The Towerlight, October 24, 1975

tl19751024-000 "Inequality in activity fees disclosed by Towerlight by Mary Worobec ""Evening and part-time students not paying activity fees should not be getting the benefits of those fees,"" says Mike Hill, chairman of the College Affairs Committee of the Student Government Association. The 6000 part-time students at TSC now receive the same benefits as full-time students. The only dif-ference is that part-time students, those carrying less than 12 credits, pay no activity fee for these services. The full-time students pay $77.00 each year. This inequality was uncovered when the Towerlight began to in-vestigate the current SGA attempt to incorporate the evening and part-time students into SGA and ""increase their participation in college affairs and activities."" Operates on assumption SGA has been operating under the assumption that the 6000 part-time students were excluded from membership, office-holding and Participation in SGA funded ac-tivities. In the words of one SGA senator, ""They can't hold office, vote can't and can't go to the Speakers Series for free."" The Speakers Series seems to be a large part of the problem because tickets are so scarce. Tickets are ""only free to full-time students because it's funded by SGA"" says the same SGA spokesman. The. SGA receives about $45.00 of the $77.00 the full-time student pays each year. It then uses that money to sponsor various organizations and activities, including the Speakers Series. Yet a check with Richard Metz, College Center operations manager, confirms that tickets to all SGA funded activities, including the much- in-demand Speakers Series, go to anyone with a valid TSC student I.D. card. He says, ""If you have an I.D. card, no distinction hac ever been made (between full and part-time students)."" A check with three employees at that box office showed that they gave tickets to both full and part-time students. Questionnaire given SGA has recently been giving a - questionnaire to evening students to determine their interest in ""being incorporated"" into the organization. David Nevins, president of SGA, has been behind the push to bring part-time students into the SGA fold, a move which would eventually include ""a minimal activity fee to be paid by each student,"" according to Senate Bill #16 now under, consideration. But when Mike Hill was informed that the part-time student would gain nothing because he already has the benefits of SGA membership without paying a fee, he responded that he ""feels the SGA will then have to exclude them."" Conflicts exist Many part-time students are now members of SGA sponsored organizations, especially day students who only attend part-time. Hill does not know how SGA will remove such students and, in fact, no one in SGA even knew the conflict existed. Hill said Nevins also feels that ""evening and part-time students not paying activity fees should not be getting the benefits."" Yet Dr. Michael Murphy, Dean of Evening and Summer College, said he does not like the idea of the student senate deciding to incorporate the part-time students without it least some positive input from them. ""That sounds like taxation without representation. You know there was a revolution over that. The move would be ill-advised without thorough study. Maybe an alternative would be a voluntary fee for evening students."" Students ousted It is almost certain that there will be some change in the status of part-time students. SGA wants them excluded from its activities since they pay no activity fee. The full-time fee-paying students, who compete for tickets to limited-admission activities, probably agree. Dr. Murphy dislikes assessing a fee, especially since ""We don't even know what their needs are"" or if they benefit from or use the activities of SGA. Imbalance cited Before the imbalance in fees was discovered, SGA had already made the firsrmdve to get funds to be used to benefit evening students. A few weeks ago Nevins asked Dr. Murphy Free checking offered by F. Stefano The First National Bank of Maryland is setting up free checking here at Towson, according to Wayne Schelle, Vice President of Business and Finance. Mr. Schelle points out that First National is first setting up free checking, but eventually they might have a full bank here, with all banking services. ""They want a full system bank,"" says Mr. Schelle, ""and at first I was going to immediately negotiate with them. However, in the best interests of the college, I'm sending out letters to all major area banks, asking if they would be interested. ""I thought of this five years ago, but when I approached the banks they all declined."" Mr. Schelle points out the tremendous customer potential here at T. S. C., saying that most people continue with the first bank they ever started with. If all goes well, the free checking will be here soon, and next semester will bring T. S. C. a branch bank. to give SGA $750 to prorae�ihe Towerlight to evening students. Dr. Murphy responded to the request with a memorandum to Nevins asking that SGA ""make certain the extra Towerlights ac-tually go to evening students"" by putting them out weekday evenings just before evening students arrive for classes. He also asked for a Towerlight column devoted to evening and part-time students. On Wednesday he told Towerlight ""I have received no response from SGA."" The extra Towerlights have been printed and supplied for the last few weeks, according to a Towerlight spokesman. But Dr. Murphy says he has not paid out any money or even given approval to the plan. LXVIII, NO. 8 tOWSON STATE COLLEGE OCTOBER 24, 1975 Food