The Towerlight, March 18, 1988

tl19880318-000 "HAVE A BEACHIN' SPRING BREAK The Published weekly by the students of Towson State University ovverlight Towson, MD 21204 Index news 1 business � 2 features & entertainment 3 classifieds 4 7,8 sports 5 6 editorial 9 perspectives & letters 9 weeinvatcher 10 jol. 81 No. 18 March 18, 1988 University considers move to AAA football � by Robert Pattison News reporter With Division LAA football only ' t,.`vo years old at Towson State, the ' University voted in favor of reso- - lotion to examine the feasability of 1)1vision I-AAA football during the '. National Collegiate Athletic Asso- ,tiation's 82nd annual convention. - The NCAA's convention in Nash- '. Ville, Tenn., held Jan 10-14 ,""pas- Jed handily"" the resolution which Will make a one-year study of the - loss expensive division I-AAA foot- laelorconcept that colleges such as rgetown University and the Uni-ersity of Florida may be int, i-- _toted in, said G. William Hunter, the University's athletic director. -I Sponsored by Thomas Frericks, University of Dayton's athletic di-teetor, and James Jarrett, of Old Dominion University, the concept of Division I-AAA football in-volves reduced cost in financial aid tor students, a smaller coaching staff, and less aggressive recruit-ken t effort by the colleges, Hunter said. However, the biggest difference ' between division I�AAA and - other types is the lack of scholar- -soffered to students. Division IA allows a maximum of 95 scho-larships; division IAA allows 70 scholarships; division II allows a rnaximum of 45 scholarships; and division III does not offer any schol-arships but does offer a need-based ttancial aid program, just as div-ision I-AAA will. Presently, Towson State has 40 otudents who receive scholarships -�'. on its fall football team, although - Nunter has promised the Universi-tY's coaching staff a scholarship . lhcrease of up to 50 students. Hunter said,""only those [schools] classified as division I in all other sports would be eligible for division I-AAA football."" Up until two years ago Towson State was division I-AA in all its other sports�such as gymnastics, la-crosse, basketball, and do on�but not in football. This, Hunter said, classified the University as a div-ision I-AAA institution. ""If footbll is not division I and all other [sports] are then you, as a school, are considered a division I-AAA institution."" This should not be confused with division I-AAA football, which is totally dif-ferent and does not yet exist-a.ny-where in the United States, Hunter said. Hunter added that if a universi-ty's football team is division I-AA and no other sports are, then the school is considered a division I-AA school. All schools are classi-fied according to their football classi-fication. Towson State was one of 80 schools that responded to the ques-tionnaire concerning division I-AAA football which was brought up by several division I AA schools as a means to curb the expenses involved with fielding a division IAA football team, Hunter said. Also enterested in IAAA football are schools who are in division III football but division I in all other sports. Towson State spends about $500,000- $600,000 to field its football team each year while many other div-ision IAA schools spend an aver-age of $750,000, Hunter said. Since the concept of division IAAA foot-ball is new, there are no estimated costs of fielding a football team; however its lower operating require-ments would be less costly to 'County Board opposes policy and punishment required all Maryland schools to educate its students about AIDS before they enter the second grade. The Southwestern Baltimore Ad-visory Council made its presenta-tion to the Board on the use of con-summable workbooks, as opposed to standard textbooks, at the first grade level. Chairman of the Advisory Coun-cil, Patsy Masters, emphasized the need for workbooks and said that the students ""are not consuming the information"" as well with text-books. The Board is currently con-sidering whether there is such a need and if the need can be met. The board also recognized Deep Creek Middle School's 25th Anni-versary with a certificate of appre-ciation, declared March, 1988 Youth Art Month in Baltimore County, and recognized Baltimore County's participation in Mary-land's first Physics Olympics. The Board will hold its next meet-ing at 8 pm March 24 at the Green-wood home office, 6901 Charles St. by David Baker News reporter ... hThe Baltimore County Board of ducation held its regular bi- , ' onthly meeting Thursday, March �lt10, at the Greenwood home office. Corporal punishment and AIDS 15lucation were among the legisla-tive items discussed. The board stood strong in its apport of a corporal punishment tegulation which would prohibit isach disciplinary actions in all Mary- 'and schools. State law currently permits cor-poral punishment (by principals !rid assistant principals) in 19 coun-ties. The Baltimore County Board Olds a long-standing policy ainst such allowances. The Board opposed adopting an DS education regulation on the minds that instructional matters ould be left for the local and te educational boards to decide. e AIDS regulation would have schools who don't want to fund the 70 scholarships division IAA foot-ball would entail. Hunter said, ""My feeling is there are people like Georgetown and Florida that are division I in every-thing but football...