THE MICHIGAN DAILY TUESDAY',Al THE MICHIGAN DAILY TUESDAY, A trimester Evokes Mixed Reaction y BARBARA SEYFRIED imester is an innovation. at University, yet since its ini- on only two years ago, it had noticeable effects upon esea i oc rimester was initiated by versity to enable it to facilities to the fullest . This fall will mark the ring of its second year in the use ex- be- op- It features the 15-week term, exams before Christmas vacation, an exam period lasting from'one week to 10 days, and final ex- ams lasting two hours. Previously, the term was two weeks longer, final exams lasted three hours each, and students faced the last week or so of the semester- followed immediately by exams-upon coming to Ann Arbor after their Christmas va- cation. Three 'Terms As conceived, the new tri- mester system would offer three terms, equal in length of which students would attend two. However, the plan was altered somewhat last year. Because ad- ministrators realized that few students could immediately ad- just to the new system and take a full term during the summer, the summer term was divided in- to two shorter periods, IIIA and IIIB. Each period lasted seven and one-half weeks with a break be- tween the two for exams and a short vacation. Some courses still ran through the entire sum- mer, while others were offered only for one term. The courses which were of- fered for ILIA or IIIB met -four or five times a week, but were only worth two, rather than three, credit hours. Courses run- ning the full summer were worth the same number of credits as during the fall and winter iterms. Study Period A new addition in the coming winter term will be a three-day study period prior to exams. The University is still adjusting to trimester. Incoming students, theoretically, should have less dif- ficulty because they are not used to the old system, but still must undergo a drastic change from Some Just Can't Face the Pressures of Trimester high school semesters to the Uni- versity trimester system. Last year during beginning of trimester, freshmen who had nev- er gone to school under another schedule were enthusiastic about it, according to a Daily .vurvey. The most popular aspect of it was that exams were held before Christmas vacation. Most fresh- men responding to The 7aily sur- vey, said they felt they had done as well as they would have un- der another system. Caught Short Many upperclassmen, however, reported that they were caught short and forced to do an ex- traordinary amount of work in the two week period after Thanksgiving and before the start of exams. However, most, felt they had mastered the material as well as they had the previous fall when the University was not on the tri- mester system. The biggest complaint the up- perclassmen had was that profes- sors didn't seem to have allowed for the shorter semester and the' same amount of material had to be mastered as during the old 18- week semester. Professors disagreed. Most indi- cated that they either had or were in the process of revising their presentation of material to accommodate the 15-week semes- ter. Until then, the problem how- ever, seems to be more difficult. While there are quite a few stu- dents attending the summer ses- sion, there are not enough to maintain active student )rgani- zations. Yet these organizations will be needed .and wanted by those students who wish to express themselves outside of the class- Despite favorable replies in The room situation. Daily survey, there has been some St r.i nn- ~ v l n --^~s' m c ' - ^, udies indication th~at the trimxester ihas not been universally popular., Little Free Time One administrator expressed concern over the lack of free time for students to do outside read- ing and reflect on what they were studying. It was pointed out by one respondent that it was diffi- cult to find time to do anything but cram the course material into his head. While the results have not yet been determined there is also an indication that some of the Uni- versity's extracurricular activities have been affected by and may be curtailed because of the trimester system. When the new system becomes firmly established, students will be in Ann Arbor for only two out of the three terms. Therefore, it will be extremely difficult to main- tain a consistency in extracurricu- lar activities. Under the semester system, most students attended the fall and winter semesters and had their vacation during the short sum- mer term. Under the new system, students will attend any two of three full terms, including a full term in the summer. Currently studies of the prob- lem are being conducted by Stu- dent Government Council and The Daily, as well as other organiza- tions on campus. A more humorous aspect of the trimester is the reaction of the student body to what University administrators called "vacations"' last year. The Thanksgiving holi- day lasts approximately two days. Students also registered at the one day spring "vacation." The fact that these days are labelled vacations gives students the excuse to cut classes at least two days prior to its arrival and create a mass exodus toward home. The trimester system, as it was conceived offers numerous oppor- tunities. Once it becomes fully established, administrators plan that students will attend the Uni- versity two terms out of the avail- able three. This would spread the facilities of the campus farher. This enables students who wish to complete their education in three years to do so. In fact one feature of the proposed residential college is to make three terms of study each year manadatory for graduation. STUDGNT BOOK SGRVICG Owned and operated byl U of M Faculty and Students The only discount textbook store in Ann Arbor By ROBERT JOHNSTON - Editor The University of Michigan's involvement