14 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 17, 1995 & University Unions Communication dept. will lose . film-video, journalism courses 77y SS(yr Sot i. R 1 i hit. ^ t(!: j:11 ., J + * 4o4 * 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). L t _A U k , ) (;~Cm~_UA2 _(. iAM_ ~ ; Pr*jed $~RV~f C*~rnrnni Comm 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