The Towerlight, March 5, 1987

tl19870305-000 "Inside B-ball update East Coast Conference tour-nament preview page 3. The adl Published weekly by the students of Towson State University �ght Towson. MD 21204 Index 111,W8 I, 11 14 ports 3 4 features & entertainment 5, 6 classifieds 2 7,8, 9 editorial 10 letters to the editor 10 weekwatcher 12 01. 80 No. 19 niversity Senate ooks at advising by Robert Pattison News reporter Towson State's University Seri-te held its sixth meeting of the 986-87 academic school year at 4 1)fli Monday in University Union room 314. The agenda for the meeting con-ined five motions, of which tf umber four was the most in- ,tensely debated. This motion said; Pro approve the following policy requiring academic advising of all degree candidates prior to on-line registration."" This motion contains four parts: that all degree candidates must receive academic advising before they are permitted to register; that all Colleges/Schools and Depart- Ments develop programs and pro-cedures to prepare faculty and Other advisors for on-line registra-tion; that all advising programs be consistent with the ""University Policy on Academic Advising,"" as aPproved by the Senate (Faculty ?landbook, Appendix Q); that each Program be supervised by the re-aPective College/School advising coordinator. The senators raised the question ss to how the student proves that he has, in fact, seen an advisor. Each department must deter-taine what it considers to be proof, Perhaps in the form of a ""docu- Lnent of proof,"" the senators said, the exact nature of this document Would be left up to each depart- It en t, William Reuling of the regis-trar's office suggested using the course request form that eadi stu-dent will receive for registration. However, the senators said it V 8 not their job to discuss proce-dures, only to decide on University Policy. The need for a program for tforrnal advising should be estab-lished for each College, the sena-tors added. Dean Sam Barone of the School ;If Business and Economics said 'ha departmaithasdeveloped a pro-gram that provides advising for �ltudents in a general nature. ecause there are too many stu-dentsto allow each one a personal advising interview, his depart-ment's program is aimed at the student body as a group. Barone said that as many as one-half of the students working towards a business major have not formally declared the major, nor have they selected an advisor. This program will force the student to declare the major and receive the benefit of formal advising. Because each department does not have to deal with advising all students in their respective col-leges, the senators did not accept Motion five with the present amendments. Professor Jones proposed a sub-stitute motion that cleared up the controversy over what the motion is trying to say. Jones' proposal said: 1. The University requires degree candidates receive approp-riate academic advising prior to registration. 2. Each college or school will establish a program for providing appropriate academic advising. 3. These programs will be con-sistent with the faculty handbook (Appendix Q). 4. Each program will be super-vised by the respective College/ School advising coordinator. The Senate voted on this amend-ment to Motion five. It passed, 18-0. This amendment also cleared up the issue over what students who have not seen an advisor should do to register. The change does not prevent students who have not seen and advisor from registering, but simply encourages them to seek out an advisor. The senators also voted to have any program and procedure for mandatory advising' be returned to the Senate for review. This will allow the Senate to ""keep in touch"" with what the departments are doing about creating programs to help advise students. Motion four dealt with teacher evaluations for Graduate and Con-tinuing Studies classes and classes taught during the summer session. The motion does not say how classes that have only one student, See, MOTIONS, page 11 Chris Krivos (left) and Mike Burton (right), candidates for SGA President in next week's election, debated in the University Union Monday. Students to vote next week News report Students will get to vote Monday and Tuesday for the people they feel will best serve their needs as Student Government Senate mem-bers for the next year. Both tickets, the US (Unlimited Service) headed by Chris Krivos, Jeff Rinaca and Vicki Frances� and the BASIC (Basic Govern-ment) ticket headed by Mike Bur-ton, Brian McKenna and Mike Ertel are running with similar plat-forms, different words but very similar ideas. The US ticket plans to 1) im-prove student awareness and wel-fare, 2) foster a better recognition of student rights and responsibi-lites, and 3) responsibly fulfill the responsibilities of self-govern-ment. The BASIC ticket plans to 1) move back to a basic government, 20 listen to the student voice, and 3) strengthen organizational development. Highlights of the BASIC ticket College Republicans rally against NFZ issue by