a 90 percent rate as
the panel’s goal for graduation.
Branstadt moved to implement a
uniform set of core data elements
so graduation rates could be gauged
equally between stales.
Branstadt said statistics vary, so
a uniform set of data was needed.
“The way it is today, it’s not
always standardized,” he said.
The group also expressed a de
sire to lead the nation in developing
a standardized curriculum.
Diane Massell, a research asso
ciate and co-author of a report on
the issue, said the group would
encounter three problems with
standardization.
For example, she said, a broad
consensus for such a plan would
be difficult to assemble. A stan
dard curriculum will never please
everyone, she said.
“A barometer of leadersh ip and
change is a certain amount of dis
content,” Massell said.
“If loo many compromises are
struck and controversies are
avoided, we may be left with the
same de facto standards we have
now," she said.
A second problem the panel
will need to look at is involving
t
Mtthelle Paulman/DN
Gov. Ben Nelson studies a report during a meeting of the National Education Goals
Panel Wednesday. The group discussed goals for integrating technology and a
standardized curriculum in tne nation’s schools.
enough people in decisions on what
would Be the content of a new
curriculum.
Massell said states that had fo
cused on including many groups
in the process were more success
ful.
A final problem the group
snouia consider, sne saia, was rec
onciling the desire to have dy
namic curriculum at the forefront
of the nation and the risk of changes
overwhelm the system.
Massell said states that had
adopted new standards often left
teachers without textbooks to
icacn.
In other business, the panel dis
cussed the role of technology in
today’s classrooms.
Janet Kuchl, a German teacher
from Omaha We'stside High
See EDUCATION on 6
Some greeks
plan earlier
initiation for
new members
Pledge programs
becoming shorter
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter_
Traditional pledge program ,
schedules at some fraternities
and sororities are growing
shorter.
Beginning next fall, two Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoin sororities
— Alpha Delta Pi and Kappa Alpha
Theta — will abandon the conven
tional semester-lohg pledge programs
and install five-week schedules for
their newest members.
They will join two UNL fraterni
ties that also have shortened or aban
doned their respective pledge pro
grams.
Julie Sederson, pledge trainer for
Alpha Della Pi, said her house was
changing to a four-week pledge pro
gram, as dictated by the sorority’s
national office, but could not com
ment on the details of the change.
Melanie Bills, president of Kappa
AlphaTheta, said her house was chang
ing to a five-week program. She said
the change was a result of a national
[ policy.
we re me last ineta cnaplcr to
[ adopt it,” she said.
Bills said the shortened program
promoted all-house unity and made
the new members feel more comfort
able.
‘They won ’ t be treated as pledges,”
she said. “They are immediate mem
bers of the house.”
Bills also said the shortened pro
gram would give the house an edge
during rush.
“It’s a good thing," she said. “At
first we didn’t want to switch, but now
we’re really excited.”
Jayne Wade Anderson, director of
greek affairs at UNL, said fraternity
and sorority chapters throughout the
country had been employing shorter
pledge programs.
In some cases, she said, they’ve
abandoned the pledge process entirely.
At UNL, Anderson said, fraterni
ties and sororities are urged to wait
until the second semester to activate
pledges.
UNL’s Interfratcmity/Panhellenic
constitution states that a student must
obtain a grade point average before
they are activated.
“We encourage heartily to imple
ment the shorter pledge program, but
not initiate new members until the
second semester,” she said.
If there is a conflict between a
fraternity’s or sorority's national of
fice and a university’s greek constitu
tion, the constitution would have pri
ority.
However, members of two UNL
fraternities don’t see it that way.
See PLEDGES on 6
Fraternity members work to keep fights in the ring
7
By Matt Woody
* 9*0 naoofW_
Organizers of the Sigma Chi Greek Fight
Night say this year they aren’t pulling
any punches.
The annual event, now more than 10 years
old, has been battered by problems in the past.
While fraternity members duked it out in the
ring, audience members would take to fighting
in die stands.
Jeff Moeller, co-chairman of the event, said
there were no problems last year, and he didn’t
Sheriffs, security officers to be on hand
expect any this year.
Moeller said the fights might have been a
result of the drinking that accompanied the
boxing matches.
Last year, he said, alcohol was eliminated at
the event. This may have prevented fights from
breaking out in the audience.
But Moeller said another factor weighed
into the crowd’s passivity.
“If it happened again, then we wouldn t be
able to have the fights,” he said.
To make sure outbreaks do not make a
comeback this year, six Lancaster County sher
iffs and four Wells-Fargo security officers will
be on hand, Moeller said.
As of Wednesday, about 30 people had
signed up to participate in the fights, Moeller
said. Allowing for no-shows, 13 or 14 fights
should take place, he said.
Attendance never has been a problem.
Moeller said. He expects a crowd of approxi
mately 2,500 people to turn out for the fights.
“We easily sell out/’ he said.
Sigma Chi had to obtain state “bout permits”
as well as insurance from the Amateur Boxing
Federation. ABF representatives will be on
hand to make sure all rules arc followed, he
said.
Participants are required to wear headgear
and gloves. This rule is one of many safety
regulations Sigma Chi must enforce for the
See FIGHT on 6