STUDENTS INITIATE PETITION TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE IN FINANCIAL AID OFFICE -4'
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August 31, 1989 Vol. 88, No. 3
Thursday Edition
Central State University, Edmond, Oklahoma
Regents regret report By David Coppock
Student Writer
The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education complained Monday in Langston about incorrect figures for Oklahoma's student loan default rates issued by the U.S. Department of Education and directed Vice Chancellor Gary Smith to collect the correct data.
Crash course for special ed teachers OK'd American Indian princesses, Miss Red Earth Laura Sigwig, Miss
Americonia Club Lynnel Roberts, and Miss OTOE Kennetha Simons (Photo by Trent Tompkins)
Princesses welcomed
By Debbie Blossom Student Writer Between 55 and 60 people attended a welcoming reception for American Indian Students Monday. The reception was sponsored by Multicultural Student Services and the American Indian Student Association. Student services faculty and staff were introduced to reception guests. Laura Sigwig, Red Earth Princess; Kennetha Siemans, Otoe Tribal Princess; and Lynnelle Roberts, First American Indian Student's Association Princess for Spring 1989, were introduced. "We are very proud of these three students and their accomplishments," said Terry White, president of the association. Speakers included Dr. Dudley Ryan, vice president for student services; Dr. Clyde Jacob, vice president for academic affairs; and Mr. James Noley, head of the First American Stu-
dent Association. "We are trying to reach transfer students who are new to Central State University, and invite them to come to our meetings. We want them to know that they are among friends," he said. "We have 308 American Indian students enrolled at CSU, counting those that are taking anywhere from 1 hour to 20 hours," Noley said. The association is a service and social organization geared to educate all students on Indian heritage, Noley explained. "We have different activities in the planning stages right now for the fall semester. Every spring, usually the last week in March, we have a pow-wow in conjunction with American Indian Heritage Week," White said. The association meets for the first time this semester tonight at 7 p.m. in the Osage Room at the University Center.
Brisch to address Edmond Chamber Chancellor Hans Brisch will speak at the monthly Edmond Chamber of Commerce luncheon at noon on Tuesday, September 12. The luncheon will be held at the Seasons Inn, formerly the Edmond Sheraton, and is open to the public. "It is most appropriate that Chancellor Brisch will be speaking at this meeting," said George Nigh, statesman in residence at CSU. "Most important is the fact that the chancellor is a strong leader in higher education, and the role of higher education in Oklahoma's future will be critical."
By David Coppock
Student Writer Emergency certification for special education teachers was approved by the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education Monday in answer to a shortage of 360 such instructors statewide this year. Central State University's College of Education offers degrees in special education. The current plan providing emergency certification, as proposed by state superintendent of schools, Gerald Hoeltzel, calls for a one-week session on learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, mental handicaps, speech deficiencies, and physical impairment. Those receiving the emergency certificate would have a year to complete six more hours for full certification. Average time needed for instructors to be certified in special education is about two years, said Dr. Kenneth Elsner, dean of CSU's college of education. Elsner said he will be meeting with Dr. James Prickett, director of special education at Oklahoma's State Department of Education, Thursday or Friday to investigate how such a program may be implemented at CSU this September. Each potential teacher will receive monies from the state education department to attend the week-long seminar said Elsner. He said he is concerned with funding for extra instructors since his department is already stretched to its limits. Please see TEACHERS on page 8.
The comments were made during the regents' regular August meeting "It is unfortunate that our state and institutions of higher education received a black eye due to severely flawed 1986 student loan default rates published by the U.S. Department of Education," the regents' office said in a statement issued Tuesday morning. Jeanie Edney, director of communications for the state regents, emphasized that Oklahoma is taking steps to bring the default rate down even further by increasing the number of customer service advisors, the creation of a helpline number, a new computer system, an agreement with the state attor-
ney general's office for bringing suit against those in default, and by withholding student's state and federal income tax refunds who are in default. State regents Monday approved a contract with United Student Aid Funds, Inc. for use of their software system for administering the Guaranteed Student Loan Program as well as adding a finder's fee onto the existing contract with the state attorney general's office concerning collection of defaulted loans. Oklahoma still has $42 million in student loan defaults. The regents were told by Smith that the current computer system used for the guaranteed Please see REGENTS page 8.
Doomed balloons down area lights By James Jackson
Student Writer
Several Central State University students found themselves unable to find their way out of the library due to a power failure Thursday night. "I was thankful that it wasn't a fire," said Darren Judson, CSU forensic science senior. "I was in the library at about 9:30 Thursday night when the lights went out. I fumbled around from shelf to shelf. No fire exit signs were working," said Judson. David McClellan, director of the CSU physical plant, said a control contactor—a simple mechanical switch—failed to pull on an emergency generator. Normally, the emergency lights in the library operate from an emergency generator. Within five to 15 seconds after the power cuts off, the generator should start to supply power to enough lights to safely exit the building, he said. The emergency power generators have been checked on a quarterly basis previously. There are plans now to change to bimonthly checks, McClellan said. Workers in the library and campus police student officers escorted the students outside. The number of people in the
on
library at the time of the power failure is unknown. Campus police also evacuated students from West Hall, East Hall and Murdaugh Hall. Bobby Roberts, CSU police chief, said the evacuations took about five to seven minutes. "Some officers were momentarily trapped in the library elevator but they were able to open the doors. The elevator was only two feet above the floor," Roberts said. The failure occurred when some balloons with metallic tape streamers escaped from a nearby sorority party and became entangled with the main power lines delivering electricity to the north section of the CSU campus. Charles Moore, Electrical Manager/Superintendent of Edmond Power, said a circuit breaker in the power substation on Danfdrth failed to trip, which caused a transformer to be taken off-line. This caused the black-out. The outage affected some areas surrounding CSU including Edmond Memorial Hospital, he said. Power was restored in most places within 45 minutes, Moore said.