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Show VOLUME 52, ISSUE 36 MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 1992 FINANCIAL AID APPLICANTS: If you plan to apply for federal financial aid for next school year, you may want to be In the U.B. Ballroom this Wednesday at either 10:30 a.m. or 5:30 p.m. Attendance at one seminar is required. Attendance will be taken. Remaining seminars: Feb. 6 10:30 a.m. Feb. 11 1 1 :30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26 12:30 p.m. The IGNPOST WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY OGDEN, UT mm Administration gets mixed responses to planned class shifts AFTERNOON CLASS HEARINGS: With too many students in too little space, where will the new faculty and students go? By CHRISTY WELLING Staff writer of The Signpost Administrators spent part of Thursday seeking faculty and student input on how to maintain a high level of education in the face of increasing enrollment, shrinking classroom space, parking problems and increasing pressure to raise enrollment standards. Participants at the public hearing especially reacted to the likelihood that many classes now offered in the morning wiJI soon be moved to the afternoon. The move is intended to remedy the lack of classroom space and parking space available in the mornings. Others had concerns about the availability of classes, and whether some groups should be able to register ahead of the rest of the student body. The discussion was conducted by the Afternoon Class Ad Hoc Committee, and led by members Jim Bird, from the department of Child and Family Studies; Kathleen Lukken, department of Dental Hygiene and Doug Laufer, department of Accounting. University President Paul H. Thompson said enrollment growth and money has been an issue in the Legislature this year. "You can take more students and get more money, but it is not enough money to educate the stu Faculty shore medio concern over GRAMA By BECKY JENSEN Staff writer of The Signpost Professors are upset that they could be spending less time in the classroom and more time classifying records under an order to come into com pliance with the Government Records Access and Management Act which takes effect April 1. The "CRAMA" bill, was passed by the Utah Legislature last year to provide a more uniform method to classify state government records open or closed to the public. Faculty members, state agencies and members cf the media fear that this vear' s amendments dents you get," Thompson said. "I believe it would be to our advantage to stop taking more students and find other ways to get a little more money ... some feel the quality of education has gone down this year because we have more students."Lukken said Bob Smith, vice president of Academic Affairs, wants afternoon classes scheduled in a coherent, organized and consistent way by Fall Quarter 1992. It was suggested that the student practice of registering only for morning classes must be changed in order to get more people interested in taking afternoon classes. One faculty member said if students are expected to register for afternoon classes, the university needs to have a full afternoon schedule. Some questioned whether shifting classes to afternoons would mean both larger classrooms and classes for morning students. Another student expressed concern that large classes would hurt the quality of education. Some also questioned the ability of employers to adapt to having some of their employees at school during the afternoon. There would be a need to change employer's attitudes from the philosophy of school in the morning and work in the afternoon. One student talked about the problem of finding a parking space during the morning schedule. 'It seems all the classes are in the morning and there's no parking available. When you finally find a parking space, you're late for class." One student asked why so (See HEARINGS page 5) to the bill, if worded incorrectly, could open private student records to the public or close documents which are now available. Closed records must be classified as either private, dealing with personal financial data; confidential, regarding medical records and psychological profiles; and protected, personal property. Records not dealing with one of these categories may still be closed to the public. Harden Eyring, executive assistant commissioner of higher education, said he thinks the bill was written poorly last year and is in great need of being amended. "Most people did not think (the bill) would pa??' Eyring said. (See GRAMA page 2) DANIELLE MABEYTHf SIGNPOST WHILE YOU WERE AWAY, the campus was taken over by hundreds of high school debaters from UtahIdaho and Wyoming who came to participate In the 57th Annual Leland Monson High School Debate Tournament. Here forensics students Rachael Bradley and Jeff Goats of Olympus High School lay back In the Union Building lobby between rounds. This tournament is debatably the most prestigious event many of these students will ever attend. Sr.. ,,u.ry, . - . . - ,-.r-!' University must deal with funding woes again; Bangerter offers 5 49th LEGISLATURE: WSU's Record growth is answered with a proposal for a small increase in funding By BLAKE WATKINS Staff writer of The Signpost Weber State University, faced with exploding enrollment, faces a tough battle for education dollars this year, President Paul H. Thompson said in a recent interview. In the fight for higher education money Thompson said, "we are going to work hard to get all we can." '.i ... J , : . J The Board of Regents this month suggested a nearly 15 percent increase to keep pace with the university's growing population. But Gov. Norman Bangerter has recommended only a five percent increase for Weber State. The increase barely makes up for inflation, which ran near four percent last year. University money is appropriated by the Utah Legislature. Thompson has said a generous portion of the new money should be directed toward increasing the quality of education at WSU rather than keeping up with inflation and paying off old debts. The amount requested by the State Board of Regents is never fully granted, so WSU should ex x V pect to receive something between a five percent and 15 percent increase.Forty-one other states have poor economies which are forcing them to increase taxes or take spending cuts. Utah will experience neither next year, he said. Nevertheless, students at WSU will feel the impact of the small increase with larger class sizes or enrollment restrictions. The Board of Regents already is formulating a plan to restrict who can go to college based of high school academic achievements. The faculty suijri ratio at WSU averages about 2.) students per faculty member. 'There is a risk that if we g''t nor'-' students (See BUDGET page 5) |