6 Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 4, 1986 - LSA may review writing courses By PHILIP LEVY Disturbed by poor writing among many University undergraduates, of- ficials in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts may solicit faculty opinions this fall on how to improve the college's introductory, composition program. Courses under, the program are required for about 85 percent of University students after not scoring high enough in their English placement exam. The courses are overseen by the English Composition Board which was created in the late-1970s "in. response to a faculty sense that student writing was in trouble, and we needed to do something major," said the board's director Prof. Deborah Keller-Cohen. Students can't write However, Keller-Cohen said that even now, "some faculty have said I'm teaching an upper-level course and these students still can't con- struct sentences. What went on in in- troductory composition?" "Speaking for myself," said history Prof. Rudi Linder, a member of LSA's curriculum committee that is concerned about the program, "I'm disappointed in the writing skills of many of the students I teach." I'm disappointed in the writing skills of many of the students I teach.' -History prof. Rudi Linder Problems cited The issues raised by the committee include: * the lack of coordination among the different courses, and the absence of an "underlying philosophy of teaching composition." " The lack of evaluations to deter- mine whether the programs are working. " the use of teaching assistants, not professors, in introductory com- position courses. Committee members hastened to point out they were not criticising the program, but rather raising issues where it could be improved. Needs a philosophy Keller-Cohen acknowledged needing to come up with a philosophy for teaching writing. One experienced teaching assistant in the English Department, however, said a philosophy already exists. He said that being able to teach writing in a variety of disciplines, and to teach critical thinking are stressed in training teaching assistants. He also said many of his colleagues teach in more than one introductory composition courses, such as the Honors Great Books class and English 125, thereby supplying a degree of continuity. Evaluating the program The issue of evaluating a student's improvement in writing is more sub- tle. According to William Ingram, director of freshman English, the problem of evaluating writing ability is a "nationwide dilemma, and is cen- trally important. The person who is devising a means of solving this problem to everyone's satisfaction will be instantly famous and nationally so." This makes it difficult to ascertain the effectiveness of introductory composition. "We don't have the in- formation to know if it's working," said Keller-Cohen. Keller-Cohen, though, thinks*some sort of evaluation is possible but would require years of research and study to find a system. Teaching assistants While Ingram says that the 75 per- cent use of teaching assistants in freshman English classes is high, teaching assistants suggest some ad- vantages over using professors. "to have someone closer in age and ex- perience (to the student) ... helps immensely," said the English teaching assistant, who refused to be identified. He added that teaching assistants are "more than competent,' and made possible smaller classes with greated contact with the instructor. Keller-Cohen, Ingram, and the teaching assistant, all agreed that problems with student writing extend beyond the scope of introductory composition. Ingram compared lear- ning writing with physical education. "You can't take is once and then let it go," he said. Ingram said the lack of writing requirements in other, courses other than introductory composition allows students to get sloppy in their writing. q 6 Admissions to 'U' rise, despite trends a Daily Photo by ANDI SCHREIBER Guiding light A lighthouse near Frankfort, Mich., guides ships over the sometimes choppy waters of Lake Michigan. By PHILIP LEVY Despite a nation-wide drop in high school graduates and increasing competition among universities for quality students, the number of applications to the University's College of Literature, Science and Arts rose by more than seven percent this year. The rise marks the third straight year of in- creases. But despite the University's recent success, the future could be somewhat bleak. According to Michael Donahue, associate director of the University's admissions office, demographic studies have projected that graduating seniors in the University's prime recruiting areas will decline by 15 to 30 percent. The decline, attributed to a drop in the number of births after the baby-boom period of the 1960s, has caused major concern among University administrators. Drop in college students This year, over 10,000 applications were from out-of-state, Donahue said. The exact size of the freshman class is unclear but the admissions of- fic aims for a class of 4,400-about one third from out-of-state and two-thirds from Michigan. Other than Michigan, the University draws most