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'September 27, 1984 Vol. 83, No. 9
,ITISTA
Thursday Edition
Central State University, Edmond, Oklahoma
19 file for 20 student senate slots
Elections cancelled By Phil Ellsworth Student senate elections, originally scheduled for Wednesday, were not held due to the fact that 20 positions were open and only 19 petitions had been filed for those jobs. Senate President Joe McCourry said he did not feel the shortage of office-seekers was due to student apathy. "I think it's because of our general student make-up," McCourry said. "Most of our students are commuters and one-third of our classes are evening classes. McCourry also said age is a factor. "The average age of students at CSU is 27, whereas the average age at other schools is probably 21 or 22," he said. "These (older) students seem to feel that the student senate is for 'younger kids.' This is just not so." McCourry said the purpose of the student senate is to voice the student's ideas and opinions in all areas of student activity.
"The student senate has the ability to influence academic policy," McCourry said. "When a resolution has been brought before the senate it is then discussed and debated and a vote is taken. If it passes, it is carried to the appropriate administrative office." A resolution dealing with academic questions can be taken to Dr. James E. Perry, vice president of academic affairs or to Dr. Dudley Ryan, vice president of student services if it deals with a non-academic matter. McCourry said the student senate can also talk with deans and department chairmen to resolve problems and improve faculty-student relations. "As the school grows, we've seen an increase in interest in the student senate. This is due to the increase in responsibility and ability of the senate to influence policy," McCourry added.
Phones called 'marvelous' By Mary Martin On August 17, a computerized phone system was installed to replace the antiquated, manuallyoperated switchboard.
The three operators have moved into a newly remodeled office in the basement of Murdaugh Hall, leaving behind their seats at the obsolete switchboard.
Patton given army award By Paul Busch "A friend, a past leader, a supporter," words used to describe Dr. Lucille Patton, recipient of the Outstanding Civilian Service award presented at the military science fall awards assembly held at Central State University recently. As the former Dean of the College of Special Arts and Sciences, Patton was honored with the second highest award that the U.S. Army gives to a civilian in recognition for her dedication and support in the department's ROTC program. Patton became eligible for the honor after being recommended by the commanding officers in the military science department. Her name was submitted to the U.S. Army which selected her from applicants throughout the country. Since her first year at CSU, Patton has worked behind the scenes for the department by serving on committees, attending numerous summer camps and being present at all ceremonies of the cadets. Patton said that ROTC programs across college campuses play a major role in the nation's defense and offer the necessary training for tomorrow's army. Also the recipient of the army's Oklahoma District Service award, Patton believes the credit of the ROTC program at Central State, Oklahoma's largest, is due to the commanding officers. "They are model officers, and I couldn't be more pleased to have been associated with them," she said.
In this issue... First Debate tournament scheduled...page 3 Alumni art exhibit opens...page 4 Student faces work/school dilemma...page 4 Women prone to knee injuries...page 7 Bronchos to meet Northeastern State...page 8
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"I think the new system is marvelous. I'm very pleased and thankful for the new office," said Merrilea Smith, chief operator. "I may work 'til I'm 100!" Although recent callers into the system might have felt that being answered was "a dream come true," Smith says the new system is her dream come true. "We can handle calls probably twice as fast with the computerized switchboard as we could with the old one," Smith said. Smith attributes the recent problems to the operators, secretaries and faculty having to get accustomed to the new system.
With the new system came new extension numbers. Ninety-five percent of the old extensions merely had a "2" placed in front of them. The others were given completely new numbers, which the operators had to look up. On the old phones, secretaries had to push a button before answering a call. If they do this on the new Rolm phones, the call will be disconnected. According to Smith, the operators are now handling more internal calls. This is largely due to the fact that if an extension is rung but there is no answer or it's busy, the call will automatically come back to the operator. However, it will appear as just another incoming call, so the caller must explain his dilemma. To speed service, Smith urges students and other callers to request extension numbers instead of names when calling. Also, she says it is important users understand that the new four-digit numbers are extensions, and not the second half of regular telephone numbers.
Bill Salyer, as "The King" recalls his days as a circus clown to "The Girl," played by Rebecca Wooldridge, in Central State University's production of "Cave Dwellers," to be presented at 8 p.m. Oct. 4-6 and 11-73 at Mitchell Hall Auditorium.
Computers streamline new library catalogue By Shannon Blockcolski Picture the college library of the future: students sitting at computers punching numbers to display video discs of such works as Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" or Roget's "Thesaurus." Long gone will be the days of the typical gray haired librarian and the dusty, yellow paged books. In their place will be a keyboard and terminal, researching and displaying information in a micro-second. The above image is becoming reality in the CSU library with the addition of The Northwestern System, the cataloguing computers students use to find a book. This is the only public university in the state that has such a system in operation, and is one of six universities in the nation to have The Northwestern System, including Northwestern University, Harvard University, University of Florida, Washington University, University of North Alabama and Auburn University. Several other universities have visited and studied the computer system here. Baylor University, Texas Christian University and Dallas Community College have all shown interest in the library. All of the computers are put on a central computer in Ohio, which provides the CSU computers with all of the information concerning new books, cataloguing and authors. The computer can then tell a student whether a book has been checked out or is even in the library just by punching the right keys. "This is a great benefit for the library and for students, because our old card catalogue was at least six months behind," said Dr. John Lolley, chairman of the CSU library. Another aspect of the system is On Line Data Base Searching, which allows the computer to pull information from commercial data bases, which are actually full libraries on computer. The universities' computer can ask for information on any book or topic and then receive either citation information, which is just the title of the information, or the full text, which includes the whole work. This program is a result of a university research grant and can currently only be used by graduate students and the faculty. Lolley sees the arrival of the electronic library as inevitable. "The computer is nothing but a typewriter and a terminal. It is cheaper and easier to locate information with, and one can store a whole shelf of books on a microchip. Yet the use of computers totally involves tradeoffs. I am an unabashed print person, but the economics involved such as the tremendous reduction in cost is a factor."