September 23, 1993

™ II WEATHER INSIDE TODAY: f M> wwjf NEWS 3 with chance of showers ■ OPINION J2 HWcM L«K50B FOCUS JA nUMV: partJyctoudy STYLE. A7 with a chance of rain SPORTS JS HWc75a Lcw:50» HUMOR M JAMES U N I CLASSIFIEDS 27 THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 23.1993 VOL 71, NO. 8 Service act signed for $1.5 billion student aid Tracie Liguid period of service, the participant will opportunity to participate in the program, trade school. The minimum age is 17. But contributing writer receive $4,725 toward tuition for higher slated to begin next fall. if the program is established for youths, education. An allowance of $7,400 is set After a six-month deliberation, the U.S. then there may be certain exceptions for In what be has called the first step to for living expenses during the service. Senate approved a $1.5 billion allotment 16 year olds. The program will recruit lor "reinventing government," President Bill Health care and child care is included, if over a three-year span. The program will diversity, said Jackson. Clinton signed the National Community necessary. be funded with $300 million for fiscal year The pool will include students from a and Service Trust Act of 1993, Tuesday. The tuition money will be available to 1994, $500 million for fiscal year 1995 variety of lifestyles, financial backgrounds The program, dubbed AmeriCorps, the student when the student completes the and $700 million for fiscal year 1996. and experience. offers students tuition assistance in 1,700-hour service program. A federal corporation will begin Financial need is not the main exchange for community service. For each About 20,000 students will have the making policy for the service program consideration for participation in Oct. 1. The corporation is a merger of the AmeriCorps. ACTION agency and the Commission on "As far as we know, the program is National and Community Service. another option to students for federal A commission will be formed in each assistance," said John Sellers, director of state to decide on project focus. The group JMU Financial Aid. "It's simply an will consist of 15 to 25 voting members, addition to what is available now." including at least one person between the In 1992, the government gave $9 billion ages of 16 and 25. in financial aid to students in higher Depending on the concerns of each education. The largest portion was in the state, program focus will vary. form of Stafford Loans and one-third of "A state may choose to tackle illiteracy, the aid is through Pell Grants. only," Diane Jackson, director of According to Sellers, nearly 50 percent Volunteer Policy of Young People for of JMU students receive government aid. National Service, said. "Or they may Junior mass communication major Liz choose to be more comprehensive and Thompson plans to apply for the program deal with welfare of the child." Jackson is as soon there are more details. Thompson also involved with the forming worked with children at the Norfolk corporation. YMCA during the summer, but was forced The commission will begin by to quit in order to make more money for educating their state about national service college finances. CRAK5 NEWMAN and getting the community involved. "It seems to be a great opportunity to Participants must have short-term plans President Bill Clinton signed the national service plan Tuesday that allows for higher education, including college or SERVICE page 2 students to work 1,700 hours for $4,725 in tuition aid, plus a living allowance. Faculty want research time and 'informed Local station refuses teaching' balanced for effective instruction to run new cop show by Donna Ragsdale — will be done this fall senior writer The JMU numbers almost completely coincide with by Heather O'Neil comprehensive colleges across the state. The 1991 senior writer JMU faculty say research should balance with Virginia Faculty Survey, conducted for the State Council teaching time for them to be effective instructors. of Higher Education for Virginia, stated that the average If you missed the new ABC cop show on Tuesday, "This has been an institution really dedicated to Virginia faculty member spends 52 hours a week in you're not alone. instruction and teaching," said Vice President for professional work — 17 percent is devoted to research. Harrisonburg's local ABC affiliate WHSV-TV 3 Academic Affairs Bethany Oberst. "But we have "Over three-fourths of respondents said they wanted announced last week that it would not run the pilot, managed to get, I think, a pretty healthy balance here at to spend more rime doing research," the SCHEV report premiere or any episode of the new and controversial JMU." stated. ABC series "NYPD Blue" because of its questionable In recent years, the higher education debate centering The American Association of University Professors' nature. around