THE STUDENT VOICE OF MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
THE WICHITAN page 5 Singing spirit Harlem Gospel Choir brought excitement to full-house at Akin Auditorium Friday
page 8 Patriots sacked New York Giants ruin Patriots’ pursuit of perfection and pull off stunning upset, 17-14.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2008
Curriculum Changes
Some degree plans around campus see overhauls, others unchanged MARISSA MILLENDER FOR THE WICHITAN Five of the six colleges across the MSU campus are preparing for curriculum changes in the next few semesters. Some have already seen those changes, and some are in the process of finalizing their new schedules. Changes range from adjust a course to phasing out a major. Most say they are trying to keep up with the times and follow the market, while others are trying to ensure students leave MSU with a high-quality education. The following are slight overviews of changes occurring in each college.
Dillard College of Business Administration
The goal of administrators in the Dillard College of Business Administration was to adjust the program to assure a superior quality education, said Dr. David Wierschem, special assistant to the dean, graduate coordinator and associate professor of management information systems. The college reviewed its course schedules and requirements and found courses that were outdated or irrelevant to the business program. In the accounting department, they are shifting courses around and introducing new internships. “We’re trying to prepare them for the CPA,” he said. “We’ve started preparing them for careers.” Each department within the college realigned some elective courses to keep up with the times. “Change is going so fast, so rapidly, that it’s forcing us to evaluate more often the content,” he said.
He explained that they try to keep up with and follow the directions of the marketplace. “It’s continuous improvement,” he said. When reviewing the department, he said they look for some things that may require a change in a course or the way classes are taught. Changes will not happen all at once, however. Each semester, the schedule will be tweaked a little bit to stay current. Some changes students can look for include an accounting ethics course shifting from being a graduate class to an undergraduate class. Another change will be in the MIS schedule. There will be a “special topics” course, which will cover a little material from both advanced programming and hardware classes. The schedule changes will not interrupt students already working towards a degree. “We work with the students,” he said. “They do not suffer.” Wierschem said they are trying to improve the quality of education and better prepare students to make them a more valuable employee. As well as local changes, the college is pursuing international involvement. “We’ve been traveling the world,” he said. In Fall 2009, students from Germany will come to MSU as part of a program through the Dillard College. The students will spend one year there and one year here, earning a dual degree. “This is a college that is better than is was yesterday and will be better tomorrow,” he said.
College of Science and Mathematics
Manufacturing Engineering Technology The McCoy School of Engineering is hoping to see many program changes in the next few years. The faculty is currently
working on developing a new major, which will include both mechanical and manufacturing engineering. They also plan to phase out the manufacturing engineering technology (MENT) degree. “(Engineering) is not getting cut, I can guarantee you,” Dr. Idir Azouz, chair, said in response to rumors he heard. The schedule for the new program has not been formed yet, but the new major will be the best of both worlds, said Dr. Jan Brink, associate professor. “Nothing has been finalized yet,” he said. Some students had a difficult time deciding between mechanical and manufacturing engineering, Azouz said. “We try to satisfy both majors,” he said. The manufacturing engineering degree is no longer accepting majors, but students who are already signed up will not be kicked out. “As long as there is one student in the pipeline, we will offer classes,” he said. The change came about when professors started noticing decreasing enrollment. “We have had classes with one student only, but if it stays like that, sooner or later, the state will tell you you can’t have that anymore,” he said. The program will remain accredited until the last student has graduated from it. The new major will also be accredited. “I will never propose a degree that won’t be accredited,” Azouz said. “We looked at other engineering majors, but this won’t cost a penny. We already have the faculty and the equipment.” Enrollment in the new program is expected to be much higher. “This is going to expand,” he said. “We look at whether we have the means. If so, of
See “Curriculum” page 3
Graphic by Patrick Johnston
mZuri will be performing her one-woman show at MSU on monday.
