WEATHER INSIDE TODAY: partly sunny NEWS 3 30% chance of rain FOCUS 17 M0C8OS Low:60s STYLE 20 OPINION 24 FRIDAY: partly doudy SPORTS 27 with scattered showers HUMOR 34 M0i:8Oa Low:60s JAMESBreeze MADISON UNIVERSITY CLASSIFIEDS 39 THURSDAY September 2,1993 VOL 71, NO. 2 Future of Freshman Seminar still unclear folks who were doing the liberal by Drew vanEsselstyn The Liberal Studies English. Faculty and student forums Committee detailed the report in Frederick was a member of the will be set up in the coming studies program," she said. news editor its meeting Wednesday, and five-person committee that weeks, and the committee set a The liberal studies program is The Freshman Seminar decided to accept faculty and helped in the creation of the deadline of Sept. 29 for reporting a part of the College of Letters program, once labeled the student responses in finalizing its original freshman seminar on the results of the forums. and Sciences, while the Madison cornerstone of JMU's broad- version of the proposal. program. "It opens the responsibility to Institute had been completely based liberal education, may The proposal listed But Frederick said that the the students," Student separate. rebuild itself from the ground up. alternatives to the present lack of faculty support is Government Association The Madison Institute was The program will experience program and addressed the "destroying the concept of the President Josh Pringle said. "If scheduled to be put on university in-depth analysis and possible complaints of under-staffing and seminar. It changes it drastically they're interested, and it's funding for the 1993-94 change, according to a proposal poor assessment ratings. to the point that I don't think you important enough to them, they'll academic year, but the by the First-Year Seminar To decrease staffing needs, the can call it a seminar any longer come. I think liberal studies, and administration decided to allow Revision Committee issued last proposal calls for an increase in — it's a hybrid. especially freshman seminar, is the institute to be absorbed by May. the average class size, but also "I think what my problem with an important enough problem." other departments. The ad hoc committee, set up allows for smaller, seminar-type the seminar is, is that either it The Freshman Seminar began The money that would have by Vice President of Academic meetings. should be supported fully in the its changes last April when its been allocated to the Madison Affairs Bethany Oberst, looked at But some faculty believe the way it was intended or sponsorship was transferred from Institute was then redistributed to the seminar's under-staffing and changes may not save the disbanded. I don't like these kind the Madison Institute to the promote interdisciplinary low assessment ratings. seminar. of compromises," she said. College of Letters and Sciences. programs in the natural sciences. "We were having problems "One of the salient points But Dr. Jack Armistead, Oberst said the decision to The State Council of Higher staffing [freshman seminar], — when the seminar was developed chairman of the Liberal Studies move the program was an Education for Virginia had assessment reports were telling was that it would be a shared Committee and Dean of the administrative one. previously supported the us that we weren't achieving our experience . that it would be College of Letters and Sciences, "It occurred to me that we Madison Institute, which was goals — and I wondered whether the one course that all freshmen said that he felt the changes could do a better job if the faculty established to promote the the course was still really the would take before they went into needed to be proposed in order to who were involved in studying integration of interdisciplinary cornerstone of the liberal studies their separate disciplines," said maintain some type of seminar the seminar and implementing elements into academic program," Oberst said. Dr. Joan Frederick, professor of program. the seminar were joined with the programs. Building plans continue across campus '94-96 budget by Ed Gray The $8.1 million structure, under organizations, including the Student construction since January 1992, was Government Association, the University may mean big staffwriter cleared for full occupancy by the fire Program Board and the Center for Off- This year JMU will be finishing, marshal last week, Mitchell said. Campus Living. cuts for JMU continuing and starting several building "The campus center at JMU is really a Also, Mitchell said, Taylor Hall will projects around campus. combination of Warren Hall, Taylor Hall, have access to the field outside of Hillside The state has asked JMU to Phillips Hall, formerly the Phillips Center, residence