Columbia Chronicle (11/09/1998) Columbia College Chicago
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Columbia College Chicago Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago Columbia Chronicle College Publications 11-9-1998 Columbia Chronicle (11/09/1998) Columbia College Chicago Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.colum.edu/cadc_chronicle Part of the Journalism Studies Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Columbia College Chicago, "Columbia Chronicle (11/9/1998)" (November 9, 1998). Columbia Chronicle, College Publications, College Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago. http://digitalcommons.colum.edu/cadc_chronicle/430 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. It has been accepted for inclusion in Columbia Chronicle by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. CtE VOLUME 32, NUMBER 7 COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO NOVEMBER 9, 1998 CHICAGO '¥ ~~ Freshman Assessment U·Pass rejected again Program gives new students By Benjamin Trecroci would benefit the majority of the students. Execulive T0ilor The main issue is money and this is the rea son Columbia doesn't want to pick up the a push in the right direction Columbia administ rators have rejected the program," said Munoz. Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) U-Pass Columbia is exploring the idea of having a By Bruno Vander Velde program last week for the second time in six 'pi lot' U-Pass program, in which only stu- Copy Editor months, sparking a student backlash includ- dents who wanted the pass would pay for it, ing a proposed student protest. although the price would be more than the The Freshman Assessment Program has been utilizing a unique computer pro The U-Pass would provide full-time stu- previous $60 fee. gram and an ultra-friendly environment to add to its reputation as one of the most dents with unlimited rides on CTA trains and According to the Dean's office, not helpful student-oriented programs at Columbia. buses. enough students This program assesses incoming freshmen and transfer students with fewer than 15 Aecording to a letter ..----- ------..,..-----..,... rcsponscd to a su r- credit hours, according to Ly nn Levy, the Freshman Assessment Manager. She (See page 4), from the vey early in the emphasized that the tests administered arc not pass/fail entrance exams (Columbia Dean of Students, Jean semester to see if has an open-admissions policy), but instead arc used to place students in appropriate Lightfoot Lee, the such a program class levels based on their scores. sticking point rcma)ns would be beneficial. "Many times, students don't co me here asking, 'do I have to take this test' but the $60 fcc per scmes- Only 277 students instead 'when can I take it'," Levy said, noting the nervous anticipation of class tcr the school would responded to the placement by newer studen ts. The test is cal led Compass, and in many ways, this assess to each full-time survey. "We need at unique computerized test is very much like a compass. student no matter if least 60 percent of The multiple-choice test has three parts-reading, 'riling, and 'rithmctic-and is they usc the CTA or the college to feel taken exclusively via computer. The program leads students on to different problems not. comfortable about based on their previous answers. Therefore, not all tests taken by a given number of The lcttc( lists the picking up the pro- students contain the same questions; instead, they are based on the students' per results of a survey that gram," she said. ceived strengths from their answers as compiled by the computer. was published in The Students charged Levy said that the assessment process saves new students time and worry and Chronicle on Oct. 5. In that the survey was- offers them not only placement opportunities, but also advice in a number of differ the survey in which n't well publicized ent fields. In a startling example of interoffice collaboration, Levy noted that the 277 students respond- and the medium that freshman assessment program works closely with Freshman Orientation as well as cd, only 12 students was used didn' t advisors from every academic department and most administrative departments, were not in favor of the allow for all stu- including Financial Aid, Academic Advising, Housing, and Student Support U-Pass. According to dents to get the Services, among others. "I've done plenty of advising myself," said L evy. school officials, a information. The Levy has been the Freshman Assessment Manager since August 1997 and has questionnaire will be Deans's Office say been teaching public speak ing classes at Columbia for two years. " Being a teacher given to students dur- that they're plan- and a tutor myself, I get a chance to see these struggles firsthand," she said. Placing ing early- registration ning another survey certain students in general classes (English Composition I, for example) where they for spring '99 semester. and perhaps a mass struggle instead of putting them into developmental See Freshman page 2 Depending on the ou t- mailing to attempt classes (hkc lntro to College Wntmg) where they • come of the. question- to get a greater nairc, school officials reaction from the will determine whether students. to take part in the pro- L. ...............................................................................................