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October 15, 1986 - Image 1

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1986-10-15

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

. P

Lit tat
Ninety-seven years of editorialfreedom
Ann Arbor, Michigan - Wednesday, October 15, 1986

4atg

Vol.'

XCVII - No. 30

Copyright 1986, The Michigan Daily

Ten Pages

Crowded courses

plague

LSA

depts.

By PHILIP 1. LEVY
The LSA Executive Committee will begin its
annual discussion next week of whether to approve
faculty positions requested by the college's
departments. But this year, the committee will have a
special $1 million fund available to combat the issue
of course overcrowding.
The "Delta Fund," recently created by the Office of
the Vice President for Academic Affairs, will be used
for up to 10 new faculty positions in an attempt to
alleviate problems with crowded and closed courses.
OVERCROWDING hinders teaching quality in
several LSA departments, including the Department of
Economics. Other departments with too many students
and not enough faculty include English, political
science, psychology, and communication.
According to economics Chairman Richard Porter,
CIt tells
,frats to
control

'I don't communicate my ideas as well when I'm in front of 70 people.'
-a University economics professor

professor often doesn't get to know the students, and
discussions become impossible. Of a large economics
class in which she is currently enrolled, she said, "If it
were a smaller class, I'd probably participate more."
Gursky doesn't blame the overcrowding on the
economics department, but rather on LSA and the
University. "We suggest that people with grievances
write letters to (University President Harold) Shapiro
and (LSA Dean Peter) Steiner," she said.
ONE ECONOMICS faculty member, who asked
not to be identified, said overcrowded courses hurt his
ability to teach. The professor, who is teaching an
oversized 400-level economics course this term, said
the class's size "really reduces my effectiveness in
teaching. I can communicate well with groups of up to
35 or 40 students, but over that it's more difficult.
See OVERCROWDING, Page 5

the department will ask the Executive Committee to
approve nine new faculty positions. Currently, the
average economics class has more than 50 students and
some upper level courses have more than 60.
The department now employs around 35 faculty
members and would need to hire around 50 new
professors to reach the University average of about 20
students per class, Porter said.

"IT IS a significant problem. It's one of the major
complaints we get in surveys," said Lisa Gursky, a
senior in economics and chairman of the Michigan
Economic Society's Concerns Committee. "When
you're a senior at a major university, it seems a little
ridiculous that classes are so big," she said.
Gursky said that in large classes she has taken,
students are inhibited about asking questions, the.
'U'pres:
0rviews

ident
goals

partying
By MELISSA GESSNER
The Ann Arbor Police
Department is planning to crack
down on fraternity parties because
of an increasing number of noise
and disturbance complaints from
neighbors, Police Chief William
Corbett said yesterday.
In response to a large number of
complaints about out-of-control
parties after last weekend's
Michigan-Michigan State football
game, Corbett said the police will
"enforce the letter of the law" at
fraternity parties. Neighbors and
city councilmembers, he said, are
"absolutely incensed" about
behavior at the parties this year.
CORBETT will send a letter
to fraternities that says, "It is
certainly not our intent to dampen
youthful exuberance or school spirit
nor completely prohibit fraternity
and sorority parties. However, we
have a solemn obligation under the
law to preserve the tranquility of
the community, the safety of
persons, and the protection of
property."
During last weekend's parties,
several neighbors complained about
the high noise level, revelers
urinating in public, "drunken
assaultive behavior," and malicious
destruction of property. "We are
serving notice that this weekend,
and in the future, such behavior
will not be tolerated. We will take
necessary steps to preserve the
peace. As valued members of the
Ann Arbor community, we are
requesting your support and
cooperation," the police letter said.
"That (the letter) was precipitated
because of all the problems we have
been experiencing with the
fraternity parties, which has been
considerable," says Councilmember
Jeanette Middleton (R-Third Ward).
"We simply cannot tolerate that
kind of behavior."
MIDDLETON and Corbett
said the problem has escalated since
1985, when Corbett sent a similar
letter to fraternities. "We're going
to use all legal means. We're going
to pull out all of the stops to get
this under control."
Fraternity leaders have not yet
received Corbett's letter, but some
said they think the main problem is
that high school students often. go
to the parties and get drunk.
Sigma Chi President Dan Page
said open parties present a problem:
"If we're boneheads and serve beer
See CITY, Page 5