prices compare to other schools: Suter John Suter TL photo by Kathy Dudek Speakers' Series Tickets Just a reminder that Cmdr. Lloyd Bucher will apear at 8:00 p.m. this evening in Stephens Auditorium. Also, tickets for the November 7th appearance of Masters and Johnson are on sale today (free to students, faculty, and staff). PR director Steve Schaffer quits by Steve Verch Citing ""egocentric individuals who are out for glory and self- pr d eservation at the expense of those edicated to student government, �Mee of Public Relations Director Steven S. Schaffer announced that he would tender his resignation today, etfective Friday, October 31, 1975. Without being specific, Schaffer added that these individuals ""are well-known in the SGA and are in the high.power circles"" of the or ganization. Schaffer said the motivation for b his action was a personality conflict etween himself and what he termed the harmful elite"" of the Student Government Association. th These people do things for emselves to make them look good and not for the good of the students,"" said Schaffer. Having worked all summer and the first part of this semester to Promote a more favorable student image in the past few weeks, he experienced ""complete disillusion- ent with the student government in its present form."" ""As a public relations director, I asked myself why students viewed the SGA executives as an elite removed and unresponsive to their needs. ""I realized later that the students' view is a correct one,"" he said. Schaffer gave two reasons for this view. He said that the SGA executives had ""sealed themselves off from the students, and that their attitude is not one of wanting to be responsive to student demands, but rather more interested in them- selves."" ""Such an attitude,"" he noted, makes any public relations attempt On my part useless."" It was this attitude which caused the personality-conflict that has Steve Schaffer resulted in his resignation, according to Schaffer, who labels himself as student government idealist. ""The concept of student govern-ment is a great one, and it has great potential. I'm sorry it has come to this. ""I would like to continue here when Ann Marie Lowe becomes SGA President, but as things stand now, a new administration is necessary to change the present attitude on the part of the SGA executives,"" he commented. While he added that there have been some attempts to respond to student demands through the Student Action Service and the Senate, it has not been enough: ""I think we need new faces and new government, since student government is only as good as the students within it."" While he is adamant about resigning, Schaffer said he will remain involved with his duties as director until October 31. ""There is still much work to do on the Dance Marathon and with the Special Research Project,"" he noted. Schaffer explained that after he leaves the SGA, he hopes to take a more active role in the Towson radio station, WCVT-AM. ""I've already spoken with Mark Silvert, the business manager, and I will probably be working in some way with the station's public relations,"" said Schaffer. Though he stated he would be available to answer any questions about his office after his resignation took effect, he left little doubt as to his feelings: ""I would like to disassociate myself from the SGA officers."" by Bill Stetka The SGA and Food Services are in the midst of conducting separate surveys to evaluate the prices and quality of food served at Towson State. John Suter, Director of Auxiliary Services, says food prices at Towson are comparable to other area colleges, citing examples taken from his survey of local schools and area eating establishments. Students are not using food coupons as fast as they should be, Suter says, indicating the coupons have ""more purchasing power than people realize."" Mike Hill, chairman of the SGA's College Affairs Committee, says his committee has not completed its survey, but that most responses criticize Food Services' prices. Hill says the committee is investigating quality, prices and service and will ultimately decide whether it thinks the coupon system should be kept or disposed. Suter commented that the coupon system puts a greater burden on Food Services' personnel, but it was implemented to ""give the students more flexibility in buying."" ""Our old plan worked well for students, but it gave no flexibility,"" said Suter. ""Residents were forced to eat at Newell and had to walk there for all of their meals. Now they have a choice of where to eat."" Suter is hopeful the present system will be retained even when Newell Hall renovations are com-pleted for next fall. ""We'll even have a snack bar in the new Ed-Psych complex. It will save students and staff an awful lot of walking between classes,"" said Suter. In answering complaints about the high costs of food, Suter says area colleges are slightly higher, based on a 15 meal plan like Towson. The same plan at Goucher costs $400, at Hopkins $455, and at the University of Maryland - College Park, $350. Towson's coupon system, based on the 15 meal plan, costs $355 a semester. ""There was so much wasted, edible food, it was ridiculous,"" Suter says of past years at Newell Hall. ""If a savings in waste is realized, the cost of meals won't rise like they have. We felt a possible savings of $50,000 in food waste under the coupon system,"" Suter says. The addition of extra cashiers has cut into that savings some, as well as the new existence of the program. Suter admits there are still several things that have to be worked out. Hill says that Food Services has 300 student