The Towerlight, May 13, 1988

tl19880513-000 "laseball wins E CC title Inside Softball Star Find out what life is like on and off the mound for pitcher Kerrin Mohr page 5 The Published weekly by the students of Towson State University .!flight Towson, MD 21204 Index news 1 2 features & entertainment 3 4 sports 5 6 business 6 classifieds 7 8 9 10 editorial 11 perspectives & letters 11 weekwatcher 12 Vol. 81 No. 24 May 13, 1988 Freshman class full Record applications clash with new, higher admissions standards by Sean Brohawn News reporter ""I regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you admission into the fall, 1988 freshman class Towson State University. Al-though you are academically elig-ible for undergraduate admissions consideration, all available space has been offered to earlier, quali-fied applicants whose applications were filed prior to our March 1 deadline. Unfortunately, we are un-able to accomodate any additional new students at this time. Towson State University is experiencing record enrollment, and has re-ceived unprecedented numbers of applications for fall, 1988 ad-mission."" This opening paragraph of a form letter denying admission to Towson State will be read by more applicants to the University for the fall semester than last year at the same time; it is the first tangi-ble success of university officials in their move to cut 20 percent from the entering class size over last year, controlling the current over-enrollment. In addition to .these expected cuts, Towson State will raise ad-missions standards for the spring, 89 semester, as outlined in the March 11, 1988 issue of The Tower-light. The new standard includes r minimum SAT score of 500 math, 500 verbal, and a 3.00 average, for preferred admission status. According to the Director of Ad-mission s , Linda Collins, the changes will ""improve the per-ceived quality of [Towson State],"" thus inproving the value of a Tow. son degree. The Towerlight turned mainly to a different source, how-ever, for an estimation of the effect on prospective Towson applicants. An informal survey of Baltimore County High School guidance counselors was conducted, with twelve schools respinding, includ-ing Dulaney, Loch Raven, and Towson. The survey questions were designed to determine the level of secondary school aware-ness of the recent changes, their effect on prospective Towson stu-dents in the opinions of guidance counselors, and the features that attract or repel students consider-ing Towson State. The counselors were all well-in-formed of the changes. Four out of twelve estimated that dip tight-ened admissions standards would have little or no effect on their stu-dents. Of the eight who expected some impact, only the counselors at Loch Raven and Parkville said the impact would be major. Robert Miller, a counselor at Loch Raven, said, ""[The new stan-dards] have had a big effect on this group,"" referring to applicants for the fall, 1988 semester, ""Towson is a much more selective place."" At Loch Raven, he added, Towson's admissions policy changes have even been mentioned in the school paper. Mr. Petrilli, a counselor at Tow-son High, however, said, ""[The changes] won't have a large effect on our school."" Towson is the se-cond largest supplier of this fall's freshman class in the survey with 81 applicants and 37 offers of ad-mission, according to the Office of Admissions. The features of Towson State that attract students, in the opin-ions of the guidance counselors surveyed are costs, proximity, repu-tation/ academ c program, size, athletic program, and on-campus housing option. Students are dis-couraged from attending Towson because of the proximity and size, according to the counselors, in cases where out of state colleges offer a welcomed home away from home, or the size of Towson is seen as imposing. Fewer students will enter Tow-son this year compared to last year, but again the number of ap-plications has risen. Collins said, ""The chage in admission stand-ards actually encourages applica-tions."" She recognizes the Univer-sity's costs, proximity, and success of graduates as reasons for the increase. photo by Jim Egan ,Towson State's baseball team celebrates its first East Coast Conference title and NCAA tournament, Ibid. See story page 5. Police release by Karen Rae Gatzke News reporter Two hundred and two criminal incidents have been reported to University Police for the months of January, February, March,(April and May have not yet been tabu-lated), compared to 362 criminal incidents reported for the fall sem. ester. ""The trend is pretty much on line. By the time we add up April and May it will be pretty much the same this semester,"" Chief Stephen Murphy said. Twenty arrests have been made so far this semester to the 36 ar-rests made last fall. Thefts make up about half of the crimes reported-92�in addition to destruction of property, and break-ing and entering which are also ranked high. Although students will be leav-ing TSU in one week for summer vacation, Murphy says the police will -be kept busy because of the summer activity. ""It slows down a Minimester to stay by Robert Pattison News reporter After a seven-month study the Continuing Studies committee of the University Senate decided un-animously May 2 to keep the mini-mester, a three-week selection of classes offered in January. Quieting rumors that the Mini-mester would be cut and allow the spring semester to start earlier, the committee's chair, Kathryn L. Merani, said, ""The Senate asked if there was interest in the Minimes-ter,"" promoting a study of its aca-demic benefits which ""no one had investigated...before."" There was not one person on the Senate who asked