Wednesday, August 27, 1969 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five Wednesday, August 27, 1 9 6 9 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five The Residential By BARD MONTGOMERY Begun as an experiment in making higher education a com- munity project for students, fa- culty and administrators, the Residential College has come a long way in its brief two-year history. And with the college's first class now beginning its junior year, the experiment is entering an especially critical stage. The original plan for the Re- sidential College-completed by senior literary college faculty members a year before the col- lege took up residence in East Quad-included three major features which would provide unity to the RC community: -A "core" curriculum of so- cial science, humanities and for- eign language required of all students, with small discussion seminars supplemented by lec- tures. The courses are un-grad- ed, with students receiving written evaluations and marks of "pass" or "fail" at the end of the term; -Four-year residence in East Quad, the massive pre-war dor- mitory which is presently being remodeled to help accommo- date the college; -Participation by all three "estates"-faculty, administra- tors, and students and their "re- sident fellow" graduate counsel- ors-in the decision-making Re- presentative Assembly. The as- Eollege sembly draws its authority from RC Director James Robertson, an associate dean of the literary college. But while the expected tight- knit feeling of community did indeed materialize, the general guidelines of the Residential College have been altered in a way which could have a signi- ficant affect on the direction education in the college will take and on the success of the ex- periment as a whole. Perhaps the most basic change that has taken place is an al- teration of the core curricu- lum. The changes were largely the result of the major influ- ence that students have in RC decision-making. While the literary college was convulsed last year by a con- troversy over its four-term lan- guage requirement, a group of Residential College students contested the validity of requir- ing of every RC student the equivalent of five terms of lan- guage and seven terms of other courses. They felt that students should be free to draw on their own intellectual motivations to shape a study program. Faculty members, including the co-ordinator of the language program and Prof. Carl Cohen, the instructor of the only graded "core" course-"Logic and Lan- guage"-argued that a dilution experiment in ferment -Daily-Jay Cassidy East Quad, home of the Residential College Pilot Program vs. multiversity of the core would weaken th RC's educational distinctiveness A compromise was finall reached which will permit 3 incoming freshmen to chooseE student-run "Communications course in place of either the re quired "Logic" course or th Freshman seminar writini course. The experiment, if judg ed successful, will be renewe on a larger scale. Meanwhile the foreign lan guage controversy ended witl agreement permitting student to fulfill the requirement at an: time during their four years o study, instead of being oblige to achieve proficiency by th end of their sophomore year. The Representative Assembly which has 50 per cent studen representation, a ls o adopte other alterations to the origina plans: -Creation of a teacher-evalu ation panel of students and fa culty to "take note of facult; members who are unsuccessfu in teaching," as well as "to re cognize teaching excellence", of fering suggestions to the direc tor in both cases. -Reduction of the East Qua residency rule to two years, an in concert with other dormitor ies, elimination of parietal regu lations which obliged women t return to the dorm by a certair hour. --Selection of RC juniors t serve ass"resident-fellows," a well as graduate students. Since most upperclassmen wil live outside the Quad, and since their major academic interest will no longer be bound to th "core", the selection of under graduate counselors was adopte as one of several steps to assur maintaining sources of commo interest for all members of th college. The remodelling of Eas Quad is another. But the most significant and thus far untested part of th RC's future lies in the nove concentration programs whic the small college has created. These programs will involv interdisciplinary approaches t the intellectual tasks which con- c e n t r a t o r s and instructo themselves, rather than depart- mental veterans, will have a large part in choosing. The list of new concentra- tions, as well as the contents o the "core" curriculum, reflects the RC's predisposition for the liberal arts rather than the na- tural sciences. The students and teachers who are attracted to this en- vironment are as much inter- ested in the methods of educa- tion and their companions in the educational process as they are in the intellectual disciplines with which they deal. The success of this style o education is even less easily measured on the level of the whole college than it is at the level of the individual student's pass-fail evaluation. Many fin an open-ended scholastic exper- ience stimulating, and welcome e 0 a e t d1 h ;s y d d tl d d the opportunities to define their own intellectual endeavors, or to share the pursuits of others. On the other hand, students