The Towerlight, May 16, 1985

tl19850516-000 "Senate shortens add-drop period The University Senate reconvened Monday to finish business for the semester. Start-ing Spring 1986, class space in lab courses from the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CONAMS), will be released for students who don't attend the first two class meetings. Robert Caret, CONAMS dean said, ""If a student is not in lab at the first meeting, they are not given orientation of laboratory safety. It is nearly impossible to reorient any new group of students."" The policy will be limited to CONAMS lab classes and will be adopted for a trial period of two years. Also, the University odd -drop period will be shortened for the 1987-88 academic year. The change of schedule period will last for only six days starting on the second day of classes. The Senate decided consider a recommendation next November permitting faculty to include off-load (evening and summer) teaching at the University in the end of the year report. Controver-sy developed over whether evaluationns for off-load teaching should be included in promotion and tenure decisions. John Van Osdell, history pro-fessor, wanted to know ""why work [that's] not part of the job should count as heavily as work that is part of the job ... we're all supposed to do."" Norma Long, dean of College of Continuing Studies, supported the motion by saying, ""We are a part of the University and feel we should be included in the pro-cedures of the University."" The Senate also approved us-ing Advanced Placement (AP) Tests in the modern language department. The AP test is an achievement test taken in high schools for possible college credit. The University accepts a max-imum of 22 AP credits. Henry Sanborn, econommics professor, opposed the motion. He feels it may encourage students to complete college withou having eno-,;11 academic experience. However, Steven Mister, a sto-dent representative spoke ow for the motion. He said, ""From my past experience, Al' courses are very rigorous. Taking AP credits is the same as transfering them from another college."" In the President's report, Hoke Smith said fall admissions look good. He said although minority enrollment is less than last year, SAT scores of new admissions are up by 20 points. He also said dormitories were filled April 1. Smith said the University has 125 less applicants with SAT scores below 400, but applicants with scores above 400 have in-creased. ""We're getting thc message out to those on the bot-tom they need not apply."" Smith said. �Teresa Graber Forensics honored Towson State's Forensic Team was mentioned as one of the strongest teams in the Cross Ex-amination and Debate Associa-tion (CEDA) along with perennial powerhouses such as UCLA, Weber State College, Brigham Young and Vanderbilt University in a May 8 article in the Chronical of Higher Education. The article compared the inten-sity of a college debate to that of the celebrated final four of the NCAA basketball championship. Brenda Logue, coach of the University Forensics team, was quoted in the article as saying of debate, ""I think to be good ... that has to be the primary focus of your college career. You have to live and breathe ... debate."" Towson debaters are, all too familiar with this quote. Those universities involved with CEDA offer few is any scholarships. This University is one of the institutions that doesn't give debater scholarships The Chronicle said CEDA sets ""out to try to achieve a balance among the use of evidence, com-munication, and augmentation."" CEDA is open to less experienced debaters, and places more em-phasis on persuasiveness and au-dience adaptation, and frowns on ""machine gun delivery"". �Chronicle of Higher Education campus notes Inside Can you pinch an inch? A TSU professor has written a new book on health and diet. Health professor Jack Osman's book Fat, Fut. Fat is featured P.7 Parting shots Exsports editor Bill Gates gives The Towerlight a fond adieu, and a little more griping p 6 Back to Briggs Joe Bob has reached Kansas City, driving his Toronado with a copy of the Bill of Rights in the glove box . . p.14 Liberal Bias Rob Taylor takes advantage of a week when no one can write back p 14 Graduate consortium approved A new cooperative effort in graduate studies has recently been approved by the State Board of Higher Education (SBHE). Two weeks ago, the SBHE ap-proved the Baltimore Graduate Consortium in Foreign Languages and Linguistics, a cooperative effort between Towson State, Morgan State and UMBC. The graduate program will have a common core curriculum of nine credits. Each one of three three-credit courses will be taken at a different University. The common core will save money and course duplication by tap-ping the individual strengths of the three Universities. Materials will also be shared. UMBC will transmit programs to the other two universities via satellite. Morgan and Towson will provide the necessary reception dish and support systems. Morgan will provide the use of its new multi-lingual word processor. All three universities are now accepting students for courses that will start Spring 1986. �State Board of Higher Education Camp..:s Notes are continued on page 2 The Published weekly by the students of Towson State University Vol. 78 No. 28 Towson, Md. 21204 May 16, 1985 Taking a break By lidvins Lagzdins Towson students hit the books with renewed vigor in preparation for finals week. See visuals, page 3. New education plan may come to Towson By Jean Kane The teacher education programs of Maryland public colleges and univer-sities will soon be evaluated by the State Board of Higher Education. Under a program headed by Dr. Sheldon Knorr, State Commissioner of Higher Education, the state will establish three centers that will focus on teacher education by 1988. The new program has been propos-ed as part of a plan to desegrate Maryland's schools of higher educa-tion. According to the Baltimore