Roger Williams University DOCS@RWU The eM ssenger Student Publications 9-30-1985 The esM senger - September 30, 1985 Follow this and additional works at: http://docs.rwu.edu/the_messenger Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation "The eM ssenger - September 30, 1985" (1985). The Messenger. Paper 20. http://docs.rwu.edu/the_messenger/20 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]. VOLUME V. ISSUE SEPTEMBER 30 1985 n • General Education Program Proposed for RWC by Mary E110 Johansson "Sixty to seventy percent of enter­ ." report on -: Academic Programs: ing Freshmen cannot read, write, or Liberal/Creative Arts and Profes­ compute on the college level". This is sional Studies was submitted for the conclusion of a study completed by' review. Basing its study on analysis of the New Jersey Board of Education student transcripts, the' findings and reported in the Chronical of revealed that most students chose higher Education, February I, 1984. minors related to their majors and. as This, along with other national a result of overlapping course re­ surveys has generated the redesigning quirements. students earned minors by of many college curricula. The effect taking two or three courses rather than of these findings has led Roger the standard 6-courses required for a Williams College to reaffirm its rnis­ Minor program. Also, due to specified sian and objectives as an institution of courses suggested within the distribu­ higher education. In so doing, the col­ tion requirement for certain majors, lege joins with other schools across the the students in reality did not have a Scoop on the Dish . nation as it addresses the growing con­ broad choice of courses:' The report cern that students awarded degrees in states that the Task Force' concluded by Mary Ellen Johansson The first satellite to relay a televi­ highly technical fields lack broader "that for most ..students at RWC, no Neutrinoes pass through it and it sion picture was launched by AT & T educational skills usually associated coherent or adequate experience of more than likely will never catch in 1962. The first geosynchronous with a college graduate. On September general education exists". - quarks. But it probably caught the at­ satellite, Syncom, was launched a year 9, 1985, the RWC Ad HOC Commit­ In efforts to change this, the College tention of students returning to Roger later by Hughes Aircraft Corporation. tee on General Education released to Curriculum Committee (CCC) studied Williams this Fall. Reference is made, Satellites in orbit maintain a fixed the Faculty Senate its Final Report on programs at RWC and at other institu­ of course, to the Satellite dish located position with reference to some posi­ "Basic Skills" and "General Educa­ tions, and presented their findings and in front of the Student Union. tion on earth. This allows continuous tion." The proposal will be considered proposals to the Faculty Senate who, According to Anthony C. Ferreira, reception of their signals. Their orbital at a special Faculty Senate meeting to by May. 1985, had been apraised of Coordinator ofStudent Activities, the day therefore corresponds to the be held on September 26, 1985. the Basic Skills and General Education dish was installed.in August and pur­ earth's day and their rotation matches The AD HOC Committee's repo rt program. An AD HOC Committee chased by college funds other than the earth's rotation. Its orbital altitude states that "in 1981, a visiting learn was formed to work out the details of those collected for student activities must be 22,300 miles so that its revolu­ from the New England Regional- Ac­ implementing such a program. This fees. tion time is the same as that of the creditation Association reported that Committee met weekly during the The college had considered bringing earth. Because of its height, a single certain parts of RWC's curriculum, summer and presented its proposal to a Cable to the campus. However, it satellite can "see" about one-half of specifically the distribution re­ the Faculty Senate on September 9, was felt that subscribing to a Cable the surface of the earth. quirements and the required minor, 1985. company would limit programming to All satellites contain receivers and were not achieving the college 's stated only those channels offered by the transmitters which are powered by goal of "cross literacy" in the educa­ Mission of Ihe College company. For approximately the same solar cells. The downlink signal is tion of students enrolled in liberal arts and the Core Curriculum cost, however, the Satellite dish was received by the dish which then directs and professional degree programs". The report describes the mission of installed with two television receivers. it to the feed which sends it throu!\!, In 1984, as part of the self-study RWC, that is "provides a curriculum One receiver is located on the first the receiver . The dish itself works report and in preparation for reac­ design to facilitate the development of floor of the Student Center in "That merely as a signal collector. The focus­ creditation, a survey which addressed critical and independent thought, Place" where TV is shown on a teo­ ing action, which is a -function of the this situation was taken among RWC while preparing students for careers foot screen. The second TV is located shape of the dish, is quite critical. The faculty and students. The results reaf­ and for life-long learning ... provides in the lower level of the student center. picture signal is maximum at the focal firmed the conclusion in 1981 of the an opportunity to integrate the Ferreira said that an actuator is used point of the dish where the feed com­ NEASC team. The Steering Commit­ broader perspectives of the liberal and to position the dish . Although two dif­ ponent is located. This feed provides tee on Reaccreditation then appointed creative arts with the more career ferent channels may be seen on the the entrance to the wave guide. a task force to analyze the problem, oriented professional and technical two different TV's, the two channels The RWC dish is mesh which is and in March, 1985, the Task Force fields". To better achieve these goals must come from the same satellite. At lighter in weight than a solid dish and continued on page 3 and to continue to meet NEASe's re­ present, the dish can focus on 12 dif­ is more resistant to other natural quirement that u25l1Jo of every stu­ ferent satellites, some having as many forces of contraction and weathering. dent's program of study be comprised as 10 individual channels. There is also of a coherent curriculum of studies in a list of several radio stations available the humanities, social sciences, and 24 hours a day. At the present time, Education Department natural sciences, with not all courses the student committee presenting taken at the introductory level". the "That Place" programs activities as HOC Committee proposes implement­ much two weeks in advance thereby Accreditation ation of the Core Curriculum. The giving students a chance to plan ahead by Kathy Cohen Teacher Education and Certification fundamental characteristic of the Core (NASDTEC) team arrived at RWC on for entertainment. This is possible The Roger Williams College " Curriculum. which comprises the Sunday, April 21. since the school receives a listing of Elementary Education program was general education portion of the stu­ NASDTEC has a book of standards what movies and programs will be of­ approved by the State Department of dent's requirements, will be that the for state and national approval of fered by the many channels available Education in 1970, thereby certifying courses be "independent of both the teacher education which a college must on the dish. The New England Sports RWC students in the state of Rhode student's major discipline and those Network gets aired once a week, and a Island to become teachers. follow for NASDTEC approval. totally free elective courses available in RWC's education program followed variety of classical, comedy, and re· This year RWC Education Coor­ four years of college study, .. devel­ cent movies are scheduled so that dif­ dinator Anne Barry told President the requirements for elementary stand­ oping students as critical and analytic ferent kinds of entertainment are William Rizzini that she wanted to try ards. A self-study done by RWC was thinkers, familiar with several modes represented. to get the education program nation­ written ' in response to the book of of thought and ... preparing them to standards. Ferreira was enthusiastic about the ally accredited. "I didn't know that think, read, write, speak and compute 1985 was the first year RWC Educa­ dish saying that the variety of enter­ we'd make it because we're a very at the level we describe as 'higher' tion students were graduated with the tainment it offers is outstanding and small department; we only had eleven education". The report clearly points NASDTEC approval. The graduates that they can now provide quality graduates in 84/85," stated Barry. out that the Core Curriculum is not are certified in 39 states. entertainment during the week-free On September 24, 1984 Rizzini simply a "back to basics" approach to the students. It provides them with wrote to Commissioner of Elementary Earhart reviewed the report of the but rather a refining and reshaping of a place to come together, have a soda, and Secondary Education J. Troy NASDTEC evaluation team submitted "skills and experiences which have eat some popcorn and take a break Earhart requesting a team be sent to by the team Chairman, Dr.