heavily from New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and Ohio. All of these states are expected to experience a drop in potential college students. Michigan is also predicted to drop, and studen- ts from five counties from which the University draws 70 percent of in-state students, are projec- ted to decline more than the rest of the state, said mathematics Prof. Hugh Montgomery, a member of the LSA Blue Ribbon Commission. Cliff Sjogren, the University's director of ad- missions, is nonetheless optimistic about the prospects for University recruiting. He said the Great Lakes area has been hit hardest by population declines since the late 1970s, and Michigan has been the hardest hit of the Great Lakes states. Despite this drop, he points out, the University has still seen record numbers of ap- plications. "We're bucking that trend," said Sjogen. "This University is in as good a position as anybody n the country to meet the problem." Donahue attributes the University's success to good publicity and active recruiting. University sports, student activities, and the state's im- proving economy help the University's image, he said. Donahue contrasted the University's image with that of Michigan State. He said that choosing a college is a family decision and such highly- publicized events as the MSU dormitory fire and a pornographic film recently made by students have hurt the school's recruiting image. MSU remains the University's biggest com- petitor for in-state students, said Donahue. Nationally, the University competes with North- western, the University of Pennsylvania and the Ivy League schools because many students who end up at Michigan also applied to those schools, he added. Good image Montgomery said the recent increases were due to an "increasing awareness that the University is offering a very good education for the price. There is a research ex- cellence here comparable to Ivy League schools." . Both Montgomery and Donahue said recent books which rated the University highly and described it as a "public Ivy" had been helpful. "We're after the very, very, very good student," said Donahue. "So is everybody else." THE DETROIT STUDE SP STUDENT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA NT SUBSCRIPTION 'ECIAL OFFER ONLY r 6 Classical concerts r 4 Chamber concerts 40 " $25 fo " $10 fo UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HOSPITALS MOTOR MEALS OF ANN ARBOR, Inc. VOLUNTEERS Housing tightforfreshnen (Continued from Page 2) are no phones in the lounge. Gerneth attributes the incon- venience to filing late for PLUS ALL THE TICKETS WILLI BENEFITS OFFERED TO REGULAR SUBSCRIBERS BE SOLD ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS For further information call: 567-1400 DETROIT SYMPHONV 1 J 1 I K :E Venture into High Tech and add to the Human Touch Help Patients with the Healing Process Learn about the 150 rewarding volunteer opportunities INFORMATION SESSIONS Monday, May 12 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 5 4:00 p.m. All sessions will be held in the new University of Michigan Hospital Amphitheater Please call 764-6874 for additional information INIVERSHY oNEDICAL MICHIGAN b CENTIEIS How to get an IBM PC housing. "I applied in March, and did my housing late, in July. It's a first-come, first-serve - How could we complain? People walk in and say, 'do you have connec- tions?' ** because the' room is so large. Williams said the housing depar- tment tried to minimize the moving and inconvenience of the temporary housing. "The students we put in con- verted lounges in Bursley had Bur- sley as their top choice, so we minimized the moving around," he said. According to Clifford Sjogren, director of admissions, the University accepted 9,400 out of 17,500 ap- plications received this year. The number of applications rose 7 percent over last year - a record high for the second straight year. 4,900 of the 9,400 admitted paid a $100 security deposit to enroll. Of this, 4,600 students are expected to enroll, '200 more than previously anticipated. In-state enrollment is 2 percent higher than expected and out-of-state enrollment is 1 percent higher, accor- ding'to Sjogrens. Favorable publicity in college guides such as "The Public Ivys," and The Today Show, spot as well as the success of Michigan sports teams helped increase applications, Sjogren said. I Call collect and appeal to: QIyour parents Q a rich uncle Safinance company Tell them you're... G failing L broke O depressed Suggest that they. Q send money L take out a loan O rent out your room Promise them you will... []pay later []work it off Arthur Andersen & Co. Taxation Needs Your Rep resentation If your specialty is tax, you should be talking to Arthur Andersen & Co. We offer direct entry into our Tax Division for qualified undergraduates and graduate students. Arthur Andersen W Co. will be on campus at the Business School Placement Office on UM News in The Daily 764-0552 UofM MILES1 S Central S2YPSILANTI I 1 20 minue- Si;ve f PLASMA I 1 apus. y$ 1 z CENTER 1 't People I 1 Receive Helping People. 1 $ 23.00By Donating 1 1 Plamaa 1 on first YouHeip _ Extend