for this study. The Senate hears rumblings from some sources and over the last few years asked 'why not get rid of the Minimester,"" Merani said. Comparing Towson State with other schools, such as Goucher Col-lege, Johns Hopkins University, Salisbury State College, and the University of Maryland, the 10 member committee found the Uni-versity ""on target"" with the other schools. Merani said the main reason for abolishing the Minimester would be to start the spring semester ear-lier but other colleges which also have the minimester begin and end about the same time. ""Some end later or at the same time. Col-lege Park starts a week earlier and ends a week earlier."" Merani said. Merani also said out-of-state pri-vate colleges require students to take one minimester course for the academic benefits. These colleges usually have the Minimester after the spring semester and just before starting summer classis. Merani said there is a low drop-out rate of the 1,000 students who take courses during the Minimes-ter. ""Most students stay with it ... if they have the time."" The Continuing Studies director of academic affairs, G. Franklin Mullen, said 896 students finished the three-week Minimester for Jan-uary 1988: ""There is usually 900- 1,000 but enrollment has dropped below 1,000 the past two years."" Mullen agrees with Merani that few students drop out or withdraw from Minimester classes. Review-ing the grade roster for January '88 Mullen found most students with a grade from A, B, C, and so bn and very few incompletes or withdrawn. Mullen said 99 percent of the students enrolled are undergrad-uates. While students are limited to one course during the Minimester, they can chose from 96 separate classes, Mullen said. Of these 96 classes 35 are lecture and 61 are independent study classes, of which 6 are travel studies where students keep a daily journal of their trip and write one paper when they return. ""An art student might do a paper on a particular museum he visited or a history student of the country he visi ted,"" Mullen said. Merani said the Minimester be-gan in the early 70's and offers courses that allow students to in-vestigate one field of study in great depth, which is different than what is offered during the two stan-dard semesters and the summer. ""Students are limited to one course ... allowing them to focus on one subject,"" Merani said. ""It is so beneficial ... they [students] can research a subject in depth.' Using 60 questionnaires re-turned from faculty members, Mer-ani said 90 percent were strongly in favor of continuing the Mini-mester. ""People voluntarily wrote com-ments in favor of the Minimester. The faculty were enthusiastic."" ""We have got to get rid of it,"" said dance department chair Dr. Helene Breazeale about the Mini-mester. ""It has out-lived its time."" In 1973-74 Breazeale was a strong supporter of the Minimester when it threatened to be cut. ""I was an advocate for the Minimester since the 70's,"" Breazeale said. But she feels now that the Mini-mester interferes with the depiirt-ment's dance company. Breazeale said her 60 dance majors do not get an �opportunity to practice their skills during the five-week break. She also said students cannot al-ways afford to go to the Minimes-ter which is a ""luxury the majority of students cannot afford."" Breazeale said the dance com-pany has shows starting in Febru-ary and to prepare, students must be put up in the dorms at Univer-sity expense. The money for this ulitmately comes out of students' activity fees. ""Students are the ones who are the real losers."" She also feels the Minimester interferes with her students' abil-ity to get a summer job with theme parks such as King's Dominion. ""If students say on their applica-tion they are not available until mid-May, they don't have a chance"" for these summer jobs. ""Our department is very adam-ant against the Minimester,"" Brea-zeale said, adding that if this deci-sion comes before the University Senate ""we will come in full force"" against it. spring figures little for about two weeks after commencement but that's about it. Summer is not too much of a break for us,"" Murphy said. ""Special groups come on campus to use the dorms which keeps us busy,"" he said. Murphy plans to continue the successful on-going crime preven-tion programs the police have es-tablished. The most effective pro-gram is escort service female stu-dents may use on campus at night. ""The ridership was really up on that this semester,"" Murphy said. ""It went from over several hundred� from the year before to 3402 during February to April. And it almost doubled from last semester,"" he added. Murphy said the escort service ""is providing a convenience of transport and promotes the public safety of students."" Another beneficial program is ""Stop, Walk, and Talk"" in which police officers get feedback from the students about how they feel the police could improve and in what areas the police are suc-cessful. The police also offer free services in engraving personal property and bicycle registration. Murphy said they have gotten much re-sponse from students for these ser-vices and encourages more to take advantage of them. ""People come to college and don't think about being ripped off but unfortunately it does happen,"" Murphy said. Soon after July 1, when the Uni-versity Police receive their auto-nomy, Murphy hopes to be able to recruit police offecers for four posi-tions that have been vacant for almost one year. The police have had to compensate for the vacant positions by,working overtime. Teaching Masters explained by Robert Pattison News reporter The Master of Arts in teaching, approved by the University Senate