By MARTHA SEVETSON in pursuit of research activity, and
University President Harold Shapiro charged that Bennett has
Shapiro last night agreed with the little appreciation of the diversity of
national demand for improvement higher education.
in education, but he said Secretary "Special historical circumstances
of Education William Bennett have caused American higher
"continues to put more emphasis education to assume a newer and
on rhetoric and confrontation than more strategic place in our national
on communication and change." life," he said. "It would be a
In his annual State of the disaster to push for greater
University address to about 250 uniformity and control."
faculty members, Shapiro said, Shapiro pointed out many
"Improvements in higher education internal developments which have
are not only possible but changed the structure of the
necessary." He added, however, "I University. "In the past decade there
would grade these (national) reports has been a sharp increase in the
on the whole about a C-plus." quality and relative size of the
B E N N E T T has accused student body," he said.
colleges and universities of Newer programs such as
abandoning undergraduate teaching computer science and an LSA joint
--sponsibilities and moral educaton" preferred ado ssions progr im,

which guarantees freshmen in the
program acceptance into, a
University graduate program, also
reflect the changing nature of the
University.
"I see in almost every unit new
limits," said Shapiro. "We
continually ask ourselves what
change, if any, is appropriate."
After the speech, Shapiro
announced that the Kellogg
Foundation hasdonated $10 million
to the University. Half of that will

be used to help build
Chemistry Building, and
be distributed among
programs.

the new
half will
various

Daily Photo by PETER ROSS
President Shapiro explains the changes in national concern for higher
education which have affected the University, at his "State of the Univer-
sity" message last night.

The faculty will play a decisive
role in allocating the funds, Shapiro
said.

NOW FORUM GETS LOW TURNOUT
Candidates discuss issues

By MICHAEL LUSTIG
and PETER MOONEY
Only three of six candidates
running locally in the Nov. 4
election appeared at a forum
sponsored by the Ann Arbor-
Washtenaw National Organization
for Women last night.
U.S. Rep. Carl Pursell (R-
Mich.) remained in Washington
because Congress has not yet
adjourned. State Sen. Lana Pollack

(D-Ann Arbor) was hosting a
fundraiser for a woman running for
the state Senate in Oakland County,
and Republican candidate for state
representative Vic Holtz also had
previous commitments.
Pursell's Democratic challenger,
Dean Baker, and Pursell aide
Cynthia Hudgins debated social and
Central American issues.
HUDGINS SAID that in
Washington "social services don't

have a lot of clout," but that
Pursell has supported budget cuts
"without making dramatic cuts in
social services."
Baker, a University graduate stu-
dent, responded by pointin¢ to
Pursell's support of the Gramm-
Ruddman deficit-reduction bill. He
said the bill, which would make
equal cuts from the military and
domestic programs, would cut
social programs.

On the abortion issue, Baker
said, "I would support a women's
right to reproductive freedom."
Hudgins countered that Pursell only
supports abortion in cases of rape,
incest, or when the mother's life is
endangered.
U.S. AID to the Contra rebels
in Nicaragua, a prominent issue
throughout the Baker-Pursell cam-
paign, also came up. Hudgins said
See LOCAL, Page 3

Aplev
supports affirmative action

I

MSA calls Yale code of
conduct oppressive

By WENDY SHARP
The Michigan Student Assembly last
night unanimously passed a resolution
condemning administrators at Yale
University for suspending five student
protesters under Yale's code of non-
academic student conduct.
The students were suspended for
trespassing on university property while
protesting Yale's failure to completely
divest from companies doing business in
South Africa. They were tried by an
executive committee consisting of
students, faculty, and administrators and
were found guilty without the right to
appeal.
MSA will send an open letter to the
Yale student body stating its concern for

the protesters and asking that Yale students
take an outspoken stance against the South
African government.
THE RESOLUTION states that "the
recent actions taken by the Yale
administration against members of the
student body are representataive of the
injustices that a 'code of non-academic
conduct' produces."
Ed Kraus, vice chair of the assembly's
campus governance committee, expressed
fear that a similiar code at the University of
Michigan "might allow them (admin-
istrators) the same power." The MSA letter
states that University administrators "seek
a code to do away with student liberties
that interfere with their efforts to
See MSA, Page 2

You gotta have art Doily Photo by PETER ROSS
Dianna Stepps, an Arizona State University student, escapes yesterday's cold weather by
browsing through the Art Museum. Stepps is in town for a few days visiting a friend.

TODAY-
Baseball bet

Series, Cranston gets the lobsters. But if the Red
Sox rebound and win two, Kennedy gets the wine.
The Angels lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and
were within a strike of the pennant Sunday. The
series returned to Boston last night.

place in 1994, breaking a 70-year tradition.
Officials hope the change will bring a greater focus
on the Winter Games, which have been regarded as
a less important preliminary to the Summer
Games. Baseball players will compete in the
summer, but professionals are ineligible. A
decision on adding women's softball in 1992 was

INSIDE
STAR WARS: Opinion looks at the substantial
issue at the summit. See Page 4.
I e 1m Arf ra - o we lmni°Inl ath

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