14 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 17, 1995
& University Unions
Communication dept. will lose .
film-video, journalism courses
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Come and see what the University's student organizations have to offer you. On Wednesday, January 18,
The Office of Student Activities & Leadership will sponsor the 2nd annual Winterfest. Many of the campus
organizations and programs will be represented on this day. This is an opportunity for groups to show you
what they are about. Come and enjoy the atmosphere. There will be entertainment, free food, and door prizes.
SENIOR DAYS PLANNING TEAM applications available January 4, 1995! The 1994 Senior Days
Transition Team is now recruiting for several positions:
Con~cert/Drawing~o Coordinator
inance Of~hcer
Seior Gi7t Coordin~ator
Co-urIc mdar Progam Off.U{i ce
Applications available beginning January 4th at the Co-Curricular Programs Office in 2209 Michigan Union.
Questions - Contact Setul Pardanani, Sherry Martens, Michelle VanOoteghem, or Kathy MacKay (Advisor).
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Continued from page 1.
"We will need a lot of people to
teach courses next ye like we've
been teaching this year.. don't envi-
sion major changes in t'e course of-
ferings for the next year,';Chamberlin
said. "I think the major jshift in cur-
riculum in course offerins will come
in 1996-97, not this comig g academic
year." Courses in profssional jour-
nalism will remain in the department
through the 1996-97 acaemic year.
For students concern about the
changes, the department las scheduled
ameeting today at5 p.m. i Auditorium
4 of the Modern Languag s Building.
History of the deprtment
The department of coImunication
was formed in 1979 throug the merger
ofportions of the departm tofspeech,
communication and theatV and the de-
partment of journalism. E
"I kind of see the sorce of the
problem going back to that effort in
1979," said Beaver, wl v served as
department chair from )86-91. "It
probably wasn't a good idea. If there
was a mistake made, it was probably
made in 1979.
"I'm hoping that out 'fthis pain-
ful process that the phoeix will kind
of rise from the ashes, so ehow."
One year ago, Goldcnberg at-
tended a communication department
meeting to announce thaithe former
chair had resigned, that qhamberlin
would serve as interim ch ir and that
department bylaws givin lecturers
voting status comparable to regular
faculty would be suspend d.
Goldenberg also annou ced that a
faculty advisory committee would be
formed, with membership from outside
and within the department, to advise on
the future of the department.
Besides tension between faculty
members in the different fields, the
department has been known as less
academically rigorous than other units.
In fall 1993, the average grade in
communication courses was 3.38, com-
pared with 3.15 for the college as a
whole. Butdespite having a highergrade
point average, a lower proportion of its
concentrators graduated with distinc-
tion - 15 percent, compared to a
collegewide figure of 25 percent.
"I think it's incumbent of the de-
partment faculty to wrestle with the
issues of workload and grade distri-
bution," Chamberlin said."I hope that
we will be able to construct a depart-
ment that loses any unfortunate repu-
tation that the current one has."
Film and video courses
The shuffle will move the film and
video courses to the Program in Film
and Video Studies, which was cre-
ated in 1973.
"I think it's going to strengthen
that program. I was pleased to see
those things are going to continue to
be supported by the College of LSA,"
said Beaver, who was involved in the
creation of the program. "I think that
there are five of us that are going to be
moving to that area."
Goldenberg said the new unit will
be able to cooperate more effectively
with the Music and Art schools, both
of which have an interest in video
production. "I think we have suffered
from duplication and competition by
offering film-video courses in two
different locations," Goldenberg said.
Journalism courses
Although the changes provide a
clearer role for film and video courses,
along with communication studies, the
fate of journalism remains uncertain.
Under the report, journalism edu-
cation will no longer be a part of LSA.
The committee instead recommended
that journalism be continued in an-
other unit of the University.
Whitaker will appoint a
Universitywide committee to review
the status of graduate instruction in
journalism at the University, to be
chaired by Robert Weisbuch, associ-
ate vice president for research and
associate dean of the Rackham School
of Graduate Studies.
"They're not saying it doesn't be-
long here, they're just saying it doesn't
belong in the arts college," said Prof.
Jonathan Friendly, director of the
Master'sPrograminJournalism. "Ithink
it's too bad for the college. I think
journalism has helped the college."
Whitaker said the task force will
examine a variety of options for jour-
nalism, but discussion will be limited
to the graduate program. "I want to
constrain them to graduate journal-
ism," he said. "It could be a separate
unit, but I don't expect that. They
might suggest something that could
lead to a separate unit eventually."
Whitaker said the journalism gradu-
ate program could be apart of Rackham
or could be attached to another school.
He also noted that undergraduates in-
terested in journalism can be served by
Michigan State University.
Friendly said the change could
benefit journalism education at the
University. "I think it could be very
healthy for journalism to be able to
distinguish itself without having to
compete with communication studies
for the resources of the college," he
said. "I don't think it's a done deal."
Students in the Master's Program in
Journalism will be able to complete
their degrees under present guidelines.
New guidelines will be established for
students admitted after Jan. 1, with ap-
proval of the Rackham Executive Board.
