The Reporter, September 1979

The Reporter is a publication produced by Western Carolina University featuring news, events, and campus community updates for faculty and staff. The publication began in August of 1970 and continues digitally today. Click on the link in the “Related Materials” field to access recent issues.A Weekly Newsletter for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University Cullowhee, North Carolina RTehpoer tSeeptember 6r, 1979 BIDS ON ROBERTSON EXCEED AVAILABLE MONEY Bids were opened Thursday (Aug. 30) on a WCU project to convert Robertson Resi­dence Hall into a 42-unit efficiency apartment building for graduate students, but the apparent low bids exceeded the money available for the project. The total of apparent low bids on general, plumbing, heating and electrical contracts was $829,765. A total of $800,000 had been authorized for the project, and architects and contingency fees would be in addition to the construction costs. University and N.C. Department of Admin­istration officials were to review the matter. Mid-South Construction Co. was apparent low bidder on the general construction contract with a bid of $487,700. Other bids were Buncombe Construction Co., $588,000; Haywood Contracting Co., $522,750; Hickory Construction Co., $661,000, and Mountain Builders Inc., $507,577. Industrial Maintenance Overflow Corp. was apparent low bidder on the plumbing contract at $118,500. Four other firms submitted bids ranging from $137,900 to $179,800. Views of Robertson Residence Hall, soon to be con­verted into efficiency apartments. Twentieth Century Heating submitted an apparent low bid of $102,200 on the heating, air-conditioning, ventilation contract. Eight other firms entered bids ranging from $115,288 to $153,347. Queen Electric Co. submitted the apparent low bid on the electrical contract with an offer of $121,365. Seven other firms submitted bid s ranging from $112,136 to $179,442. Completed in 1930, Robertson Hall provided for approximately 110 additional students. Named for Reuben R. Robertson who was head of the U.S. Plywood Champion Papers, Inc., and Chairman of the Borad of Trustees from 1925-1930, the building was the last major improvement at the college for approximate­ly 10 years thereafter because of economic conditions. -2- SOUTHERN RECxIONAL EDUCATION BOARD REPORTS ON TEACHER EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION The public school competency testing move­ment took months, not years, to expand to testing prospective teachers as well as pupils. But for aspiring teachers, these tests are being viewed as just one of the many screens of a "pipeline process," through which they move on the way to certification. A new report from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) declares that the practice of simply adding a test at the end of the pipeline is not, in itself, an adequate long-range remedy to achieve "quality control" and assurance of tea­cher competency. Post-graduation certification tests are seen as an important filter in the pipe­line, just as the bar exam is important to the law profession, but not the only one. The SREB report, entitled "Teacher Edu­cation and Certification: State Actions in the South," was prepared by Robert E. Stoltz, vice-chancellor for academic affairs at Western Carolina University. Dr. Stoltz previewed his findings on August 10 in Atlanta, at SREB's Legis­lative Work Conference, where he outlined the report's recommendations which include: -any comprehensive plans to improve teacher education/certification need to be developed within a realistic time span; -the plans should provide for screening of candidates for teacher education programs; -the plans should produce a test of teacher competencies with cut-off scores that are understandable and acceptable to the layman; -the plans should include an evalua­tion system for student teachers and intern teachers that is insulated from local pressures and that includes a well-trained team of evaluators; -the plans should direct special atten­tion to the adverse effects that tea­cher competency examination programs may have initially on black candi­dates and provide stronger skills development programs. While quickly generating momentum, the movement toward more effective and ob­jective methods of teacher education/ certification has gathered with it re­newed concern over the quality of public school administrators, particularly principals. Some efforts call for better training programs for administrators, "but it is not clear," writes Dr. Stoltz, "how much of this training will be to develop a curriculum or academic manager versus a virtuoso of the cafeteria money or a manager of the motor pool." Many states are manipulating several points along the pipeline, trying to establish tighter and more objective quality controls. The following ex­amples are indicative of the kinds of actions that Southern states are pur­suing . Professional Program Admissions Re­quirements: Just wanting to be a teacher is not enough. Seme states are moving to require prospective teacher education students to pass a minimum skills test after the sophomore year, before being admitted into a teacher education program. Students should be given a second chance to pass these tests, since "some of these presumably weaker students will have the attitudes and temperament, the patience and con­cern, required in many situations to make a truly effective teacher." Criterion-Referenced Tests: These certification tests cover only material used at the specific grade level that Editor*6 notc: corrriisioncd paptn, "Teatchhee s Education andCr>• ///; i• discuss by Kobehi. t. Stoltz, vice cfomcewX loracTtState Actions the South," V t i . S t o l t z w a s v i c e p r e s i d e n t t o / , s p e c i a l H e l d Board (CJ EC) prior to joint-*WCU A 1975 .