Sun, the plan was jointly devised by the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education and Maryland higher education officials. Knorr explained that the plan is needed to boost Maryland's teacher education programs. He said that all of Maryland's public post-secondary schools have experienced a decline in enrollment in their teacher prepara-tion courses. The solution to this problem, accor-ding to Knorr, will be the establish-ment of schools with better programs to attract education majors. Concentration of funding into chosen programs may be one way of meeting the goal. Another option may be to set up a transfer program for education majors. This program would send students to just one school or education classes. Announcement of the selected schools is not expected for approx-imately one year, said Knorr. At this point, the plan is in its beginning stages. During the next year, Knorr will talk to all of the schools involved before any decision is made. The method for establishing the centers will be devised during this time period as well. University President Hoke Smith announced the plan to the University Senate on May 6 in order to ""alert them to a potential problem."" Smith said he would prefer that Towson State be chosen as one of the centers. He commented ""Towson State should be one of the schools selected, given our history in teacher education."" With a reputation in teacher educa-tion dating back to when all of its pro-grams were geared toward future teachers, the University could suffer because of the new program. If the University is not chosen to particiapte as one of the centers, it could stand to lose a number of students. Dr. James Binko, Dean of the Col-lege of Education, commented that although he knew very little about the new plan, he ""wouldn't be interested in a plan that excludes us."" 'Silent Scream' draws fire from students By Robert Taylor The New Life Christian Students sponsored a showing of the controver-sial film ""Silent Scream"" in the Lec-ture Hall Tuesday, May 8. The film, which presents pro-life views and shows an abortion, was followed by discussion between group members and other members of the audience. The film showed the viewpoint of a doctor who claimed to have perform-ed many abortions until he realized what really happened to the fetus. The film contained graphic footage of an abortion being performed, including views from within the womb that many pro-choice advocates have derided as indistinguishable. Other parts of the film showed close-ups of what was represented to be aborted fetuses. Critics of the film have claim-ed that these shots in reality show still-born babies. After the film, the audience was ad-dressed by New Life member Ben Koops, a former University student, who said the film was so ""you could get your own opinion of aboriton."" He followed this by describing his experiences as a born again Chris-tian, saying ""Four years ago I became a Christian."" While several people in the audience grew restless, Koops read from the Bible and described New Life's pro-life view- Final Examination Schedule COURSES MEETING ON: COURSE MEETING TIME EXAM DATE EXAM TIME MWF 8:00-850 May 21 1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. MWF 9:00- 9:50 May 24 800 a.m.-1000 am. MWF 1000-10:50 May 21 8:00 am.-1000 am. MWF 11:00-11:50 May 23 1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. MWF 1200-12:50 May 17 800 am.-10:00 am. MWF 100-1:50 May 20 8:00 am.-10:00 am. MWF 2:00- 2:50 May 24 1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. MWF 3:00- 3:50 May 23 10:30 am.-1230 p.m. MWF 4:00- 4:50 May 21 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. TR 800- 8:5018D0- 9:15 May 23 8:00 am.-10:00 TR 9:30-10:45 May 17 1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. TR 1100-11:50/1100-12:15 May 22 100 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. TR 12:30- 1:45 May 20 1.0 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. TR 200- 2:5012:O0' 3:15 May 22 8:00 am.-1000 am. TR 3:30. 4:45 May 17 10:30 a.M.-12:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. and later Last Class Period This is the last issue of the Towerlight for this semester. The Towerlight will resume this Fall on September 5. point. Abortion is ""destroying a life,"" he said. After his brief lecture, several au-dience members questioned the film and the conclusions Koops had drawn from it. ""There's a lot of students who don't accuracy. ""I don't think this film con-tributes to the facts,"" she said. ""When you make moral decisions, you must base them on the facts."" Contrary to what the film implied, abortion is ""not a preferred method"" of birth control, Halpern said. By Joe Crocettn New Life member Ben Koops spoke to a large audience following a showing of the controversial film ""Silent Scream."" agree with him,"" said University stu-dent Meg Nugent after the film. ""I have a lot of doubts about the film."" Fellow student Elina Toole agreed. ""I thought it was very manipulative,"" she said. ""It was propaganda. (The 'Preventing pregnancy is an issue to be dealt with, especially among college students.' -Jane Halpern film) said abortionist instead of doc-tor, child instead of fetus."" Dr. Jane Halpern, Dowell Health Center director, questioned the film's ""Preventing pregnancy is an issue to be dealt with, especially among col-lege students."" She also called the film ""distorted"" and said that it was ""basically propaganda."" New Life member Eric Garrison disagreed, charging that what Halpern and Toole said was ""very un-true."" p Koops attempted to calm some pro-choice members of the audience, ad-mitting that views on abortion dif-fered. ""There's different attitudes about abortion,"" he said. Another audience member agreed with the views of the New Life members, but disagreed with the way in which they presented them. ""You should have discussed the facts and saved the preaching for later,"" the student said. "