· ... .l But time may Fischetti Competition honors the gram. not be on the side of The proposed protest anchored by student, the college. Columbia missed the deadline in Aaron Munoz will take place on Friday, Nov. late October to get the U-Pass program on best of a different breed 13 on the fifth noor Of the 600 S. Michigan board for the spring semester. " We arc trying By Kelly M. Woyan on the tai I of the plane. The awardccs building. now to sec if we can get an ex tension for the Staff Writer were chosen from 300 cartoons. "The purpose of the rally is to bring the Spring." When the paper went to press, CTA Higgins said the best editorial car students together to show the administration U-Pass coordinator Calvin Pete said no one The spectacle at the White House with toons come from the gut. " If people just there is power in numbers and we arc strong- contacted him regarding an extension for the Monicagate and President Clinton has laugh at a cartoon, it's mi nd-candy; if it ly demanding that Columbia pu rchase the U- spring. certainly given newspaper cartoonists makes them angry, it forces them to Pass program the CTA is offering, because it more material than they could ever think," he says. M cnees agrees with the dream of. Appropriately, this year's win idea that editorial cartoonists need to ners of the Fischetti Editorial Cartoon illustrate controversies. "Our responsibil Competi tion were spoofs on the presi ity as sati rists is to hit the powerful, not Comparing costs with benefits: dential crisis. the weak," says Mcnees. Jack Higgins of the The 17th ann ual competition memori The U·Pass plan in detail Chicago Su11-Times won lirst place hon alizes John Fischetti. a Pulitzer B~· Leon Tripplctt ors and Tim Mcnees of the Pittsburgh Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for the Fonn l:dlfoJ Post-Gazette took second place. They Chicago Su11- Times, Chicago Daily News will be honored at a luncheon on and the New York Herald Trilnme. Those Wednesday, Dec. 2 at the Pump Room. who knew Fischetti say that he was a \\'hl·n <"olumhJ;t·, hr;'"' ~.1\ ~ tht: CTr\-~ l "-Pa..,.., program the th umh.., down late last week. Chicago native Jonathan Alter, a senior great mentor. "John was terrific; he dt:;..pite thL· L!L'I tlut m:111y 'llldcJHs ha,·~..· C\pn.~""L' d ... trong coJH..'ern for it. they prohahly editor at Newsweek and correspondent opened doors for a lot of people. He pulk·d till' l·.IkuL!tnr' PUt dlld ,jftcd t h rou~h the numhcr:-.. for NBC News, will keynote the event made you feel like you were the most ("T.-\ 1, .t ... k.tll,:.! uplllllll !'or~) percent -Pi' ~X~.7~5-of the tot;tl rn ... t of the.: program. an c ... ti sponsored by Columbia College. The important person in the world," says matcd \.~<:'.11~11. Th.ll c·quatc' to ~60 for c·ach Df Columbia·, '-'JOO fu ll -tim~ untkrg raduat~ luncheon not only honors the year's top Higgins. ... tud... ·nt-.. Th~..· pro~t.tlll \\uuld cu\-l'f ~ad1 of tlw-.c .... tutknh. rL·g.arJk..,.., if tht.:) \\~lilt to par editorial cartoonists, but it also supports But Fischetti is not just remembered llctp;tll..' ill not. the Endowment Scholarship Fund for for his remarkable ta lent as a cartoonist. T he "L'":ond .llld third tlhlallmc.:nh would L·onh.' la!l'r in thL· 'L'Illl..~..,tt~r. support of outstanding Columbia jour Former Columbia College President ) (.., ;t litl.lth:ul priL'!...' t.t_:.! thL' cnlk·g.~.· would L!lhL·r ,1\Pid nalism students. Mike Alcxandroff said Fischetti was an ''\\"~...· ,., .111t to dt, '' h.tl ·, b~-.·:-.t for the -.tud~...·tlt hod\ ...... ;tid ('p]umhia Colll..'~l..' Prc..,ilknt John Higgins, a Pu litzer Prize winner, will exemplary human being. Others say his Dull ··11 ,,~,.·~.:.m· t ~~..·t.~m.IJnr it\ of...,tud~..·nt-- tn !L'I'I..:,~~... d thcntt \\uuldn't hl..' ..hl' th:ficial for the receive $3,000 for his cartoon showing cartoons signified who he was as a per l.'llllrL' ,:u~..knt hil~,.l\~ _ .. .. the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson son. "He was a lively, wonderful and For c~dutni·II;I ~llh.k·nt-.