^lorTtJ^ "L^s3* Examination o£ the SouCthEeErBn Regionalo{{ice in Atlanta ^cc pl-esodent and -3- the graduate would be teaching. When Georgia first administered these tests in late-1978, 81 percent of the candi­dates passed. North Carolina and South Carolina are considering similar tests. Post-Graduation Competency Tests: Some states are making increasing use of the National Teachers Examination (NTE), developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), and others are combining this test with various l,home-grown,, tests. Still other states are relying exclusively on these ?fhome-grown,f tests. Long Internship or Probationary Period: Recently certified teachers working in the public school system usually are evaluated twice a year, for a period of one to three years, depending on the state. The evalu-ators include students, colleagues, and administrators. Dr. Stoltz urges planners to take special care with how the student-teaching assignments are to be chosen, how the various evaluators are to be trained and their participation encouraged, and how-the standard for successful completion of the internships is conceived. "It is no secret that hometown politics and local log rolling can enter into the hiring and retention of teachers," Dr. Stoltz observes. "But the certifi­cation process should be as free from local pressures and politics as possible." The new emphasis on teacher certification will produce special problems for prospec­tive black teachers and for black teacher education institutions. However, Dr. Stoltz notes that "once the goals and intent of the quality improvement effort have been made explicit, the move in most states has gained the support of sub­stantial portions of the black population and leadership." Whichever methods the states eventually select, Dr. Stoltz maintains that the decision-making process must enlist the aid of those who know most intimately the problems at hand—the teachers themselves, most of whom "are competent and dedicated. Without assistance from currently employed teachers and the involvement of higher education, it is questionable whether the conclusions reached will be realistic or workable. Dr. Stoltz does not view this movement as an end unto itself: "Changes in the pipe­line by adding or tightening the key filters along the process probably will not, in and of themselves, change dras­tically the quality of the teachers pro­duced," he writes. "Until salaries are raised, working conditions improved, frustrations reduced, and societal recog­nition and respect moved upwards, supplies of the new quality teacher will probably continue to be low." WCU RECEIVES VIDEOTAPES ON JAPAN WCU has received 30 videotapes on Japan to use through August, 1980. Dr. Jeff Neff (Geography) who made the announcement said the loan of the tapes was made possible by a grant of $1600 to WCU from the South Atlantic States Association for Asian and African Studies (SASASAAS). Provided by the University of Mid- America in Nebraska, the tapes are catalogued and filed in the University Media Center under Dr. Neff's name. The tapes are available for check-out and on-campus use to anyone within the University and to teachers in all area public schools by following normal Media Center procedures. There are two series: a 14-tape compo­nent entitled "Japan: The Living Tra­dition," dealing primarily with early history, humanities, and the arts; and a 16-tape component concerned with modern history, political and economic institutions, and lifestyles entitled "Japan: The Changing Tradition." "The Changing Tradition" titles are The Cross and the Gun; Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians; Rich Country, Strong Military; The Meiji Transformation; Men of Action; Road to Disaster; Rebirth of a Nation; Nation Among Equals; Made in Japan. Also, The Fragile Economy; Of The People; Democracy, With a Difference; Society and The Individual, The Search for Oppor­tunity; The Japanese Style; and Three Families. -4- AMERICAN INDIAN ART TO BE EXHIBITED An exhibition of American Indian art at WCU will open with a public reception at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10, in the art gallery of Carol Grotnes Belk Building. The exhibition, a national invitational, will feature painting, drawing and sculpture by contemporary American Indians. It will remain on display through Sept. 29. Coordinated by the department of art, the exhibition is sponsored by the WCU Lectures, Concerts and Exhibitions Committee. Admission is free to the public. NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY CONCERT SCHEDULED The WCU Lectures, Concerts and Exhibitions Committee will present the North Carolina Symphony as its first attraction of the season. The concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, in Hoey Auditorium. Featured will be violin soloist Ani Kavafian. On the program are Dvorak's Symphony No. 8, Tchaikovsky's overture-fantasy "Romeo and Juliet,", and the Scottish Fantasy for Violin and Orches­tra by Max Bruch. LCE single performance prices are $4 for adults and $2 for students, but substantial savings are available through a subscription series. Season tickets under this plan are $20 for adults, $10 for children aged 6-11, and $15 for children aged 12-18, non-WCU students, and spouses of WCU students. Further information and subscription series memberships are available from Dr. Doug Davis, Room 460 Administration Building, telephone 227-7234. WCU BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO MEET SEPT. 13 The WCU Board of Trustees will hold its first meeting in the 1979-80 academic year Thursday, Sept. 13, in the Univer­sity Administration Building. STAFF POSITION VACANCIES Open for applications through one week from receipt of THE REPORTER in the Personnel Office. APPLY AT THE PERSONNEL OFFICE, located in Room 330, University Administration/Mountain Heritage Center. ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY (V), Academic Affairs; hiring rate, $9,924; high school graduation and 3 years of administrative and secretarial experience; prefer post secondary executive secretarial training with a high degree of composition and public contact efficiency; pass typing test at 44 Net WPM. PUBLICATIONS "Hamiltonian Cycles in Cayley Color Graphs of Some Special Croups" by Joseph B. Klerlein and A. Gregory Starling, to appear in the Proceedings of the Tenth Southeastern Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory and Computing. REVIEWS Reuben J. Swanson. A review of Perspectives on Luke-Acts, edited by Charles H. Talbert, Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, 1978, Choice (May, 1979). Reuben J. Swanson. A review of Mary in the New Testament, edited by Raymond E. Brown and others, Fortress, 1978, in Choice (July/August, 1979). NAMES IN THE NEWS THOMAS L. MALLONEE of Candler has joined the WCU Center for Improving Mountain Living (CIML) as part-time senior associ­ate. MALLONEE, long-time 11th District con­gressional assistant to Rep. Lamar Gudger and former Rep. Roy A. Taylor, has had many years of close association with Western Carolina. He earned the B.S. d e­gree at Western in 1941 and in 1959, he was appointed to the b oard of truste es at Western. He served continuously on the board until the expiration of his last term at the end of June. WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY SELECTED FOR EVALUATION PROJECT WCU is one of 10 higher education institutions in the nation that have been selected to participate in a new academic program evaluation project sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The project will help partici­pating colleges and universities determine how well they teach basic skills. In addition to Western Carolina, other institutions announced Friday (Sept. 7) by AASCU officials, are: Ball State University (IN); California State University, Chico; North Adams State College (MA); Ramapo College (NJ); Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville; the State University College at Potsdam (NY); the University of Nebraska at Omaha; Wayne State College (NE); and Western Kentucky University. Institutions conducting the four-stage evaluation will examine how well they teach students to communicate, quantify, analyze, and synthesize. During the next two and a half years, faculty and administrators will define the four skill areas for their insti­tutions and students, establish levels of performance in each skill area, determine where in the curriculum and university programs students are taught these skills, and finally, design and conduct an evaluation of their institution's ability to meet its definitions of the four skill areas. "The institutions chosen to participate represent the diversity of AASCU members in terms of size, region, and educational mission," according to Marina Buhler-Miko, project director and director of the Association's Resource Center for Planned Change. "Because of the diversity of AASCU institutions included in this project, the Center anticipates that a variety of definitions and practices specific to each institution's educational mission will emerge," Other criteria used in the selection process were the capability of the leadership to manage change, evidence of faculty and administrators' understanding of the project's methods and goals, and the willingness of the institution to build quality education programs. The final selection was made from mini-proposals submitted by 17 institutions and reviewed by a five-member panel of experts. An evaluation specialist, Educational Testing Service representative; and AASCU member presidents and vice presidents were included on the panel. AASCU's Resource Center for Planned Change is administering the $445,000 grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Resource Center has served the 340 member state colleges and universities as a catalyst to institutional development and change for four years. Dr. Robert E. Stoltz, vice chancellor for academic affairs, will serve as WCU's con­tact for the evaluation project. -2- Left to right, front row, Levy, West, Robbins; second row, Sawyer, Duke; top row, Mclntyre, Edmondson, Marsh. Not pictured are Bowman and Puett. A MILITARY REVIEW Saturday followed the presentation of a general order from the Department of the Army offi­cially establishing a permanent Army ROTC unit at WCU. The order, presented to Chancellor Robinson by Brig. Gen. F. Cecil Adams Jr. of Ft. Bragg, was carried down onto the campus by a support parachute team of the 82nd Airborne Division. Adams is the commanding general of the First ROTC Region which includes 17 states, Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal Zone. In ceremonies