1984-09-20

              The Record

STUDENT PUBLICATION OF ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY

September 20, 1984                  Volume 97                                      Number 8                            Collegeville, MN

SJU faculty votes to keep J-Term

By John Rosengren

The SJU faculty voted to maintain the status quo of January Term last Monday, killing a motion to revise or eliminate JT for the academic year of 1985-6.

The CSB faculty voted at the same time to drop JT from the curriculum.

Both faculties voted seperately on the same motion prepared by a joint committee of the two faculties. The agreement was that if one faculty voted against the first motion to alter or drop JT, then the motion would be defeated.

The joint committee was composed of members from CSB's Educational Priority Committee (EPC) and SJU's Academic Affairs Advisory Council (AAAC). Together, they formulated the motion: That the (CSB or SJU) faculty hereby agrees to choose either the two semester calendar described in A below or the altered January Term described in B below.

Option A was a two semester calendar with the following features:

1.   There will be 72 class days and'4 final exam days per semester. The first semester will begin around Labor Day and end before Christmas. The second semester will begin around mid-January and run To early May.,

2.   Graduation requirements will be increased to 124 credits. Juniors and

. seniors will be allowed to take 18 credits per semester without additional tuition.

3.   A full faculty teaching load will be 6/6ths, or 12 credit hours per semester.

Option B outlined the plan for an altered JT with the features detailed below:

1.   All January Term courses will carry three credits. Graduation requirements will be increased to 132 credits, 12 of which must be earned -in January. Grades will be. assigned in all January Term courses. Each faculty member will determine whether to follow the A/F or S/U grading system.

2.   Courses in January Term will be flex^ ible enough to include offerings

similar to those in the regular semester was well as those traditionally associated with the January Term. Some courses, will be designed for first year students. Departments will be responsible for planning and ' coordinating January Term offerings as they do during the semesters including seeking AAA/EPC review the first time a course is offered.

3. A full-time teaching load will consist of 12 credit hours each semester and a January Term, unless exempted by the respective Academic Dean for such reasons as administrative duties and faculty development projects.

(Both options are worded as the joint AAAC/EPC committee worded them.)

In the discussion preceding the vote at SJU, and in the faculty forum the previous week, faculty members criticized the wording and procedure as being ambiguous. Others felt the implications of altering grades and requirements had not been discussed enough. Issues of lessening the faculty-workload and the effect on the quality of education were also discussed.

Sr. Renee Domeir, OSB, a Spanish teacher at CSB, cited the "uneveness of the faculty load and t-he students' lack of seriousness" as reasons for voting to abolish JT. "Faculty have had an inability to stimulate success and delight in students during January Term," she explained, echoing the opinion of many CSB faculty.

Science teacher Mr. Chuck Rodell who chaired the CSB meeting, added, "Philosophically the faculty is not opposed to the concept, but there is discontent with the current system. There is a lack of commitment in a significant fraction of students"

Dr. David Bennetts, history teacher and chair of the SJU meeting, mentioned the possiblity of JT still being revised for next school year. Were the joint committee to make another motion later this year to alter JT, and both faculties agreed to it, the changed could take place as early as'next year. He did not see this course of action as unlikely.

Dan Forstner helped compile information used in this article.

JFB revises club funding

by Tom Johnson

A conflict between CSB/SJU organizations and the Joint Funding Board (JFB), the committee that allocates money to organizations, has arisen as a result of at least seven organizations spending more than they were allocated last year. According to Bob Martinka, co-chair of the JFB, the following organizations were in debt of the stated amount as of August 31, 1984: Lower Stumpf Lake Review, $170; The Record, S425; Philosophy Club, $55; Math Society, $50; Social Action Coalition, $100; Saints, $82 at the SJU plust other bills. Organizations that overspent by $25 and less will have their debts absorbed. Martinka pointed out that many clubs did not spend^ll

of their allocated amounts and that this leftover money was reabsorbed by the SJS. This total came to approximately $2,500.

When the time came for considering allocations to student organizations this fall, the JFB was forced to decide how to make up the debts that the organizations required. According to Martinka, the first thought was that the debts could simply be absorbed by the SJS. After consideration, the J-FB decided that this plan would only encourage organizations to overspend. However, since many of the organ iza-lions have new leaders, it was felt that these people should not have to suffer as the result

continued on page 3

photo by Julio Ojeda

This 1975 Toyota, driven by Joseph Germscheicl of St. John's, was involved in a head-on collision with a 1973 Ford driven by Linda Lee Allen of St. Cloud at 8:10 p.m. Saturday on County Road 75. Police reports indicate Allen was eastbound on the westbound lane when the cars collided in front of the Midstream Grill and Cone. Germscheid was still in the hospital when this issue went to press recovering from multiple fractures of the leg, but was not listed in serious condition. Passenger Christine Beirne, a CSB student, was treated at St. Cloud Hospital and released.

Greg House gets makeover

By Bob Ziller

The most noticeable thing as you walk through the doorway is a distinct scent. Then your eye catches the sight of the golden wood which is smooth to the touch. And as you walk down the hall or up the stairway, the immaculate condition of the building is impressive.

The Abbey Church? The La.Playette? No, the structure just described is the student dormitory known as Greg House, which underwent renovation this past summer (The scent mentioned earlier was one of recently applied plaster, not ofincense or evaporated beer). The renovation not only altered the appearance of the interior of Greg House but also improved the safety and energy efficiency of the dormitory^

The project, whose, general contractor was Donlar Corporation of St. Paul and whose architects were Pauley & Olscn Associates: Traynor, Hermanson and Hahn of St. Cloud, cost approximately $450,000, which was an overrun of $100,000. Part of the improvement in the energy efficiency of Greg House was attained by the installation of new tightly glazed, aluminum clad windows donated by Scherer Brothers Lumber Company of Minneapolis, a gift of $35,000.

There are various other improvements as a result of the renovation. Among them are new lighting, plumbing and electrical wiring. Also, the stairwells are reconstructed so as to meet fire safety codes, the new doors'are made of red oak wood and are surrounded by steel frames, and the wood floors of the House have been refurnished instead of applying vinyl tile as originally planned.

The rooms of Greg House, a conglomeration of singles, doubles, triples and quadruples, were changed very Httle in terms of structure, but the addition of red oak lofts and desks enhance the appearance and convenience for the residents. Also for the convenience of the residents was the transformation of the basement, which was formerly used for student housing, into a lounge and kitchenette.

The construction on Greg House began May 24 and was running on a tight schedule throughout the summer. When it appeared that the project might not be finished in time to ac-comodate the arriving students in the fall, James Tingerthall, O.S.B., informed the construction workers that the students would have to live with them for the first weeks of school. Needless to say, the rooms were in fine condition by September 1st,