in research dates back to the 1930's, but the broad, complex research program that is now such an integral part of this institution, $42 million worth last year, really got underway during and immediately after World War I. The teams of scientists and en- gineers that had been put to- gether for war projects were kept together afterwards as the fed- eral government continued to sup- ply support for defense-oriented missions. The Michigan Aeronautical Re- search Center was established dur- ing this period at Willow Run Airport to carry on ballistic mis- sile and radar surveillance studies. The BOMARC missile was named after Boeing and the center, both of which developed it. One product of the research and development efforts- fostered by the war was Prof. Ralph A. Saw- yer, one of many University fac- ulty members who were involved in war projects with the govern- ment. Sawyer was one of the super- visors of the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests before he was brought back to the University to become dean of the graduate school. Responsible As dean, Sawyer was mainly re- sponsible for guiding the Univer- sity's research program to amulti- million dollar level. Increasingly large amounts of federal money available, first in the "hard" sciences and later in more and more fields, was attracted by the University's excellent faculty and put to use in strengthening Uni- versity facilities and graduate programs: In 1958 Sawyer's-and the Uni- versity's--involvement in research was recognized through his ap- 'pointment to the newly created post of vice-president for research. In the summer of 1964 Sawyer re- tired from this position and the deanship and was succeeded in the research vice-presidency by A.-Geoffrey Norman, another fac- ulty member who was intimately involved in the nation's scientific efforts during World War II. Under Norman the University's research is continuing to expand, though at a somewhat slower rate -10 per cent this year, to about $48 million, as opposed to 15 per cent and more in previous years. Continues The University is continuing to set the pace in its -research con- tributions. Discounting the special laboratories run for the govern- ment by some universities the University of Michigan's program is the largest in the country for a single campus. While Washington politicians continue to complain about a geo- graphical maldistribution of re- search funds, a combination of excellent, experienced faculty, good administration and increas- ing government generosity in more and more areas of basic research will continue to draw research money here. The budgets of the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and PUBLISHED FOUR TIMES A YEAR g 3N 03 I.t ak II 'U' Aerospace Researchers Helped Build This Satellite for NASA the Department of Health, Edu- cation and Welfare, to name a few have been increasing rapidly, and the University is sure to benefit. Such a massive infusion of money into an institution is bound to necessitate readjust- ments, but most changes have been subtle and have usually been ig- nored-it's much easier to accept money than to turn it down. There is little doubt among most administrators and faculty mem- bers that the principal benefi- ciaries of the federal largess are graduate students and the fac- ulty themselves. Research money allows the faculty to draw high compensation for nonteaching work. Research at the same time leaves less time for less desirable teaching, so that universities are forced !to pay higher salaries for less time in the classroom. At the same time, much of the research money that comes into the University is tied into gradu- ate work in some way. A profes- sor's research projects often pro- vide fertile ground for thesis proj- ects among his students. They also provide fairly lucrative, work for both graduate and undergraduate students. Of course research has spawned many problems. Once underway smaller projects become consoli- dated into large program that often tends to acquire a great deal of momentum. Equipment is pur- chased, building space is filled, often new administrative units spring up in practice if not in organization charts, and person- nel are hired. The University soon finds itself with an ongoing pro- gram with accompanying admin- istrative machinery that doesn't really fit into an overall reseach program or that creates faculty, graduate, salary or other im- balances. The old departmental organiza- tion system is also severely tested in many ways. Chairmen, drawn from the faculty, must become ex- pert administrators, large pro- grams, especially interdisciplinary ones, are almost impossible to fit into the old structure.sFaculty tend to lose their loyalties' to the University first and to their de- partments second as theysee more and more of their money coming from Washington or a foundation. Juggling At the same time undergradu- ates must be accommodated, class rooms and office and lab space juggled, research administration provided and a fantastic network of financial arrangements and commitments kept in order. 4 1 4i 49 , -m-1 r i _. .bm1 Michigan has IZmorning daily newspapers One in Detroit and One in Ann Arbor S r through this door lies the perfect gift for you 4 C IHIARkMS u an outstanding collection of 14 karat gold and sterling charms Iv' " Get all the world news in the morning and .worry all day. * Get all the local and university news in the morning and be amused all day. * Get the latest sports results. PIERCIED EARNGS a wide selection of gold 'and -sterling earrings re featulring MONOGRAMMED CIRCLE PINS + Peruse the advertisements before going shopping, not after the stores are closed. WAKE UP TO All engraving done at no extra charge. 111 Umoda t24I7J..I4/ 4'vJff-in nre4'iiP .11 I