have complained of the shal- lowness o f interdisciplinary courses, and have condemned the "emotionalism" which they feel takes the place of intellec- tual substance in many recita- tions. Part of the hoped-for success of the Residential College will be developed in the larger liter- ary college, as instructors return Honors: For the elite Now entering its eleventh year in existence, the Honors Council is designed to insure top literary college students access to challenging personalized instruction. Before establishment of the council, all.hon- ors instruction was handled by the separate de- partments and was restricted to juniors and seniors. It was felt, however, that a need existed for personalized instruction on the freshman and sophomore levels. +rhe Honors Council was formed to meet this need. Honors courses differ from other courses and sections in both the method of instruction and the depth of the material covered. While most non-honors introductory courses rely heavily upon a lecture format-a condition most under- classmen are only too aware of-the honors sec- tions strive to involve the student and the in- structor in a dialogue. For this to be practical, the student-faculty ratio must be kept low. Consequently, the Hon- ors Council tries to keep the number of students in each class at about 15, and never above 22. Underclass honors students are provided with the opportunity to take a wide range of special courses and programs. Honors sections exist for nearly every introductory course and the council offers a number of special courses which are not available to non-honors students, At the junior and senior level, participation in the honors program allows the student to take a number of seminars directly related to his concentration program and culminates in most departments with the writing of a senior honors thesis. The Honors Council is not something that you decide to rush out and join, however. Only stu- dents who are invited by the council may parti- cipate in the honors program. The 410 freshmen who will enter the program this fall had to fulfill a number of criteria before they were invited into the program. Passing these initial criteria is not, of course, sufficient to insure graduaton with an honors degree. Honors students must maintain an over- all 3.0 index (and usually a 3.5 in their concen- tration program) or they are asked to leave by the council. Students who are not admitted to the program initially may, however, be admitted at a later date if they perform at a high level during their freshman and sophomore years. With small classes and more personalized at- tention, the Honors Council spends a dispropor- tionate amount of money compared to the num- ber of students it serves. German Prof. Otto Graf, director of the Hon- ors Council, feels that this expenditure is justi- fied. "The extraordinarily strong showing that graduating seniors made in national competition for support, such as National Defense Education Assistance, National Science Foundation and Woodrow Wilson fellowships, demonstrates the success of the Honors Council," he says. Clearly, however, the success of which Graf speaks has been the University's for longer than the existence of the honors program and may be more a function of the literary college's high ad- missions standards than of the education which is actually offered. While few have disputed the success of the program, Graf's statistics are far from conclu- sive evidence that the additional funds which the Honors Council tak away from other literary college programs is justified. to their departments with dif- ferent attitudes toward their students and toward course structure and, perhaps, as the RC model of decision-making and curricular innovation wins favor among literary college stu- dents and faculty. A major difficulty faced by the college in developing the style of education which the most ambitious of its planners would like to see exported to the literary college is the short- age of funds. The RC will likely be obliged to provide for three classes this fall on a budget identical to that which supported instruc- tion for only two classes last year. Although the Residential Col- lege is not the only University unit which wil be feeling a fis- cal pinch this year, it is prob- ably the only school that will have its reason for existence- expressed in smaller classes and innovative techniques-jeopar- dized by lack of money. By SHARON WEINER The Pilot Program, created in 1962 as "an attack on impersonality and academic isolation in a large college," is winning its battle. "The mandate of the program was to test new ideas," says Bruce Storey, director of the project, "and it certainly has been carried out." Students in the program worked last year to bring several new ideas into the program, and have helped plan several more for this year. One successful project last year was "op- eration hook-up", question and answer ses- sions with well known public figures which were conducted by phone. Special phones with amplifiers and speakers were installed at Alice Lloyd Hall, where all Pilot Program students are hous- ed. Among those interviewed were Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, director of the Selective Service System, former Democratic State chairman Zolton Ferency, and Madeline Murray, the force behind