University of Miami - Ibis Yearbook (Coral Gables, FL)

Page 11 text:

flkmim0 £feutB Page 5 !Haj Computers May Improve Registration After a disastrous fall semes- ter where registration was de- scribed by President Foote as embarrassing , administrators considered implementing a com- puterized registration system. Foote said in October that I am committed to making sure the next registration is more effec- tive. I was embarrassed by the last one. Foote ' s response to the prob- lem was to establish a commit- tee, comprised of students, fac- ulty and administrators to study the registration question. That ad -hoc committee reported back in December that a computer- ized registration system be es- tablished at UM. No final decision was made by Foote until three experts from other universities inspected the system and made their recom- mendation. The system recommended by the ad-hoc committee is one that is currently being used by Hunt- er College in New York. The committee ' s recommendation stated that the Hunter system will provide the University of Miami the ability to have a com- prehensive academic service support and full financial inte- gration. The system would not only be used for registration, but would tie in the registrar, financial aid and the bursar into the system. The estimated overall cost for the Hunter system is over $700,000. This price also in- cludes purchasing all the equip- ment, as well as converting the present system. If approved, the system would take over two years to implement the system campus wide. Once the priorities for ad- ministrative systems are avail- able and the funding is found, information systems is ready to begin development of a new stu- dent information system, which includes registration, said M. Lewis Temares, Assistant Vice President for Information Sys- tems. J. Gonzalez Long lines at registration man become a thing of the past when computers are installed. Several Schools Change Status Several changes were made or proposed in the designations of several of UM ' s schools and col- leges during the 1982-83 aca- demic year. The School of Engineering and Architecture was broken up into a School of Architecture, with Engineering moving up to the status of a college. In addi- tion, the Center for Advanced International Studies was estab- lished as a school and the De- partment of Communication took steps toward becoming an independent school as well. In early January, the Aca- demic Planning Committee ap- proved the changes in the status of the School of Engineering and Architecture. The Faculty Sen- ate approved the proposal soon after that. The change was long overdue, according to some uni- versity officials. Architecture, as a field of study, has a part of its work that is related to engi- neering. But a great deal of its curriculum is not, explained Associate Provost Dr. Sidney Besvinick. Architecture is a separately licensed, protected profession, so we feel, on principle alone, that it should be recognized as an independent unit, said Ar- chitecture Chairman John Stef- fian. Steffian spoke of the many benefits that would accrue if Ar- chitecture became an indepen- dent school. We would develop our own identity. We can more readily contact and serve the community and develop a na- tional reputation, he said. The Center for Advanced In- ternational Studies also changed its status, becoming a School for International Studies, with the Center transformed into a North-South Center specializ- ing in U.S.-Latin American rela- tions. A committee appointed by UM President Edward T. Foote II to look into the status of the Center recommended in Decem- ber that a School of Internation- al Studies be established. The School would specialize in Latin American and Caribbean Affairs and studies of other regions and nations would be encouraged es- pecially as they relate to the Americas. The Department of Commu- nication, meanwhile, prepared a report which is expected to serve as the groundwork for the de- partment to be converted into a School of Communication. Changing the status of the De- partment of Communication had been in the planning stages for five years, and will probably take two more years to imple- ment. The report stated that as one department among 19 in the College of Arts and Sciences, Communication is too unwield- ly, too constrained by inappro- priate academic requirements, and too low in profile to function effectively and to attract the best quality students and the sources of funding, that are necessary. As a school, Communication would only have three depart- ments — speech communica- tion; telecommunication and film; and journalism, public re- lations, and photo communica- tion. There would also be a ma- jor in advertising, which has been developed in conjunction with the School of Business. The student response, which in recent years has been growing dramatically, suggests that this program, properly organized, could become as significant in its field as the schools of law, music and business have been in theirs, the report said. By George Haj

Page 10 text:

Page 4 (flammm £fettia . ' Parking becomes major issue in 1982 Towing cars is just one of the problems students faced as they tackled the parking problem. Parking on the University of Miami campus isn ' t always easy. Carlos Gonzalez, the chairman of Roadrunners (the commuter club) said, the parking problem has improved substantially, as compared to fall semester. Gonzalez pointed out that during the fall the parking prob- lem went from bad to worse. During peak times, I myself stopped bringing my car to campus and I ' m sure others did the same, Gonzalez said. Parking congestion during the peak times of 10 a.m. — 1 p.m. was a big problem that the ad- ministration refused to acknowl- edge, according to Gonzalez. The only reason the parking problem has been alleviated is because, commuter students have re-adapted and changed their schedules to deal with it, Gonzalez notes. A lot more students take 8 a.m. classes and leave as early as 11 a.m. to avoid the peak times, Gonzalez said. Bill puts USBG in the sunshine The Undergraduate Student Body Government put their pro- ceedings in the sunshine through an amendment to their constitution in September. The amendment, known as the Sun- shine Bill states that all agen- cies, branches, departments, committees, meetings and docu- mentation of the same organiza- tions of the Undergraduate Stu- dent Body Government in its en- tirety, shall not exclude any undergraduate student at the University of Miami, or prevent access to their documentation. The bill was passed partly in response to difficulties the Hur- ricane had in getting prompt in- formation from the elections commission during the Spring, 1982 USBG elections. The bill ' s author, Senator Eric Gebaide, said that student government is finally allowing access to all students. While the immediate implications are not really sig- nificant for all students, student government is finally guarantee- ing to all students that it is their government. The USBG Constitution had been vague on the question of whether its meetings and docu- ments were open to public in- spection. The bill clarified the policy. USBG President Aurelio Quinones said that the bill was a good idea. It puts down on pa- per what has existed in USBG for some time. It clarifies policy in some areas. The bill is no big departure from USBG proce- dure, Quinones said, but the bill sets a good example for oth- ers. By George Haj Other ideas on the parking sit- 1 uation include USBG ' s tram ser- vice which would cost approxi- mately $50,000 and may have an impact on the parking decal fee. The tram-service would run from Mark Light Baseball Sta- dium lot to classes. Gonzalez felt this idea really isn ' t a service since the students will end up paying for it. Roadrunners and USBG are working on an effective carpool system that could alleviate the problem further. With computers now compris- ing over 60 percent of the stu- dent body and parking space be- coming more scarce, new ideas are being tested to make the cars fit into the spaces. By Mark Linde G. Molinaro Senators Hugo Fernandez and Eric Gebuide listen to the Sunshine Bill debate before the USBG Senate. SAT scores Jump 27 Points After the average Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) scores dropped six points in 1981; they jumped 27 points in 1982 for the freshman class. The SAT scores this fall were 1011, compared to 984 last year. In addition, while SAT scores went up, the size of the freshman class stabilized at 1625. The quality of this year ' s freshman class is extremely good, said Admissions Director George Giampetro. Although it is very difficult to raise SAT scores, UM exerted a great deal of effort into recruiting quality students. That effort, plus a new scholarship program for stu- dents scoring 1100 or more on their SATs, helped greatly, he said. The increase came after a Fac- ulty Senate report in February of 1982 that severely criticized the admissions office. The criticism apparently spurred a recruiting drive in which even faculty got involved for the first time. That kind of faculty cooperation has never happened before in UM histo- ry, Giampetro said. By George Haj

