Miami University - Recensio Yearbook (Oxford, OH)

Page 19 text:

credit with a grade point average of 3.0 or better in these courses to graduate with a general honors curriculum nota- tion upon their transcripts. Classes designated tthonors courses? were Chosen yearly from the regular catalogue. Consideration was given to in- novative courses and multi-disciplinary seminars. Students could also apply for honors credit in any class through a contract with that coursels instructor. Honors classes offered many benefits. Students found that they learned more about the subject and about their peers. nLearning how sociology relates to anthropology helps you understand your own culture and others too? Ciochetty explained in reference to a sociology class he took for honors credit. ttIt makes you more tolerant of others? he said. Classes also ran less formally, students claimed. Teachers taught with you, not at you; they were helpful in suggesting references to read for class presentations; they asked and utilized student opinions in class. Students even served as occassional subjects of research, lending information during presentations that teachers would use in future classes. Honors classes took many students away from the anon .m- ity of the crowded lecture room, and placed them where t eir innovative talents could be put to use. 111 Smaller classes, more individualized attention, and more challenging material are provided to advanced students in honors classes. Professor Fred Keefer lectures to his English 116 class about composition and literature. Surrounded by piles of paperwork and attached to the telephone, Dr. William Hardesty attempts to organize the nearly revamped Honors Program. To graduate in the general honors curriculum, a student must have 24 hours of honors classes with a GPA of 3.25. Mark Schultz 1 7 Honors Classes

Page 18 text:

Imagine a situation where one no longer struggles over seats in crowded lecture rooms; of being more than just another face in a mass of students; of having more than scanty hopes of drawing the attention of a professor. Small classes definitely sounded appealing. N ow, students could consider material taught on an individual basis, con- cerning subjects that students actuall wanted to study in greater depth. And, in addition to this academic utopia, ,, teacher stereotypes broke down - the motives of the callous, insensitive teacher, who assigned hard work for no purpose, became better understood. An impossible dream? Not exactly; classes such as these had been going on for years. They were discovered each se- . . mester by a modest number of students who found that hon- ors classes hardly needed more effort than ordinary classes. 6 a 6 mt C You have to have the initial motivation to be in the class? explained Dave Ciochetty, a junior pre-med student who dis- covered honors classes this year. . ' That did not mean that anyone could be enrolled in honors 0 p 1; a classes, though. Students must have had at least a 2.5 cumu- lative grade average to be eligible for the general honors cur- riculum. Once in an honors class, the student must have .re- ceived at least a Bb in the course to get honors credit. Stu- n6 a7. 6 dents had to complete 24 or more hours of general honors Mark Schultz At the honors facilities in Presser Hall, Ginny Friend finds a quiet moment'to work on her secretarial chores. 1 6 Academies

Page 20 text:

Libraries -A Studenfs Best F riend As always, the libraries at Miami University were very helpful for students. In order to meet student needs, King Library, the main library control center for the branches was appropriated money every year for the purchase of new books, subscriptions to old and new magazines and newspa- pers. This money was then divided among the separate 1i- braries to meet their needs. About 757:: of the new books went to King Library and the other 2590 went to the the science King and Hoyti and fine arts libraries tAlumni Hall and the Center for Performing Artsi. The decision of which books to purchase was influenced by faculty requests, subject de- mand, and the reference staff at the library. In 1979, 1.5 million people used either King, Hoyt, Hughes or the two fine arts libraries, compared to 1974 when the libraries were utilized by 900,000 people. King Library was used most often. King Library holds more than 1 million books, periodicals and government documents, 1.25 million microfilms and seven to eight thousand recordings. Contain- ing more than 3,200 seats, which accomodated enough stu- dents until finals, King Library was open 105 hours a week ranging from 8 am. to 12 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Hours were varied on the weekends. In addition to King Librar there were four more libraries on campus: Hughes, Hoyt, t e science library, and two fine arts libraries, one in Alumni Hall and one in the Center for Performing Arts. Humanities, social science and general in- formation was ke t at King. Information was readily available and there were a ways people to help a student if he needed ith All the libraries were quiet and created a study atmos- p ere. The libraries contained other sections in addition to the study areas and bookshelves. When one wanted to take a Tim Folker Sequestered in a corner of King Library durin lunch hour, Jean Wiley ponders her notes with hungry concentration. The empty study carrels behind er give testimony to the fact that her study time differs from most students. 18 Academics