[and] would be interested in IAAA football."" The emphasis of division IAAA seems to be to keep football affor-dable to as many colleges as possi-ble while still keeping the prestige of division I football a key factor for colleges who are division .I in all other spor,ts. The University of Maryland, Uni-versity of Texas, Notre Dame, and Penn State University are division IA schools. Btieknell University, Lafayette University, the College of William and Mary, and Towson State University are division IAA schools. Hunter said Towson State was ""interested in the concept of div-ision IAAA football...[but] doubts very much if we will go to IAAA,"" because, ""It would be a step back-wards."" Dr. James Ewig, faculty repre-sentative and professor of Towson State, said he has ""no opinion"" on IAAA football until the NCAA draws up a proposal. A division I steering committee is drafting a proposal which will be presented at the association's conference next year. ""We will know in November what the proposal is,"" Ewig said. Dr. Hoke L. Smith said, ""The key thing in division I football in the ,NCAA is to see what schools go with the association's proposal. ""If schools we wish to play against go IAAA then so would we."" Smith said the move to division IAAA football would be a way to contain the cost of football and still compete with the same schools Towson State has played against in the past. ""We would compete with the same schools but on a different cost and coaching structure."" ""If we went to IAAA and no one else did, then we'd have no one to play against,"" Smith said, adding that the decision to move would be a group decision made with all the schools in the same conference as Towson State. This proposal will be voted on at next year's NCAA convention af-ter a year's study by the associa-tion. Each university that attends is allowed four representatives, but only one vote. Towson State's repre-sentatives are: Hoke L. Smith, Hunter, Ewig, and assistant direc-tor of athletics, Nance Reed. Hunter is confident of Towson State's position as a division IAA school and said if improvements in the stadium are made, a buildup of fan clientele is begun, and there is a better student turn-out at-games, then the University will enjoy football and all sports for years to come. Hunter said,""I think we can be very successful as a division IAA football team...That's our niche."" University exchanges with China by Vince Russomanno News editor Towson State University Presi-dent Hoke L. Smith signed an agreement Monday with the Tian-jin Social Science Academy of the People's Republic of China for academic exchange between the two institutions. Since the Tiajin is a research facility, there will be no student exchanges. Faculty will be ex-changed and will collaborate on research projects, said Dean Ess-linger, chair of Faculty Develop-ment. The exchange will affect such areas as business, economics, the social sciences, and the humanit-ites, said Esslinger. The first project outlined in the ""Declaration of Intent"" is a com-parative study of youth in the two nations. ""Each institution will organize interdisciplinary re-search teams, prepare study out-lines and all other procedures re-lated to this cooperative project,"" the declaration said. Delegates representing Tianjin arrived in Towson last Thursday. They have toured classes, had a picnic at Federal Hill, and toured Washington, DC. ""It has been a real mixture of business and plea-sure,"" said Esslinger. Tomorrow, the delegates will be in the Fine Arts Center for the opening of the Tianjin Fine Arts College Faculty Show in the Roberts Art Gallery. Chang Ke Jiu, second secretary of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, said that ""the program shall be very beneficial to both nations to come to a mutual understanding."" Towson State currently has two other ""less comprehensive"" ex-change programs, Esslinger said. ""A sister agreement"" with Xiamen Univeristy in Xiamen,China will allow two students, Jade Jones from Towson State and a student from Loyola, to study there next fall. A faculty member from Xiamen, Gao Pengsheing, will join the Towson State computer science department in the fall. Esslinger and other faculty members departed for Oldenburg University in Germany Tuesday to set up exchange programs with them and will then go to the West London Institute, Etgland, for Higher Education for the same purpose. ""The nice thing about studying in Germany or England is that students pay tuition at Towson State and take classes at the other universities. It is not terribly ex-pensive,"" Esslinger said. photo by David Iiikramond Dr. Karol Borowski shakes hands with Liangjun Fang, vice president and chai-iman of the Tianjin Social Science Academy, sealing the exchange deal as President Hoke Smith looks on. Aronin wins SGA vice presidency by Vince Russomanno News editor Vice presidential candidate Mike Aronin and the three sena-tors running on his ticket, won the Student Government Association Will addresses record crowd by Michael Raymond' Assistant news editor George Will addressed ""Presi- - ential Politics"" to a gathering