Page 12 text:

Page 6 arlin Nma . . i DO NOT USE F SAFETY SEAL5 ARE BROKEN McNeil ' s three-step plan to prevent future Tylenol tamperings 78 die in crash Tragedy struck on Jan. 13 when a twin-engine Air Florida Boeing 737 crashed into the busy 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. The airliner had taken off from Washington ' s National Airport during a major snow- storm. After crashing into the bridge and hitting several cars, the plane broke up and fell into the Potomac River. At first it was thought that the death toll would reach 65. The next day, the death toll was revised to 78, including four people who were killed in their cars. On Jan. 17, it was revealed that only five of the 79 people aboard the plane had survived. Pilot error was sited as the reason for the crash as a result of the de-icing system being turned off. It was this factor that caused the plane to fall dramatically after reaching a maximum alti- tude of 317 feet and a maximum speed of 169 mph. By Howard Burns Reagan resumes draft During the 1980 presidential campaign, candidate Ronald Reagan told the American pub- lic that Jimmy Carter ' s imple- mentation of a mandatory draft registration of young men for the military was unnecessary and would be eliminated if he was elected. On Jan 7, President Ronald Reagan announced that he was continuing the mandatory regis- tration. His rationale was that in emergency situations, mobiliza- tion of American forces would be sped up at least six weeks as a result of the signup. By Howard Burns Poison Tylenol Kills Seven Seven Chicago-area residents died and authorities prepared themselves for other deaths re- sulting from the discovery that tablets of Extra-Strength Ty- lenol had been laced with the poison Cyanide. The poison is so deadly that it kills within min- utes. Almost immediately, Tylen- ol ' s manufacturer, Johnson Johnson, a subsidiary McNeil Consumer Products Co., re- called 264,400 bottles of the pain reliever nationwide. Also, the federal Food and Drug Adminis- tration warned Americans not to use Extra-Strength Tylenol tab- lets until more information was gathered. Investigators labeled the deaths homicides, theorizing that the tablets were most likely tampered with after they had reached retailers. In Chicago, police visited neighborhoods and tracked more than a half dozen suspects. In northern California, Phila- delphia, and Wyoming, authori- ties investigated incidents of copycat killers who were poi- soning over-the-counter pain re- lievers. During the week of November 1, the investigation began to center on James and Leann Lewis — also known as Robert and Nancy Richardson. Chicago authorities linked the couple to a $1 million extortion letter ad- dressed to Johnson Johnson. A Chicago television station released to police a drugstore surveillance photo showing one of the victims, Paula Prince, buying her fatal bottle of Ty- lenol, with a bearded man re-: sembling Lewis in the back- ground. Another possible motive sur- faced in Lewis ' s hometown, Carl Junction, Mo., where it was re- ported that Lewis had long blamed Johnson Johnson for the death of his five-year-old daughter, Toni, a victim of Down ' s Syndrome who died eight years ago after undergoing open-heart surgery. In December, Richard Lewis was found in New York by the FBI. He vowed his innocence. By Howard Burns Williams held in murders On Feb. 27, Wayne B. Wil- liams was found guilty of killing two of the 28 young blacks that were found murdered in the At- lanta area. The trial lasted nine weeks, and Williams was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison. It was ruled, however, that Williams would be eligible for parole after seven years. Williams was arrested on May 22, 1981, when law enforcement officials saw Williams driving away on the Jackson Parkway Bridge over the C hattahoochee River shortly after the police heard a loud splash in the river. Two days later, the body of Nathaniel Cater was found a | mile downstream from the bridge. Cater was the last of the murdered youths in Atlanta. By Howard Burns Haig resigns amidst furor After a series of heated dis- agreements with members of the Reagan Administration over for- eign policy decisions, Secretary of State Alexander Haig re- signed his post at the end of June. No reasons were given for Haig ' s resignation, but it was widely speculated that Presi- dent Reagan ' s hard-line stand against Israel as a result of the conflict in Lebanon was the final straw in the love-hate relation- ship between Haig and Reagan. Reagan accepted Haig ' s resig- nation and appointed former Secretary of the Treasury George Schultz as the new secre- tary of state. By Howard Burns W moves.