The Messenger

Roger Williams University DOCS@RWU The eM ssenger Student Publications 10-15-1985 The esM senger - October 15, 1985 Follow this and additional works at: http://docs.rwu.edu/the_messenger Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation "The eM ssenger - October 15, 1985" (1985). The Messenger. Paper 21. http://docs.rwu.edu/the_messenger/21 This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Publications at DOCS@RWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Messenger by an authorized administrator of DOCS@RWU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. tll6tngtt. VOLUME v, ISSUE m OCTOBER 15, 1985 By Mary Ellen Johannson maintaining a viable degree in profes They meet in small groups of three sional studies. Referring to RWC's ac or four and by their facial expressions, counting area, one Business faculty you know that what they are discuss member stated that the accounting ing is important. Some groups meet in curricul urn is designed to meet the re the Division pods but others meet in quirements set by employers who are formally in the hall or outside of the reviewing the graduate's resume and library. They go for coffee in the are looking for specific courses on cafeteria. Usually their voices are their transcripts. It was emphasized measured and deliberate but that the proposal would make it dif sometimes, you can hear loud voices ficult to dquip students with all of the echoing in the hallway, you can seethe necessary courses. However. others animated gestures as they discuss, with urged the senate to not reject the pro professorial conviction. their views on posal entirely simply because certain "the issue." elements of it were unacceptable. On "The issue" which has engaged the other hand. a student'S curriculum RWC faculty in such intense discus had to contain enough courses so that sion is the General Education Pro a major would be covered. Further posal which was brought before the debate noted that the requirement of 4 Gloria sa"agn RWC m\lirons . Pholo bl Mark Rabbetl Faculty Senate on September 26 and skills courses was satisfactory but that again on October 3. The General the number of General Ed courses re Education proposal was distributed in quired be reduced from 10 to 8 (with 2 "Gloria": Minimal Damage September to the faculty Senate for being waived). In addition, it was their consideration. mentioned that if student quality weot up, basic skills could be reduced . It Major Disruption was also mentioned that although Proposal Not Voted during By Mary Ellen Johansson Brown University requires less courses Later that day, the physical plant First Special Faculty Meeting in their engineering major. their and Evan Evans staff made preparations on campus course's contents are nearly double On Thursday, September 26, 1985, for the hurricane. Loose items such as Because of Hurricane Gloria, the that of some of our engineering although still 400 miles south of Cape trash cans and picnic tables were faculty Senate meeting held on courses. This reason was cited as Hatteras, North Carolina, Hurricane removed to prevent damage from fly ~he September 26 was called to order 1'12 reason for not adopting the 10-6 pro Gloria was already affecting Roger ing debris. By Friday morning, hours before its regularly scheduled posal. Another question raised was the Williams College. In a memorandum hurricane was tracking a course which time. In preparation for. a vote on the fact that the minor would be elimin to the college community issued that would take it west of Rhode Island. w~re proposal, absentee faculty had. ar ated and the distribution doubled. The morning, President Rizzini o~t~ined However, high winds and tides pOlenl~al ranged to have their votes tallied by student would lose his leeway in taking the decisions made by the administra still anticipated and the severity of the storm was not dis proxy and a motion to accept these a variety of courses. It was also felt by tion in response to the potential threat counted by forecasters. Rhode Islaod proxy votes was passed. A motion was some faculty members that a com which Gloria posed to the area. Governor DePrete used his executive made to accept the General Education promise could have been affected had Because the hurricane's path was still power to mobilize the state's National Proposal. However, the crucial vote the committee members discussed the uncertain and since several calls had Guard and declared a state of on the proposal was postponed when a professional studies faculty. already been received from concerned emergency. All but essential govern subsequent motion was passed In support of the General Educa parents, the Administration cancelled ment workers were sent home by mid disallowing a vote on the matter but tion, one member said that you must classes as of 1:00 p.rn, Thursday and allowing discussion. Some faculty felt have a general core because : the as well as classes on Friday and Satur morning and RIPTA (Rhode Island Public Transit Authority) ceased it was "absured" to continue the distribution requirement's "hunt and .day. operations at 11:00 a.m. meeting if no vote could be taken. peck" method did not work and that Tlie decision allowed students who The RWC residents who remained However, a suggestion that at least the goal is to graduate "an educated lived within a 200 mile radius the were transferred at 11:00 a.rn. to some views be exchanged was met with person not a technical human being." option of going home. Anyone who either the Recreation Building, the applause. A vote to adjourn early was Another member emphasized that did leave the campus was asked to <:a!1 Student Center or to Units 7 & 8. defeated and the meeting continued. RWC is not solely an engineering their parents informing them of their Lunch had been brought in and served Dean Schiavo, who chairs the school and that although there are plans and also to notify the Student to the students. All across Rhode Senate meetings, briefly discussed differe~t requirements for different Life office. Of the over 1500residents, Island emergency shelters were being what the Senate was about to discuss, schools, there are guidelines on what is 475 students remained behind. Rizzini design~ted (including Roger Williams namely whether the college should acceptable. Also, he was aware that said that RWC prepared to coordinate College) to receive those evacuated have General Education as part of its some members felt that the 10-6 pro efforts with local civil authorities as from low lying beach-front areas. At curriculum. He stated that there was a posal would not leave enough courses they prepared for Gloria's expected shortly after I p.m. EDT, Gloria slam- basic dissatisfaction with the distribu left to produce a creditable degree. He high winds and torential rains. tion requirement structure presently in flatly stated that this "is simply a false continued on page 6 place. The Senate was asked to argument." He urged that the debate deliberate on the entire package and would break out of disciplines and the retionale of the package. They look at what the student needs. were asked to rise above disciplinary Responding to this, a member said Accrediting Team Visits RWC concerns and self interest groups. that everyone seemed to be in favor of Wednesday, October II at 11:00 Schiavo believed that the proposals By Kathy Cohen a.m. the NEACU team finished its it [Gen Ed) in principle and that the The New Englaad .Associ at i ~n. of visit giving an Exit Interview. In the were reasonable and flexible. faculty should remember that the col An Engineering faculty member Colleges and Universities team visited interview the team reviewed their visit lege is creating a literate person, not Roger Williams College Tuesday, and gave RWC a report concerning concurred that the current general ~iv simply considering his discipline. October 9, and Wednesday, October what needed work and what was to education is unsatisfactory and that he ing an opinion from the Open DIVI was in support of basic education. 10 to evaluate the school 's academic their satisfaction. sion, one member expressed her views credibility for re-accreditation. NEACU will hand their report to However, adopting the proposal in its that the proposal was better than the present form would lower their total During the NEACU's visit, accord- the Commission of Higher Education distribution requirements but that the ing to Chairman Dr. John S. Robin- of the New England Association of engineering courses to 28, 5 less than senate needs to look at coherence as the average number of courses as sug son, Dean of Social Sciences and Dean Schools and Colleges. The commission well as contenl. The member also sug of Graduate Studies of Simons CoI- will meet to vote on the report. This gested by ABET, the Accreditation gested that the number of Gen Ed Board of Engineers and Technolo lege, the team conferred with students, meeting is expected to be held in courses should be reduced. faculty members, division coordin- Spring, 1986. gists. He pointed out that the average One member who appeared to be number of courses required for certain ators, administrators, the controller The NEACU team consisted of totally against the proposal posed the librarians, President William Rizzini, Robinson, Ms. Doris B. Coster, Dean engineering majors at many of the question to the Senate, "Do we nearby schools was 33.1. Other faculty Vice President Robert M~Kenna, of Students, University of Hartford; presume to know what attitudes these Dean Bart Sciavo.

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