University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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ctitjts ind mi TV cms raowionsofQiitFidi Learning to Advise Orientation ... for the newly admitted freshman or transfer student that word means three days of placement tests, partying and just plain fun while discovering college life at the University But to the summer orientation advisor, orientation takes on a whole new meaning. Applying for the position of orientation advisor, students partici- pate in a group interview to measure their ability to interact with others and to work in a group to make decisions. Then some are invited back for individual interviews with staff members of the dean of students office and past orientation advisors who make up the Student Committee on Orienta- tion Procedures. In individual interviews, students demonstrate their per- sonality and maturity by role-playing situations they could encounter as orientation advisors. With luck, 62 get the job. Selection is completed by late fall and the new advisors, who come from various colleges in the University and range from freshmen to seniors, get to know each other at weekend retreats. They become trained and informed about all facets of the University in a course all advisors enroll in on a pass fail basis during the spring semester. In the class, they learn facts about the University and the demographics of its student population as well as how to help entering students with academic preadvising. The orientation advisors also participate in small group discussions and leam how to instruct small groups. They practice giving tours of the Texas Union and the campus, and they design programs to be used during Orientation. tj,inspittof)a[-looj lioli past lot fill 1 j Soon-to-be orientation advisors examine the materials they will provide to entering freshmen. aits in Arlington iodvU rigidly sod in fefll ; to i proposed as oinpus of-lvingsiluyintrtistfot .SECOM In order to provide the assistance students may need to succeed in all facets of their University experience, the Dean of Students Office and Dean of Students James Hurst offered various ser- vices. The dean of students office operated the minority students ser- vices unit which served as a clearinghouse of information, a refer- ral agent to other University offices for minority students The unit offered students advice on an individual basis and also spon- sored student groups such as UNIT. La Amistad and the Coali- tion of Minority Organizations. For older than average students, the Dean of Students Office sponsored SOTA, a social group, and provided individual coun seling and referral services. Its Services for Handicapped Students division provided direct services such as note takers, test takers, typists and readc individual students as well as educational workshops for faculty. staff and student organizations to increase their understanding of physical disability. The Dean of Students Office also supervises orientation .1 ties for freshmen and transfer students The dean is also charged with interpreting and implementing University regulations relating to student behavior on campus If a student admits a violation and waives his right to a hearing. Hurst determines the penalty. In his responsibility for maintain- ing student discipline. Hurst dealt with the Middle Eastern stu- dents arrested for interrupting the speech of a former Iranian ambassador to the United Nations .-no ( Hurw Don of Srudetxj 21

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Regents Attend Class, Act on Issues Students attended classes and ate lunch with three members of the Board of Regents when the Texas Union Ideas and Interactions Committee spon- sored Regents and Residents Day at the University on March 5. The Board of Regents serves as the governing body of the UT System, which is composed of 14 institutions and operated on a budget of $959,551,505 in 1979-80. UT-Tylcr was added to the system by the Texas Legislature last session. At its July 26 meeting in San Antonio, the Board of Regents sold Perma- nent University Fund bonds totaling $2 1 million for construction and other permanent improvements to the system. Along with the Board of Regents for the Texas A M University System, they adopted a joint resolution per- mitting graduate students to study at any institution in either system if an applicable course was available only at that location. Meeting October 12 in Dallas, the regents approved $14 million plans to improve facilities for the School of Architecture, authorized the establish- ment of the Lorene L. Rogers Presidential Scholarship and appropriated $2 million from the Available University Fund for the second phase of a 10- year plan for academic computer development. They also designated the 1979 freshman class as The Centennial Class of 1983 and approved a rec- ommendation to retire the Longhorn football jersey number 20, formerly worn by Earl Campbell. The board approved an increase in Texas Union fees and a new contract between the University and the licensee of public television station KLRN U at its December meeting in Austin. The Union fee increase from $10 to $12 per long session and $5 to $6 per summer session went into effect in the spring. The contract between UT and the Southwest Texas Public Broadcasting Council, which holds the license for KLRN U, transferred day-to-day management reponsibilities from the University to the council, formalized a program for approximately 60 students to work as interns there and delineated spa ' ce and equipment lease charges and terms. The nine regents who compose the Board of Regents Building and Grounds Committee, approved almost $4.3 million in renovations of Clark Field, commonly known as Freshman Field, and Whitacker Intramural Fields. In Houston, February 28, the Board of Regents raised rates for all Uni- versity housing and approved the gradual demolition and reconstruction of Brackenridge Deep Eddy student-family housing, in spite of year-long stu- dent protests. The board raised housing rates 10 to 15 percent for fall 1980 and hiked student services fees 8 percent. Business at the April meeting of the regents in Arlington included approval of plans to move a set of 11 bells, originally stored in the Old Main Building, from an off-campus storage site to a proposed east campus tower. The board also approved a $3,800 cost-of -living salary increase for head football coach Fred Akers. Regent Jane Blumberg sits in on Beverly Stocltje ' s Documentation of Women ' s Roles Class. Regents of The University of Texas System: FRONT ROW: Sterling H. Fly Jr., J.D., Thomas H. Law, Dan C. Williams, Jane Weinen Blumberg, Walter G. Sterling SECOND ROW: James L Powell, Howard N. Richards, Jess Hay. Jon P. Newton. 212 University of Texas System Board of Regents

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Paul Fmkleman, professor of history, lectures in Jester Auditorium to his afternoon class Sometimes they are tired; sometimes they drag themselves to class, wishing they were still in bed. Being up most of the night writ- ing a paper and having to make it to class by 8:00 is hell in the morning. By that time, however, usually they manage to brace them- selves enough to face 30 to 500 students with a lectur e. Yes, professors are humans, too, and they feel it acutely some mornings. It is difficult for most students to keep from stereotyping professors as old men, dressed neatly in out-dated suits, sitting behind desks. This may be because professors seem so remote from students in their dress, their actions and their hobbies. It is hard to believe that they can understand a student ' s sit- uation and viewpoint. However, most profes- sors, surprisingly, perhaps, do feel a deep affinity with their students, either having recently been in school themselves, or having children who arc in a university. When I teach I try to remember what it was like, commented professor Elizabeth Fernea, vividly recollecting her traumatic col- lege experience. I was sure I was flunking ... no one bothered to tell me otherwise. When students come to her with the feeling of how can they do this to me? she was able to empathize. Through her son, a fresh- man at the University, Fernea especially learned that it ' s much more difficult for stu- dents here than I realized. It ' s a real hassle even to get into a course in the first place. When Professor Paul Finkleman came to Texas to teach at the University, he was sur- prised at the system and at the students ' reac- tion to it. I think that the large classes are horrible! stated Finkleman. One of their effects is that they pose a human dilemma for the teacher not being able to match the faces, the papers and the grades. It ' s sad to put up with this. The main difference Finkleman noted from the years he was in school was the time period change. Strikes went on ten years ago; and now there isn ' t student activism. Finkleman further asserted that, The stu- dents should demand. There are 40,000 peo- 214 Professors