tl19701218-000 "Season's Greetings Vol. XXII, No. 13 Towson State College, Baltimore, Maryland 21204 December 18, 1970 pew (terra Academic Council adopts 4-1-4 Mini Term set for '72 by Leona Schultz Following lengthy discussion, the Academic Council finally voted to adopt the proposed 4-1-4 calendar at its December 14 meeting at 4 p.m. in Linthicum 200. During the two hour meeting Dr. Joseph W. Cox, advisor to the College Calendar Committee, explained in detail the various pro and con aspects of the 4-1-4 calendar and its five alternative plans. Dr. Cox recommended Alternative No. 5 as the one having the least number of disadvantages in comparison with its advantages. Academic Council members then posed questions in relation to the proposed calendar. In general, their chief concerns were its effect on the summer sessions, its effect on those students attending college through the Veterans' Administration, and its acceptance by Towso:i State students on the whole. With respect to the first two issues, Dr. Cox stated that the Calendar Committee had considered such impediments and their resolutions. In regard to the last issue, Dr. Cox sighted the report from U.NI.B.C. that forty percent of its students participate in its ""Mini Term"". In addition, SGA President Richard Neidig, in support of Alternative No. 5, reported that in an informal vote, Towson Student Senators were in favor of the 4-1-4 calendar, two to one. He also revealed the results of a three-day poll conducted last week concerning the proposed calendar and its alternatives. Of the 763 participating students, sixty-eight per cent were in favor of having exams before Christmas, a situation facilitated by Alternative No. 5. The voting of the Academic Council in regard to Alternative No. 5 was as follows: For-Students Mike Corkman, Lawrence Mills, Steve Murphy, Richard Neidig, John Wighton, and Arthur Woodord, and Professors Regina Fitzgerald, Harold NIuma, John Newman, Stanley Pollack, and Walter Williamson. Against-Professors Herbert Andrews, Mary Castelli, George Dr. Joseph W. Cox Cokman, Joseph Falco, Al Haste, Mary Catherine Kahl, John Mathews, and William Pelham. Abstentions-Professors David Cornthwaite and Margaret Zipp. As it now stands as amended and accepted during the meeting, Alternative No. 5 calls for a fall semester beginning September 13 and ending December 14. Exams will begin December 16 and continue to December 22. The January term will have approximately twenty days. February 5 will mark the commencement of the spring semester. `Mini-grants' planned In light of the Academic Council's decision to use alternative 5, including a mini term, 4-1-4 semesters, for the Academic Calendar 1971-1972, Dean Shaw and SGA president Rick Neidig have been working on a program called ""Project Incentive"" in which ""mini grants"" would be allotted to the faculty working with students as an incentive for them to improve teaching. A student-faculty committee will be established to administer the program. Included in the committee are faculty members Dr. Arthur Madden, Dr. Geneva Ely-Flickinger and Amadora Muriel, and students Bruce Smith, Ed Dicky and Susan Daniel. Dean Shaw and Rick Neidig set the tenative groundwork for the program. The committee may use their suggestions or develop other means. The ""mini grants"" will be provided so that interested faculty members could spend a portion of their time during the summer or mini term to improve courses they are teaching or develop new courses. In turn, Rich Neidig has pointed out that students would be involved in every aspect of the program. Interested students would approach a faculty member with an idea or topic for study. The faculty member would then apply for a ""mini grant"" with the student's ideas in mind. Exact amounts of the grants are not yet known. The SGA has agreed to provide $3,000 out of this year's budget for the project. An estimate of the amount given for one mini grant is $500. It is planned to solicit funds from other sources also. Guidelines suggested by Dean Shaw and Rick Neidig for the committee to work from include developing courses of instruction for higher enrollment undergraduate courses, experimenting with the use of television and video tape techniques, experimenting with the use of undergraduates as part of the instructional team, developing multi-disciplinary courses to expose students to subject areas that transcend departmental boundaries and developing other approaches to learning and teaching in existing courses. Further information on details of ""Project Incentive"" will be published when they are available. "