hall. prepare two budgets for the 1994-96 Campus center addition completed and Grafton-Stovall Theatre," Mitchell "It's almost like another Quad, except biennium — one assuming a 10 Construction on Taylor Hall, the new said. there are no classes there," Mitchell said. percent cut another allowing for a 15 addition to Warren Campus Center, was Taylor Hall holds an expanded game "The field will be a great place for groups percent cut across the board. completed on schedule, according to room with more billiard tables, a video to have picnics and recreational All state agencies were told to director of student activities Randy arcade, meeting rooms, a larger post office activities." make budgets for these possible cuts Mitchell. and office space for 14 campus Commuter students have a new lounge by Sept. 20. near the expanded game room on the first The possible changes will not floor of Taylor Hall. affect the 1993-94 budget. "You've got commuter students here, Last week, Va. Governor L. Hillside people, and students from the Douglas Wilder announced a Village all converging on this one spot," projected stale budget shortfall of Mitchell said, adding that the game room $500 million, and told state agencies has done much better business than the old to prepare for cuts. one on the third floor of the campus center According to the Sept. 1 issue of did. The Daily News-Record, for JMU "We arc planning a lot more activities this means a $2.9 million or a $4.3 with the new game room such as million cut from the $29.7 million it tournaments every week and trick shot received from the stale last year. competitions," Mitchell said. But these proposals are still only According to Mitchell, the newly- speculation. created office space in Taylor Hall was "This is not out of the blue . planned so that groups like the historically we've been hearing about possible black fraternities and sororities would budget cuts for about six months have places to meet. now," JMU Budget Director Terry Mitchell said there are a number of Knight said. minor things which still need to be done in Director of Media Relations Fred the building, such as cleaning and Hilton was surprised at the size of equipment installation. The new building is named for Dr. JOSHUA SEELY BUDGET page 2 Renovation of Carrier Library is expected to cost $4.2 million. BUILDING page 2 • - ■ ' • • ' ' • vvvvw.i 2 THE BREEZE Thursday, Sept. 2. 1993 Budget. continued from page 1 possible cuts. recognition that agencies of "The size of it, the magnitude higher education have been cut of the possible cuts is what enough." surprises me . .. since 85 percent The chances of tuition being of the budget is personnel . increased drastically are slim there's no way to take it all out because of Wilder's hope that of operations," he said. Virginia can keep those numbers According to The Daily News- down. Rose said. Record, state Secretary of "Some portion of any budget Education Karen Pctcrscn said cuts that will be made will these numbers arc only tentative. include some raise in tuition . "If . wc can't find targeted but not a major, substantial programs to cut, then wc do have raise," he said. to look at agency cuts of this According to Knight, the magnitude. I hope that wc find money that has already been ways to do the other things first, appropriated by the state to pay but I don't know ... at this point for personnel raises in December wc do not know higher will not be included in this education's share of the S500 budget. million," she said. That money comes through Despite JMU Senior Vice separate channels. President Linwood Rose's There arc, however, no plans optimism that these cuts will for salary increases from 1994- never come into effect, he said 96. all proposed budget cuts will be Knight said questions about carefully researched and where the proposed cuts will weighed. come from, and whether or not "I am optimistic .. that since JMU will be expected to make MIKE HEFFNER all agencies have been asked to these large cuts in 1994 are Christy Smith and Dwayne Nitz perform in Tennesee Williams' "Orpheus Descending." See premature. do this, they will not make equal Style on page 20 for a preview of the first show in Theatre II this fall. cuts across the board," Rose said. "I don't even want to "I hope there will be some speculate," she said. Building continued from page 1 there is not as much seating the the library and an expanded media resources lab in would alleviate the excessive crowded as last year," she said, acknowledging that the basement. conditions in some residence halls. there has been a shortage of seating in the Also, the law library, currently on the "With all the overcrowding now, James Taylor, a former rector on the library for some time.