Vince Russomanno Weektvatcher editor In response to the referendum PPearing on next week's ballot for 'ltudent Government to mak e Tow-a State University a Nuclear tree Zone by the Students To-gether Against Nuclear Destruc-tion, the College Republicans have ""rlianIzed a campaign to rally students against it. ""It is not just about nuclear eapons on campus,"" explains Casey, President of the ollege Republicans, ""Towson is �rYing to raise itself as an edu- Fational institution and a thing ?,ke this could stagnate research in 'he sciences and weaken these ef-forts:, The College Republicans are al- 80 concerned about the financial ,48Pect of becoming a Nuclear Free ,40ne. ""If this referendum went hrough, the University would be that to divest from companies 'hat have investments in nuclear research,"" added Casey. These companies include: IBM, General Motors, AT&T and GTE. ""These companies provide a ihaior source of phones, vehicles, FhPiers and computer software. By mflicting social values, pur-chases may be more expen-ive and of lesser quality."" said Bey. Part of the College Republicans' campaign has been to contact the Fompanies that would be affected cY the Nuclear Free Zone issue, according to Casey. The College Republicans are plan- 'ling to inform students, through uNrers and banners, about the ref-erendum, its negative effects on t,he campus and the lack of nuclear hazamis on this campus, ac-cording to Terrence Casey, project officer of the Anti-NFZ campaign. According to Dr. Gerald Robin Son, Radiation Safety Officer of the biology department, ""There is Et big difference between large- Scale nuclear research and the type of research done here with iso- ""Any isotopes, we use are in tiny amounts. You can't compare it to nuclear weapons research."" The bulk of studies involving radio-active isotopes deal with tracer experiments, said Robinson. These involve tracing a small radio-active isotope through the body of an animal and viewing the specific actions of certain cells. For ex-ample a current study of Dr. Rob-inson's involves the crab and how it exchanges salt with its environ-ment. The banning of nuclear radio-active isotopes ""would stop my re-search completely and that would be a shame because what I am doing is completely safe,"" said Dr. Robinson. According to Robinson, radio-active chemicals are used only the strictest regulations set by the state government. ""We had to aquire a license from the state out-lining to purchase and use radio-active materials, it outlines what isotopes we are allowed to have and how much we are allowed to have."" ""Every aspect of their use is carefully controlled by kthe state government,"" said Robinson. The license also sets strict stan-dards of' use stating by name who can use the chemicala.and in what room they can be ueed.Five rooms have been allotted for isotope ex-periments. Towson aquired its lic-ense in 1978, according to Robin-son. As a safety officer, Robinson is required to make a survey of the lab using a giger counter to check for spilled isotopes and to wash over tables with a special filter paper to pick up any spillages that might have occurred. An additional safety precaution involves the film badges worn by the experimentors using the iso-topes. At certain levels of radio-activity film will be exposed. Never has there been a level high enough to even minutely affect the film, said Robinson. ""We are exposed to radio activity all the time through sources we cannot control. It comes through and some exists within the human body in the form of Potassium 40,'' said Robinson. ""The amount of rayon collecting in residential basements presents a much greater problem that that of the experiments on this cam-pus,"" concluded Robinson. platform include putting more ot the social programs--the Rath-skeller, the Movie Series--in the hands of the Student Activities Board to allow the Senators listen more to the students they repres-ent; listening to the student voice with regard to issue and questions through the use of Open Houses and suggestions boxes and the ticket, which is ocmprised of Sena-tors from almost every campus organization; and attempting to strengthen enrollment, leadership development nad parliamentary procedure within each organiza-tion on campus. Highlights of the US ticket plat-form include letting students know about what jobs students from Towson State get, scholarships available, and SGA and Univer-sity policies and procedures and who creates them, an all the stu-dent organizations available to stu-dents; conducting formal polls to determine student sentiments towards SGA issues, open office hours where senators will be avail-able and accessable to students; formalization of the Buddy Sys-tem which will pair a faculty mem-ber with each senator; and instil-ling more responsibility on the Dir-ector of Organizational Advance-ment including workshops for sen-ators, and the creation of a Student Directory; and developing a town meeting approach to SGA meet-ings held outside to accomodate