teaching versus research has left many "Policy Documents & Reports," 1990 edition The show premiered Tuesday at 10 p.m. on ABC institutions and state organizations evaluating how recommends 12 hours as a maximum for undergraduate stations throughout the country, but the general faculty spend their time. teaching, and the preferred load is nine hours. The JMU manager of WHSV said he made the decision not to faculty teach an average of just above nine hours. carry it after viewing the first three episodes two Teaching remains a priority at JMU weeks in advance. As a comprehensive, rather than doctoral institution, Research promotes 'informed teaching' "It was my decision to make, and I did," Bob JMU's central focus over the years has been teaching Respondents to the SCHEV survey "saw little conflict Ganzer said. He was concerned about two areas: over research. between teaching and research, with large majorities nudity and language. "I felt there was too much of "Although we've increasingly emphasized the role of saying that teaching is helped by a faculty member both." research, the emphasis at JMU is still heavily on engaging in the creation of new knowledge." The show has raised eyebrows all over the country teaching," Faculty Senate Speaker Robert Jerome said. Oberst agreed that research enhanced "informed and according to the Sept. 27 Time magazine, at least According to the most recent JMU Faculty Activity teaching." 44 ABC affiliates had decided not to run the premiere Survey, conducted in fall 1991, the average faculty According to the 1991 JMU survey, the 17.6 percent as of late last week. Those stations that do carry it will member spends 54 hours a week involved in professional of research time reported was an evolution from the 5.6 generally run viewer discretion notices. activity — 17.6 percent of that time is devoted to percent reported in 1972. "NYPD Blue" Producer Steven Bochco has taken scholarly and research activities, while 33.4 hours or "It's clear that over the past decade or 15 years there's plenty of heat for his work in the past The creator of 61.8 percent was given to teaching. been more of an interest in scholarship," Oberst said. "Hill Street Blues," "LA. Law" and "Civil Wars," he The next faculty survey — conducted every two years SHOW page 2 RESEARCH page 2 2 THE BREEZE Thursday, Sept. 23,1993 Service _ continued from page 1 themselves." get involved and to make a Summer of Service was the difference," Thompson said. test run for the newly-approved Thompson is one of the many national service program. The students who plan to answer the White House Office of National president's call to service. Service received an Clinton originally campaigned overwhelming response to for a $7.5 billion national service Clinton's challenge for program to run over five years. community service at his Rutgers "I have harbored the dream for University speech, according to years," Clinton said in his speech Eli Segal, the office's director at the signing of the act "It has and nominee to head the been stoked by dozens of corporation. experiences throughout my life.. Out of 40.000 applicants, SOS . When Al and I toured the chose 1,500 high school and country, I saw wreckage, college students to participate. inhumanity and lost human The "corps members" worked potential. But I also saw the light with inner city communities. The in the eyes of so many young work ranged from mentoring CRAKS NEWMAN people. I saw the hunger for life elementary students to keeping and the need to reach out beyond up the parks. Test program participants from across the nation joined Clinton on the South Lawn Tuesday. Research Show continued from page 1 continued from page 1 of doctoral faculty stated in the SCHEV keep people from seeing the show. The series will run on Richmond's WRIC-TV report that "insufficient support" at their has been pushing the TV envelope for "The world of knowledge is changing so institution was their greatest impediment. 8, which is carried locally by Warner fast that faculty feel compelled to renew "It's not a matter of teaching versus years. He told a Time reporter, "For 20 Cable. their knowledge of the field." research. It's a matter of allocation of years, I've made a living swimming According to the general manger of the Jerome said that scholarly work upstream." Richmond affiliate, his station received resources by the university," he said. The first episode of the show, according remains central to the effectiveness of Oberst said JMU has sent a proposal to several hundred calls and letters from both faculty. SCHEV requesting $500,000 in the next to Time, contained "a lovemaking scene sides of the issue before airing the "Research is important in keeping the with some fleeting, shadowy glimpses of premiere.

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