May 2, is designed primarily for the student who already has a bachelor's of arts or sciences de- ' gree and wants to earn a teaching certificate, said Dr. James Binko, Dean of the college of education. Binko said there are about 150- 160 Towson State students cur-rently taking around 20 credits towards earning a teaching de-gree. ""They are essentially earn-ing a second bachelor's degree."" These students already have one bachelor's degree and the Master's program in teaching is designed to help them get the teaching certifi-cate without having to go through several years of classes. ""Only the 20 best will be in the program,"" Binko said, adding that if the program is successful it may expand. see MASTERS, page 6 ""This is not very practical man-agement,"" Murphy said. ""We are hopeful that we will be able to facil-itate hiring better than in the past,"" he said. POLICE BLOTTER April 28- A purse and contents, valued at $1,200, left unattended, was taken from the University Union. May 1- A wallet and contents val-ued at $76 ws taken from Burdick Hall. The wallet was left unat-tended. May 3- The windscreen on the Tow-sontowne Blvd. tennis courts was cut, valued at $180. May 4- The front grill and bumper of a Pontiac in lot 13 was damaged. Estimated damages are $250. May 5- $1,528 in cash, jewelry and other miscellaneous items were taken whena Tower B dorm room was broken into. May 6- A wallet and contents valued at $62 were taken from the Fine Arts theatre department. May 7- A $120 glass door at the University Union was broken Fees rise to fund garage New construction to cost $6 mil; students will pay ' by Karen Gatzke Lisa Zullo News reporters Parking fees will rise from $39 to $49 for students and proportion-ately from $21 for full-time faculty and staff in the fall to pay for the new parking garage/apartment complex on lot 18 near the Admin-istration Building. The apartment building will ac-comodate about 400 students. The 1,000 space parking garage will be combined into the construction plans. Plans for the new garage are for both student and staff park-ing. Six-million dollars has been set aside for the two-year project and will probably have an approved bid from a contractor by fall 1988. According to Don McCulloh, Vice President for Business and Finance, parking fees may go up about $10 each year and then may jump as high as $80 each year before the increases level off. The current $39 and $21 fees pay for the already existing garage. Towson State University ""will take the ad-ditional money generated to help defray the cost of the first year,"" McCulloh said. Twenty-five years is the allotted time in which Tow-son State has to pay for the garage/complex. ""We very definitely need it. This is the first year that we really were almost out of spaces even at the Towson Center. It will take care of immediate needs and maybe addi-tional levels will be built over exist-ing garages in the future,"" said William Schermerhorn, Associate Vice President for the physical plant and police. The University is aware that temporary parking space will be . necessary. In the past, Towson State has rented parking space in Timonium while busing students to the college, and provided tran-sient housing for students at Gou-cher College. An ad hoc parking committee has recommended the reformation of a permanent committee to deal with these issues. President Smith has already accepted the recom-mendation, and the new commit-tee (consisting of students, staff, and administrators) will be effec-tive as of next year. New Provost Looks Ahead Caret addresses selection process, career plans, future of University by Andy Stauffer News reporter One of the most significant e-vents of the spring semester was the appointment of a new provost for the University. Many students were surprised that the selection process had been proceeding. Few, if any, had at-tended the open forums where they would have the opportunity to ques-tion the nine provost candidates, said Dr. Herbert D. Andrews who led the search committee. April 12 President Hoke Smith appointed Dr. Robert Caret, ending a six-month search and selection pro-cess. Caret called the selection pro-cess ""extremely exhaustive"" and ""extremely fair."" A selection is al-ways a difficult process for a cam-pus because of the tug-of-war among many variables in the selec-tion process, he said. He consid-ered himself a consensus candi-date representing many persons and relating in some way to eve-ryone, he said ""I never planned to become a provost; like I never said in the eigth grade that I said I wanted to be a provost. As life moves along, and opportunities present them-selves, you pick and choose,"" he said. His selection was based on a chemistry with the administration and faculty, and having the right credentials at the right time, he said. According to Caret, it is rela-tionship of variables of the selec-tion that is difficult to understand. ""Once you get through the search and the interview, they get to see you as a person, and then it is almost like how the stars are orien-ted who will get selected. The selec-tion process is that ephemeral."" Caret had been serving as acting provost for 11 months prior to his selection. Joining the faculty in 1974 as an assistant visiting pro-fessor of chemistry, Caret began his administrative rise in the ranks in 1982 when he became Dean of the College of Natural and Mathematic Sciences, where his energies became dedicated more to administrative leadership and less toward chemistry. He said that he had to make a career choice be-tween academics and administra-tion. ""When it became clear that I wanted to move on in administra-see PROVOST, page 2 "