workers, an increase of 29�/o over last year, to help with the overload in the cafeterias. ""We don't make any extra money off this,"" Suter says. ""All the money we generate goes back to the students in the form of student help and renovations."" ""We never are successful with the cafeteria, but this year the Special Dining room looks good and the Pub has been very successful,"" he says. Suter is hopeful of keeping the Newell snack bar open to evening students next fall, and is looking into other ideas which could be beneficial to students. ""I don't think we could operate without the coupon system this semester,"" Suter says, ""with residents and commuters eating together."" ""We're not locked into anything.. .even the coupon system,"" he says. ""If enough students don't like it, we'll change. But a lot of good things go down the tubes with it."" TL photo by Kathy Dudek GRE exams Dec. 13 Anyone interested in taking the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) on December 13, 1975 is advised that the final postmark date for requests for supplementary test centers. Monday administrations, or arrangements for the handicapped is October 30, 1975. The last postmark date for registration forms without the $4.00 late fee is November 12, 1975. For further iniormation and GRE applications, see Dr. Edwin F. Sasaki, Academic Systems Research Director, in room 128 of the Ad-ministration Building. University status still alive by T. F. Troy, Jr. Governor Mandel's veto of university status for Towson State may be overridden by the Maryland General Assembly soon if TSU promoters keep up their lobbying efforts in Annapolis, and if TSU backers write their Senators and Representatives, demonstrating support, Ann Marie Lowe, vice president of SGA, told the SGA Senate on Tuesday. The General Assembly had passed the bill authorizing university status, but in a surprise move, Mandel vetoed it, jolting many people who had felt confident he would sign it. Ever since the veto, university status-seekers have been engaged in intense lobbying to persuade the House to override it. Said Ms. Lowe, ""There may be success if the politicking continues."" Last week they met with John Hanson Briscoe, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, to plead their cause, and Briscoe says that he has pledged his support for veto override. Tuesday morning they spoke to Senators Jim Simpson and Homer White of the Finance Committee, both of whom have consistently backed Mandel's veto. However, they indicated they might be prevailed upon to switch sides if a certain fiscal note that was attached to the bill was changed. (The note deals with the added cost of making Towson a university and estimated this extra expenditure at $750 per pupil, a sum which is now agreed to be Mac-curate.) Ms. Lowe said, ""I am personally optimistic by the responses of the Assembly members we have talked to, but political considerations will tell all."" She did not elaborate on the nature of these ""political con-siderations."" She also urgently encouraged students and faculty to write their Congressmen and express their support of the bill. Included in her talk before the SGA Senate, she said, ""The Faculty Grant Selection Committee is working diligently to make a determination of the ten faculty members who will be awarded the $250 grant."" Mike Hill, Chairman of the College Affairs Committee, gave a progress report on his committee's in-vestigation in Food Services. The people to whom he talked were John Suter, director of auxiliary services; Terry Smith, director of food services; and Chuck Kellogg, assistant director of food services. Mr. Suter said they were en-countering some slight problems in coupon usage because food prices are actually lower than the planners expected they would be. As a result, students are using less meal coupons and consequently will finish out the year with a useless surplus of coupons, a state of affairs Hill termed ""horrible."" Although Suter had said prices were lower than predicted, Hill still felt an explanation was due for what seemed rather expensive meals. Suter replied that food can't be sold at purchase cost because other costs are incurred in the operation of a cafeteria. Hill quoted some of Suter's statistics: 45�/o of the total cost went to purchase food; 45-50% 4:4,f the total cost went to hire help; and the remaining 5-100/o went to miscellaneous overhead. Mr. Suter further illustrated the expansion in costs by noting that the College Center has had to hire 29% more help than Newell did last semester due to student demands for faster service. He added that while some prices seem high; i.e., 15c for a slice of tomato and cheese, 25c for a 12 oz. Coke, they are held high to absorb the losses on cheaper-than-cost foods, such as steak. Hill said he wanted to assure the administration and the students that ""we are absolutely positive in our approach. Our desire is to help the administration in becoming more efficient, and to aid the students. However, our primary goal has to be to serve the students."" He told the Senators to expect the completed report in about three weeks, and some definite legislation proposals and requests to the ad-ministration in about a month. Among his proposals will be an SGA-run coupon exchange, an inquiry into getting local merchants to accept the coupons with guaranteed SGA reimbursement, and a plan for a, graduated coupon system � where students could choose the number of coupons they would like to purchase, similar to the meal plans of last year. The committee is currently meeting on Thursdays in Room 216 of the College Center at 4 p.m. "