| |
    
|
(Taken from an editorial)
Members of several professional fraternities and the University are engaged in a heated debate over how much supervisory control the University should have over such groups. The professional fraternities argue that the average age of their members is higher than that of academic fraternities and that, being more mature, they should have a greater degree of freedom in running their organizations. The University has defended itself by saying that its rules must apply to all student groups.
The university administration, however, has not treated student organizations equally. The University consults with the Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils when determining policy and then applies it to professional groups without offering them any say in the decision-making process. The Interprofessional fraternity council, Pi Phi Chi, is a weak organization, but one which administrators should nonetheless recognize.
Two possible solutions are available. The first option is to resore Pi Phi Chi's credibility by removing itramural athletics from its agenda. An alternative course would be to combine professional and academic fraternity under the Interfraternity council. The academic fraternity rush process could be handled by a special committee.
The Institute of Technolgy is requesting $10.5 million from the Legislature for expansion. If the expenditure is approved, a new building will be constructed to house the civil and electrical engineering departments. According to Dean Cheston, the first structures in the new IT complex, to be located at the current site of the football practice field, will be built with the funds. Union Street will be rerouted around Cooke Hall and the stadium will end near Harvard Street. "What you now call the football practice field will indeed be given over to IT structures eventually, and so will Union Street itself," Dean Cheston said. "Union Street will disappear and there will be buildings smack where Union Street now exists." Computer science and technology facilities may eventually be located in this area.
Temporary structures in the Engineering Courtyard and additions to the Main Engineering building will be demolished within a few years, as will the Experimental Engineering building. Construction is slated to begin in 1975. In two years, the math department will move to the Murphy-Vincent complex, which will be formed by joining Murphy and Vincent halls. The money for that modification has already been approved, Dean Cheston reported.
Students registering for spring quarter will find that computers have replaced the familiar course cards. Following the lead of other state campuses, the University is switching to computer registration. The transition to a more modern, efficient system of registration has been in progress for nearly twenty years. "The system will hopefully be speedier and more convenient for students," said Ben Sharpe, IT director of admissions.
Each student will be assigned to one of two alphabetical registration queues: the first, reserved for seniors and graduate students, or the second, designated for juniors, sohomores, freshmen, and adult special students. Administrators hope that offering seniors priority registration will facilitate timely graduation.
For spring quarter, there will be only one registration area, so students awaiting the end of long lines may be disappointed. Other registration areas should be set up by fall to reduce waiting time. Officials at Duluth, where the program has already been implemented, report that the registration process takes about four minutes per student.
Although the system has been phased in smoothly at the Duluth and Morris campuses, Sharpe anticipates some glitches. Recently admitted students who lack an academic record cannot register by computer, a problem which will need to be resolved soon. On the opposite end of the spectrum, students who are returning to school after many years essentially lack an academic record because their transcripts were handwritten.
The University's computer registration system is unique among Big Ten schools. "Madison, in particular, is still back in the card carry-out system. They open their field house, and you go in and go from table to table," Sharpe said. Other universities have automated registration, but their system is designed for one particular campus. The University's new system encompasses all campuses.