For students interested in journal-
ism, Goldenberg said there could be
an undergraduate major or students
could take extensive coursework in a
separate journalism unit.
"If an undergraduate program in
journalism is established in a profes-
sional school setting at U-M, I will
certainly support the idea that our stu-
dents should beable to take some courses
there for credit in LSA," she said.
But Whitaker said the University
first will need to concentrate on gradu-
ate journalism. "I want to focus on
what it would take to form a strong
graduate unit," he said.
Goldenberg said that it is possible
for journalism lecturers to teach in
this new unit, although LSA will not
control this decision.
Chamberlin said his department has
discussed with the English department
the possibility of offering journalism
courses. "It's possible that some of our
writing courses could find another
home in the college," he said.
Regent Philip Power (D-Ann Ar-
bor), a former editor of The Michigan
Daily and a supporter of journalism
education at the University, said he is
pleased the committee recognized the
difficulties of the department.
"The basic problem with journal-
ism in LSA has been that the culture
of the college is one in which journal-
ism is regarded as professional rather
than academic and tat is why jour-
nalism has had such a tangled history
in LSA," Power said.
The future of the department
With the removal of journalism
and film-video courses, the new de-
partment will be limited to seven fac-
ulty members.
Chamberlin will serve as chair
through the end of June. Goldenberg
said she will appoint an internal can-
didate to serve as interim chair, but
the college will likely search for an
external chair.
The committee recommended in its
report that Goldenberg appoint an ex-
ecutive committee for the department
that includes communication faculty
and members from outside the depart-
ment. According to the report, this in-
terim period will be phased out in sev-
eral years, and will be determined by
Goldenberg and the LSA Executive
Committee. But the committee did not
close the door for further action.
"If we cannot make the appoint-
ments that are required- senior schol-
ars committed to the mission of the
reconstituted department and willing to
work for its success, the college should
reassess the options ... giving greater
consideration to establishing commu-
nication studies as an interdepartmental
program or recommending that it be
discontinued," the report stated.
Communication Prof. Rowell
Huesmann, who will be on the faculty
of the new department, said commu-
nication studies will be valuable to
students entering a variety of fields.
"I see the mission as to educate
students in theory and knowledge in
mass communication in our modern
society," Huesmann said.
Goldenberg said the new depart-
ment will have a clear mission within
the college. "We all agree that under-
standing the processes and effects of
the mass media is terribly important,"
she said. "To do this requires expo-
sure to a variety of disciplinary tradi-
tions and methods."
But, to at least one faculty mem-
ber, it is not clear what the mission of
communication studies will be.
"That certainly is one of the things
that has been at issue for the last several
years. It is that aspect of the department
that is least understood," Beaver said.
"The thing that we've struggled for so
long is: is communication a field? I
think that's a tough one."
Notice to all Community Plunge and Into the Streets participants as well as anyone interested in service learning:
How about another day of volunteer service?
N M
MLK DAY COMMUNITY SERVICE
MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 1995
Coretta Scott King and the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission have issued a challenge to
commUnities: Honor the memory of the slain civil rights leader by celebrating MLK day with a day of service.
In response to this challenge, the MLK Symposium Planning Committee is sponsoring community service
learning projects for UM students, faculty, and staff. These service opportunities will take place at various
community-based agencies in the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area.
To register as a participant or a sire leader, please contact Project SERVE or the Office of Community Service
Learning at 2205 Michigan Union (936-2437). Space is limited on a first come first serve basis, so don't delay!
41,
Th saf i uen Affairs would lie toweloetenw DrtoofSuntAiits&
Threistff at. wh re herecied heru Suas arial an wudgree o nxen wan esint
irett r students Atafvitie fro 198 undi he ecetapiethrt the Uewiiretor
REALITY
THAT'S TRUE
UNLESS
YOU CARE ABOUT:
I4
January 1-21
NCC Atrium and Lounge hosts an exhibit in
conjunction with Martin Luther King Day. In the
atrium, posters are displayed from the MLK Film
Series sponsored by the UM Engineering Council.
January 4-20
Senior Citizens Guild will display an array of
various types of artwork on the NCC Gallery Wall.
January 20
Good old-time dance music, swing, and "new"-grass
will fill the air when The Raisin Pickers return to
Leonardo's from 8-10 PM. The group features fiddle,
banjo, mandolin, and bass played by Mark and Carol
Palms, Gary Reynolds, Mike Gleason, and Bill
Farmer. Relax, kick back, and clap your hands with
The Raisin Pickers.
OPPORTUNITY
LEADERSHIP
FRIENDSHIP
SERVICE
GREEK LIFE
January 20
MLK Film Series-Fried Green Tomatoes
8-10 PM (NO CHARGE) January27
MLK Film Series-Guilty by Suspicion
Sean - Acoustic duo of guitar and voice fiii
Sces include Indigo Girls and Pearl Jam.
AN INVESTMENT N YOUR FUTURE
lkabbi saud
whmseinfluea
MASS MEETING
RUSH DATES
I