the movement to remove prayer from public schools. Several additions to the program's aca- demic curriculum were also made last year. One credit courses in contemporary events, urban affairs, and Middle East studies were offered. Each course included a series of lectures by professors-not all from the University -on topics related to the course which are of interest to the instructor. One-credit courses will be continued this year. Tutorials supervised by the program's resident fellows were also offered to Pilot Program students. The fellows, graduate students living in the dorm, conducted in- dependent study programs in the areas of African history, Mexican literature, and sociology. Out of the tutorials have evolved a two- credit 100-level and a four-credit 200-level seminar series to be initiated this fall. The 100-level series will be taught by resident fellows, and the 200-level courses, planned for upper classmen although freshmen may also register for them, will be taught by resident directors. These series will include such courses as imperialism and nationalism in contemp- orary affairs, problems of identity and alienation in contemporary American Edu- cation, and revolution. These courses, says Storey, are planned "to develop the student's analytical abili- ties." The tutorial program indicates the in- terest which resident fellows take in the students, Storey says. "The resident fellow is much more mature than an undergradu- ate adviser," he points out. "We find the students communicate well with this staff," he says. "The RF's per- spectives are excellent, and they are little concerned with the authority relationship. They have been able to de-emphasize the structure within which they work." Last year's resident fellows agree with Storey on the success of their position. "I think it's a stabilizing influence to have grads with a large range of special- ties in the dorm-it's a good tutoring set- up," says Jim Sack, an English history grad student. The students have created a new posi- tion, "student advisor", to supplement the role of the RF next year, "We will be able to understand the prob- lems of the freshmen better because we ourselves are undergraduates," explains Julie Seyforth, '72. According to a survey taken among pilot students, the basic concept of the program, integration of the dorm with the class- room, has been successful. The results show 86 per cent of the students last year met with the pilot members of their class outside of the class period to discuss aca- demics. "There is an attitude of spontaneity about academics," says Storey. "Students are confident fellow students want them to pursue ideas outside of the class, and the structure of the program encourages this." Something must be right about the pilot program-Alice Lloyd Hall (with a reputa- tion of the best food on the Hill) has a 36 per cent return rate from last year and there is a waiting list for the Pilot Pro- gram. But at present there are no plans to ex- pand the program. "It would probably be better to diversify and have other experi- ments," says Storey. 1I H I-Fl STEREO * Magnavox * Garrard "Harmon-Kardo * Dual * Mvarantz in . Scott Sony * Teak f s robably wondered what the STUDENT CO-OPS are-al-abou... At Michigan there are four men's, five women's, one coed and one married couple's co-op which house about 242 students; an additional 125 "boarders" take meals only. WHO OWNS ANDi RUNS THlE CO-OP'S? WE DO In each house each member, new or old, shares equal responsibility for all d ecos; what to eat, how much tc spend, how much to work. The co-op houses are owned by the Inter-Cooperative Councid I.C C., a corporation ,et up and run entirely by the students who live or eat in the houses. WHO MAY JOIN TilE CO-OPS? Anyone who agrees to participate in running thec co-ops democraticofly is welcome. Members are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, without racial, religious or political discrimination. There is no plecige or initiation period. 11HAT ARE THE LiVING and EATIING, ARIANGEMENTIS? As a roomer, you are provided furnished living quarters as well as social space and eating privileges. As a boarder, you get 20 meals a week "Guffing," or between meal snacking, is one of our most cherished traditions Everyone has free access at all times to milk, bread, butter, jam, and leftovers. Other items arc charged Any member may invite guests. There are adequate launly fuit, e o-op stayoe during vacation periods and in the ummer 110W MUCH DOES IT COST? Loch house sets its own budget. Average costs for the past sermeser have been: Week Semester Room and Board $21.00 $336.00 BoardPonly $13.5n21200 New members pay a $40 deposit when hey join; it is refunded when they leave. WHO DOES TAE WORK? WE DO All cooking, dishwashing, maintenance and management is done by the members. Any member, new or old, can be elected officer, president, house manager, food purchaser or Iat taes from four to sx hours per member to run a coop The CaCt work tme is decided by house vote. * Sherwood IThorens " . Ampex and many others best selections of Speakers HIM I4' f~M IIRI ~ ~VLf~NCfP One of the Amplifiers Tuners Tape Recorders Changer Kits Home Intercoms "WE COMPETE" Fast Dependable Service .;;, . ' : r." .. : ; ; ; ti ti r r R t ,. . { . ti.t :;,' '{ ' S'S'.'}. C": h,1 1. 11665-8607 1 I ibWWwM'll%%*s i I