of Ver 400 Tuesday evening in the esapeake Room. The audience, nspicuously non-student in make- A, was the largest in recent SGA eaker series history. Pulitzer Prize winning colum-ist, This Week with David Brink- Y panelist, and member of the altimore Orioles Board of Direc-ra, mixed his political commen-vy with a bounty of baseball lore, eeping the audience humored for ost of his hour-long speech. opened by commenting, I'm flattered by the fact that you Quid all rather be here tonight an home listening to the Ori-es."" on issues of substance, Will was ear and specific, predicting long-health care as ""the issue of e 90's,"" and detailing three tax !tiustments of the Reagan admi-atration as the factors that will le the next. He was most critical of the Demo-atic Party's nominating process, Nferring to the candidates that sually emerge as, ""magnificently otninatable in March and spec- ""ecularly nonelectable in Novem-et"" Reminded of the fading hopes of his early favorite for the Presid-ency, (Bob Dole), Will declined to make a new prediction. ""Things happen extremely quickly and light-ning can strike anyone,"" he said. photo by Dave Hammond George Will dealt with conservative bashers and supporters alike at Tuesday's speech. elections Tuesday. Aronin captured 424 of the 856 votes, 59 percent, beating BEST candidate Deborah Kane by a margin of 132 votes, according to statistics released by the Election Commission. Chris Krivos, incumbent presi-dent of the SGA, said, ""The vice-president of the SGA has got to make friends before he becomes a leader. I think Mike has made the friends that allowed him to win."" Krivos added that Aronin's ticket worked as a team to insure the win. ""Debates are debates and speeches are speeches, but it comes down to the 14 and 14 [of March]. They [the ticket] stuck together."" Krivos did not see Aronin's membership in a fraternity as ""a major factor"" in the win. Aronin captured 67 votes at the polls in the Newell dining hall where, accord-ing to Krivos, most Greeks would vote. Kane won 49 votes in Newell. Other Greeks did better at the Newell poles. BEST candidate Scott Barrier, it member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, got 98 at Newell. Jon Long, an SAE running unap-posed for treasurer received 98 New-ell votes. Non-Greek candidate Karen Donahue received 82 votes in Newell. Because of a tie for the four-teenth senate position, 15 senators will be inaugurated next month. The three candidates on Aronin's ticket placed in the top seven. Jackie Baker received 424 votes (second), Kieffer Rittenhouse re-ceived 411 votes (fifth), and Dena Stewart picked up 409 votes (sixth). President-elect Vicki Francese, who ran unapposed on the BEST ticket lost two of the senators on her ticket. Rommel Gonzaga was 47 votes short of winning, and Jackie Tibbs was 16 votes short. Francese was unavailable for comment following the election. Senator-elect Donohue said, ""Once you're elected, you stop being separate tickets. We are there to work for the students, and any differences will dissolve."" Senators in order from highest number of votes to lowest are Aneezal Mohamed, Baker, Barrier, Susan Mummey, Rittenhouse, Ste-wart, Kristen Beech, Todd Ma-ttingly, Lori Sears, Donahue, Ste-phanie Kugler, and Oliva Hill. Chris Deaver and Jerry Reed tied for the last position. The new Senate takes office at noon April 1. MCOM conference planned for April by Lisa Zullo News reporter The quality of education at Tow-son State University's Depart-ment of Speech and Mass Com-munication is ranked high by alumni, current students, faculty, and local employers, according to a recent survey conducted by the department in preparation for its ""Successful Careers in Communi-cation"" conference, which will be from 9:30 am to 4 pm, Wednesday, April 6, in the University Union. The fall 1987 survey involved 500 undergraduate and graduate students, 350 alumni, all 60 full-and part-time communication fac-ulty members, and 250 local em-ployers. The survey posed ques-tions concerning the quality of education in the department and job prospects for students who spe-cialize in various fields of com-munication. According to Dr. Mark P. McEl-reath, an assistant professor in the department who conducted the sur-vey, most of the students who par-ticipated agreed that the quality of education is excellent. ""Maybe even of more import-ance is that most of the local employees who hire TSU gradu-ates also agree that the quality of education in the department is ex-cellent,"" McElreath said. According to local employers, job prospects are best for students who specialize in public relations. Next, in terms of job prospects, are journalism, television and radio production, and film. The careers conference will be divided into morning and after-noon sessions, each featuring a panel discussion followed by an ""open house"" with more than 25 communication professionals who will be available to discuss career strategies. For more information, contact Alice Feeney, associate director of Towson State's Career Placement Center, at 321-2226. Correction The University Senate was not involved in the decision to raise academic standards for admission as reported in the March 11 issue. The Towerlight regrets this error. "