more students and a Town Crier to bellow out bills for vote and events coming up. March 5, 1987 SGA allocates $6,250 to 3 groups by Doug Wood News reporter Six bills were passed during Towson State University Student Government Association Senate Meeting. A heated debate centered around Senate Bill 1986-87 #22, which pro-posed an allocation of $2300 to the Black Student Union (BSU) for a band, disc jockey and bus trip to New York City. The bill had origi-nally been tabled, but was brought to the floor after several members of the BSU expressed an urgent need for its passage. The BSU has presently only $491 in its treasury, down from $3500 at the start of last semester. At the meeting, Senator Mike Burton said, ""The [BSU] has had a hard time with fundraisers this year. They had problems with stu-dent participation and people not showing up. Their general account is very low. At the end of the year they're going to have a parent's banquet and fashion show. They're also having two more dan-ces, but they're not sure what kind of fundraiser they will get out of that... The name of the BSU needs to be improved. By having func-tions such as these, they'll be able to get some type of name recogni-tion. They'll be able to get speakers here on campus and they'll be able to do more."" Several senators opposed giving such a large amount of money to the BSU, Senator Dale Graham said, ""If we pass this bill as it stands, we will be giving the BSU $4354.70 for the entire semester. It's an awful lot of money for social activities. The BSU is important, they have a very important cultu-ral Significhnce on campus. Unfor-tunately, a lot of the BSU members feel that they cannot take part in activities such as the Potpourri and Saturday Night Live because these activities are not culturally encouraging to them. Maybe we need to look at that at some other time. Perhaps we can get bands in there that they feel they can partic-ipate in so we don't have to dole out money so they can have separate dances."" Representing the BSU were Presi-dent Paul Gray and Vice President Vernon Morrow. ""We were asked about social activities,whygan't black students participate in the Potpourri and Saturday Night Live. The same point that has to be understood is why white students don't support black events also. Because it's just not appealing. The reason why were having these events is so we can destroy some of the problems of apathy by some of the black stu-dents and possibly some of the Black stars discuss media roles by Denise Smith News reporter An increased necessity for black professional role models in the mass communications field, cou-pled with their expertise and know-ledge, outlined the agenda for Thursday evening's symposium at Towson State University Van Bokkelen Hall. The symposium, where black pro-fessionals frorn the radio and tele-vision industry met, was geared toward disbursing guidance to the University students interested in pursuing careers in the mass media. The panelists included Earnest Winborne, programming producer at WJZ-TV 13; Burt Bailey, pro-gram director of WI/JY in Wash-ington; Robin Reynolds of WWIN-AM; and Veta Smith of the National Black Media Coalition. ""To have a career in radio or television is very rewarding and challenging; it takes hard work, effort, time and devotion because of the competitive aspect involv-ed,"" Reynolds said, Reynolds stressed the impor-tance of students seeking media-related positions of market their skills and experience effectively. ""Sell yourself like you are a pro-duct on the shelf,"" Reynolds said. She also said background know-ledge of a person's particular area of interest should be reflected in a resume. ""Programming is my specialty; I believe in passing on and sharing 111Y knowledie with keot"" who are interested in radio careers,"" said Bailey. Bailey added that often people desiring careers in radio or tele-vision ae advised to seek employ-ment2a small markets before tack-ling the c ompetitivepositions of a major market. ""The battle is never lost as far as blacks are concerned in the media industry, although we often get discouraged and frustrated when job-hunting,"" Bailey commented. Winborne encouraged students to obtain internships. He said that flexibility is important in order to get the first foot in the door and later advance to higher positions. ""If you are interested in getting a job, one thing to keep in mind is that Baltimore is a large metro-politan area and the chances of gaining employment right out of college are slim,"" explained Winborne. He stated that most stations are looking for seasoned profes-sionals; therefore, college grad-uates may want to seek employ-ment in smaller markets such as Huntsville, Alabama, or Rich-mond, Virginia in order to gain the 'hands on' experience needed. Winborne added that there are numerous behind the scenes jobs available for persons willing to dedicate their skills and know-ledge to production aspect of television. ""The production department which consists of the tv