following the presentation and review, Army ROTC scholarships and North Carolina National Guard tuition assistance grants were presented to 10 students by Robinson and Adams. The ROTC scholarships pay for a student's full tuition, fees and textbooks and provide a monthly stipend of $100. Winners of three-year scholarships are Terry L. Mclntyre of Tryon Rt. 1 and David Mark Sawyer of Winston-Salem. Two-year scholarships went to Robert B. Robbins and Peter Duke, both of Fayetteville, and Edward Michael Levy of Plantation, Fla. Tuition assistance grants of $500 each went to Stephen Edmondson of Franklin, Kay West of of Eden, William Marsh of Shelby, and William Bowman and Michael Puett, both of Franklinton. The Screaming Eagles band and honor gua rd of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., and Army, Air Force and Marine Corps junior ROTC units from Asheville, Enka, A.C. Reynolds, Clyde A. Erwin and Tuscola high schools took part in the ceremonies. -3- APPALACHIAN FOLK MUSICIAN TO PERFORM Betty Smith, an Appalachian musician from Marietta, Ga., will present work­shops dealing with the use of folk music in public schools Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 19-20, in the Recital Hall of the Music/English Building. Under the sponsorship of the Visiting Scholars program, Mrs. Smith will pre­sent a program on "Folk Music in Ele­mentary Schools" Wednesday from 1 until 3:30 p.m., and on Thursday from 9 until 11:30 a.m., the theme will be "Folk Music and Dance for Pre-School Children." Thursday evening from 8 until 9:15 p.m., Mrs. Smith will present a concert for the general public. All performances will be open to the public without charge. No stranger in Western North Carolina folk music circles, Mrs. Smith has per^- formed in Asheville's Mountain Dance and Folk Festival and Byard Ray Festi­val many times, beginning in 1963. At the suggestion of Bascom Lunsford, she memorized Appalachian, English, Scottish, and Southern ballards, folk songs, hymns, play-party songs and games. In her performances, Mrs. Smith will sing and also play the Appalachian dulcimer, autoharp and the psaltery. Mrs. Smith has recorded several albums, authored publications on traditional music, and performed at scores of festi­vals, concerts, colleges, universities, and public schools. Mrs. Smith's appearance at WCU is in conjunction with Mountain Heritage Day, scheduled for Saturday, September 29. CAREERS FOR WOMEN IS SEMINAR TOPIC A seminar on "Careers for Regional Women" will be presented by Southwestern Tech­nical College in its Services Building at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 14. The seminar, open to the public with­out charge, will feature Annette Estes of WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, S. C., as the main speaker. A representative from the Employment Security Commission will be on hand to answer questions about jobs. COMPUTERIZED PLACEMENT FOR SENIORS The Career Planning and Placement Office is offering a computerized method of matching students with prospective em­ployers. The program, known at GRAD II, was developed by the College Placement Council, Inc. and has been converted for use at WCU by the Computer Center staff. GRAD II provides a means of assisting students and employers identify one another. By attending one of the "Introduction to Placement and Resume Preparation" semi­nars, seniors will have the opportunity to be included in the program. The semi­nars are offered at the CAP Center on Tuesdays from 9:30-10:45 a.m. and 2-3:15 p.m. and on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and from 3:30-4:45 p.m. Seniors who already have attended the seminar and have begun a placement file and wish to be included in GRAD II, should check with the Placement Office. Other seminars available through the CAP Center are "Interview Techniques" on Mondays from 12:00-12:50 p.m. and 3-3:50 p.m. and "Letter-Writing in the Job Hunt" on Wednesdays from 12:00-12:50 p.m. and 3-3:50 p.m. NAMES IN THE NEWS New members of Sigma Xi scientific re­search society are MIKE DOLAN, JOE KLERLEIN and PELHAM THOMAS (all Mathe­matics) . BOB RIGDON (Human Services) conducted a workshop for the North Carolina Justice Academy at Fontana Dam, Aug. 17, for North Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association personnel and their spouses. His subject was "The Police Officer's Stress and His Family." BOB RIGDON (Human Services) was the key­note speaker to approximately 500 instruc­tional personnel and support personnel of the Iredell County Public Schools Aug. 21. His topic was "Communication and How to Get People to Support What You Want." SUSIE R. RAY (coordinator, Cooperative Education) recently was elected to the post of Secretary-Treasurer in the North Carolina Cooperative Education Association for the period of July 1, 1979 through -4- December 30, 1980. She recently attended two ex ecutive board meetings in Raleigh in preparation for the October meeting of the Association in Charlotte. TOM 0'TOOLE (History) was named a Na­tional Endowment for the Humanities Fellow for the 1979 Summer Institute in African Art and Culture at the Museum of African Arts, Washington, D.C. For 1979-1980, O'TOOLE has accepted a Fulbright Scholarship at Jean Bedel Bokassa University, Banquin, Central African Empire. The successful intensive French program at WCU which began in 1978-79 will be tried at the high school level this year thanks to ROGER BISSON (Modern Foreign Languages), BISSON is working with Mrs. Lo