Black History Month kicks off on campus BETHANY BERRY FOR THE WICHITAN Black History Month is set aside to remember the AfricanAmericans who have paved the way for future generations. They include Dr. Charles Drew who developed the means to preserve blood for transfusions in the 1930s and Barbara Jordan, who in 1966 became the first black to be elected to the Texas Senate. As a way of uniting the university, MSU and various organizations, have put together a number of events to commemorate the achievements and milestones African-Americans have accomplished. “We began our black history celebration a few days before February with the Harlem Gospel Choir on January 30,” said Matthew Park, director of student development and orientation. In that spirit, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the University Programing Board and the Student Success Series have invited singer and actress mZuri to campus on Monday. In a onewoman show, she will bring to life the story of freedom fighter Fannie Lou Hamer. The perfor-
Black History Month was originally known as ‘Negro History Week’ in the late 1920s, but was expanded to become a monthlong celebration in 1976. mance will highlight the littleknown but highly involved Civil Rights Movement activist. mZuri has traveled across the U.S. performing for various universities including Yale and Vanderbilt. She even made a recent debut at Lincoln Center in New York. Other events include Think Fast, an interactive triva game with questions based on black history. One student will have the chance to win a $200 cash prize. The NAACP will also hold a Voters Registration and Membership Drive on Thursday. A showing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s, “I Have a Dream” speech will be shown Feb. 25 as a part of NAACP’s Black History Week.
NSSE conducting evaluation of MSU CHRIS COLLINS FOR THE WICHITAN
Moffett Library a better deal than Blockbuster CHRIS COLLINS FOR THE WICHITAN Most MSU students know that their student IDs can get them into computer labs, athletic events and the recreation room in Clark Student Center. Some, however, may be pleasantly surprised that their MSU IDs can gain them access to the more than 2,000 DVD and VHS rental titles at Moffett Library. And they’re all free. Students can use one of the library’s 106 databases to access VHS and DVD content, the same system used to look up books and periodicals at the library.
“It’s a good learning experience for students to be familiar with our categories. I don’t want to make it too easy,” Librarian Dr. Clara Latham said. Some students, Latham said, are discouraged from renting at the library because most of the renting process takes place in the database. “That’s human browsing behavior,” Electronic Media Access Librarian Chris Henderson said. “People like to physically flip through the cases when they rent.” Moffett Library may be a better value than Blockbuster or NetFlix to students who frequently rent movies. Extended hours (until 2 a.m. Sunday through Monday) and
lenient late charges aren’t things many rental businesses can brag about. Currently, the library is holding a contest that will award prizes to students who request DVD and VHS titles. The requested movies and documentaries will be ordered with no charge to students. “We continually fight to market what we have available,” said Latham. “It’s a telling situation when libraries have to advertise, but the reality is we do have to market what we have.” Though the library uses freshman English classes and College Connections to advocate itself to students, fewer take advantage of
the services than one might expect. The library has also gone to student government and Campus Watch to make its efforts more visible. Along with DVD and VHS titles, the library also rents CDs, laptops, cameras, camcorders and projectors to students and faculty. Moffett Library, which changed its closing hours to 2 a.m. on Jan 14, hasn’t seen very many students after midnight this semester. “We have our regular students who are here every night,” Latham said. “I don’t think it’s taken off quite yet, but we’re here all the time.”
MSU began conducting the National Survey of Student Engagement Monday, which will measure how active students are in the university. The NSSE, which went online Tuesday, was e-mailed to approximately 2,500 MSU freshmen and seniors. Among other questions, students were asked to measure how frequently they “communicated with instructors via e-mail” and “made a class presentation.” Each survey had 15 to 20 questions. This is the first time the national survey will be implemented at MSU. When the university joined COPLAC (the Council of Public Liberal Art Colleges) in June 2006, it agreed to conduct the NSSE every two to three years. COPLAC is an organization that’s “focused on liberal arts education and liberal learning,” said Dr.
Howard Clark, vice president for institutional effectiveness and enrollment management. “The NSSE will help us see how students think their university is performing,” said Clark. The university also plans to implement the Cooperative Institutional Research Program survey when the NSSE is not being used. The CIRP survey “taps into student activities differently than the NSSE,” said Clark. The approximate cost of conducting the NSSE survey is about $5,000, said Clark. The CIRP will be an additional $1,600. The price is worth it, according to Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Lamb. “It’s the best tool for measuring what we have. We live in an increasingly accountable environment; we’re accountable to the state, credit agencies and the federal level, too. You have to have the data to show you’re effective.”