camera, lights, sets, audio and character generator operators are the back- �Alpeof televisioi2;� Winborne com-mented, ""if you enjoy the 'behind the scenes' aspect of television, that is a good area to pursue."" He stated that there are many important aspects of news as op-posed to just being on the air. In addition to the reporters and anchors in the news department, Winborne pointed out that there are such positions as assignment editors, copywriters, prodUcers, associate producers, directors, photographers a team of people who produce the 30 minute and 60 minute newscast. Winborne acknowledged that the stepping stone to becoming a successful television producer includes creativity, the ability to communicate effectively, knowing what interests the public, and efficient writing skills. The panelists concurred that making contacts with profes-sionals during internships and establishing relationships with persons in the media can aid in getting that first media job. ""Follow-up ana pursuing the status of resumes are vital to let the employer know that you are still interested in the job,"" Reynolds said. The panelists appeared to have left TSU students with encour-aging words of wisdom and the determination to succeed in the media world. Mahogany Magazine, the Office of Minority Affairs and the Speech and Mass Communication Denext-ment sponsored the symposium entitled ""Black Issues in the Media."" other students, whether it be other races or whatever the situation may be as far as racial boundaries are concerned,"" said Morrow. ""The reason is to generate support and generate some kind of out come to these events and get people involved. By getting them in there, the name of the BSU will be registered in their minds. As for the speaker ser-ies, Gray is trying to arrange for one of the presidents of the NAACP in this area to come and speak. Things of that nature can more support-that's why we're having these events."" he continued. Senator Joe Little asked why the i3SU had not done any fundraising to support its account. ""You told us that every dime has to be spent, including our general account, which means we have to come to you today so we can get more funds to do the fundraising. We don't have the money to start anything. We have been using our money for events on campus. We started our account with $3500 and we are now down to $491. Now we just need to start it again,"" said Morrow. ""I realize that you don't have that much money, but I don't understand why you don't do any fundraising at all. You can't always have giant fundraisers, you can have smaller ones, from which, in turn, you get a little bit of money to move up to larger fun-draisers,"" said Little. ""Last semester we spent a lot of money on homecoming. We spent a lot of money to try and make some-thing successful. And we received good feedback from the students who were directly involved with us, We have been having fundrais-ers. We had a dance this semester which was successful--we made $384. This is probably the biggest dance so far that any black organ-ization has held on this campus. Donut sales and bagel sales don't add up to much. You can't have a car wash when it's 20 degrees with snow on the ground. We're trying, that's one thing you have to under-stand, it's not like we're just lean-ing on you to get money,"" Morrow said. Most senators agreed with the funding for the band and disc jockey but felt that the bus trip was unnecessary. See SGA, page 11 Freshmen asked to fill out survey by Robert M. Graham News editor Towson State University fresh-men and new transfer students will be receiving by mail this week a questionaire designed to gather data for research on the impact of college on students. Another copy of the survey will ' be sent to the same students each spring for the next three years, said Dr. Samuel Helms, director of the Institutional Research Office. Most research departments ask students to complete the survey, an eight-page scantron questionaire, called the College Experience, only once, said Helms. He said by asking students to complete the same survey every spring for four years will help to ""determine certain groups of stu-dents and follow them through their whole college careers."" The results will show the impact of the college experience on stu-dents from beginning to gradua-tion and changes within those years in each student's interests, concerns, and activities. One side effect of completing the questionaire, Helms said, is that students think about what they have done and thought during their college years. Other re-searchers who have used the study report that students enjoy filling the survey out, he said. Helms addeck that his research will be more effective if more responses are sent back to him. He said the results will help to determine student needs during their college years. ""If anything is publishable, we will publish the results,"" Helms said. The same type of survey will begin in the spring of 1988 for that year's freshmen and transfer students. "