Outlook / the University of Maryland, College Park (1987)

Volume 1, Number 20

The University of Maryland College Park,

J

February 16, 1987

News
Briefs

UMCP to Host

State Legislators

The campus will play host to
Maryland lawmakers during
Legislators Basketball Day, Sun., Feb.
22, The annual event begins at noon
with a basketball game in Cole Field
House between members of the
Maryland Senate and House of
Delegates and UMCP administrators.

New State's Attorney to
give Black History Talk

Alexander Williams, former professor
of law at Howard University and
newly elected State's Attorney for
Prince George's County, will be the
guest speaker at a lecture Feb. 19,
2-4 p.m. in the Nyumburu Cultural
Center located in the South Campus
Dining Hall. Williams, the first black
person to be elected to the state's at-
torney office in P.G. County, will
speak on black political advance-
ments in Maryland and the oppor-
tunities available for black people in
the county. The lecture is free.

Coach Wade to Speak

"Black Athletes: The Image vs. the
Reality," is the topic of a free pro-
gram to be held Fri., Feb. 20, in the
Tortuga Room of the Stamp Student
Union from II to 1 p.m. basketball
coach Bob Wade, UMCP Academic
Counselor John Bowman, football
player Azizuddin Abdor-Ra'oof and
lawyer Michael A. Powell will speak.

Professorship Endowed

William E. Mayer, who earned both
his bachelors and MBA degrees from
UMCP in 1966 and 1967, has
established a permanent endowment
fund to support a professorship in
his name in the College of Business
and Management. The endowment
will provide annual income in
perpetuity to support the work of a
nationally- recognized senior scholar
in the field of finance. Mayer has
agreed to provide an annual con-
tribution of at least 150,000 in order
to build the total support for the
professorship to $500,000.

Inside

Computer Games 2

Education Frieze 3

Calendar 4

Photography Exhibit. 4

Love's Labor's Lost. 5

Power Engineering 6

Kirk & Young 7

International Survey. 8

UMCP Reaccredited by

the Middle States Association

The University of Maryland College
Park has received good news. After a
wide-ranging examination which in-
cluded a major self-assessment and an
intensive on-site visit by an evalua-
tion team, the Campus has been
reaccredited — without any condi-
tions.

The reaccreditation of the Campus
was conducted by the Commission
on Higher Education of the Middle
States Association of Colleges and
Schools. It was part of a complex
process which takes place every ten
years. In its notification that the
Campus has been reaccredited, the

Middle States Commision also re-
quested that a report be completed
by October 15, 1988 to detail further
steps that the Campus is taking to
strengthen academic control of inter-
collegiate athletics. The Commission
also noted that the Periodic Review
Report due October 1, 199!, will be
expected to reflect the results of
priority setting in the institutional
planning and budgeting process.

As a major part of the reaccredita-
tion process, last fail UMCP com-
pleted a major 1 55-page report: "The
Middle States Self-Study: The Univer-
sity of Maryland College Park,"

which the team used as the basis for
its extensive examination of the
Campus.

In its letter to Chancellor John B.
Slaughter reaffirming College Park's
accreditation, the Commission com-
mended the Campus for the quality
of this self-study document, produc-
ed after a year of weekly meetings
by almost one hundred UMCP facul-
ty, staff and students.

The recommendations in the
34 -page report produced by the
Commission's evaluation team concur
for the most part with those contain-
ed in UMCP's self-evaluation.

Referring to this document, Dr. C.
Peter Magrath, president of the
University of Missouri and chair of
the evaluation team, stated in his
report to the commission: "We leave
our study and visit of this university
impressed by the self-study effort it
g has developed and convinced that, if
I imaginatively used, it can serve as a
o vehicle for continuing improvement.
* The great strength of the study is
both its candor and the sweep of
issues it examines. Indeed, we urge
the administration to disseminate the
study widely to all faculty in order
to promote structured discussion of
the questions it raises. Even more,
we believe that the self-study and ac-
creditation visit can, and should, lead
to the implementation of a more
complete and structured planning
and educational priority setting effort
than currently is in place. We sense,
moreover, that the leaders of the
campus, and its senior faculty, are
eager to move ahead in this direc-
tion."

continued on page 3

Contel Corp. Becomes Partner
With Systems Research Center

The Contel Corporation became an
industrial sustaining partner of the
University's Systems Research Center
(SRC) last Monday when the first in-
stallment of an annual 8200,000 Con-
tel grant was presented to UM Presi-
dent John Toll.

The presentation was made by
William Kamachaitis, Contel's Ex-
ecutive Vice President and President
of the company's Fairfax, Virginia-
based Federal Systems Sector.

"This is an important milestone for
Contel in its partnership with educa-
tion," he said. " By supporting the
Systems Research Center and the ef-
fort to identify challenging and rele-
vant technical problems, we are help-
ing to attract the finest minds in the
technology arena. It is this
technology partnership between in-
dustry and university that will forge

strong ties to keep America in the
forefront of the competitive world
market."

The Systems Research Center is a
joint government-industry-academic
endeavor aimed at maintaining U.S.
leadership in vital areas of engineer-
ing technology. Its primary research
theme is the promotion of basic
study in the applications and implica-
tions of advanced computer
technology in the engineering design
of high performance, complex
automatic control and communica-
tions systems.

The Federal Systems Sector serves
U.S. and foreign governments at the
national level having needs for com-
plex telecommunications and data
processing systems and services.

As an industrial sustaining partner,
Contel will be involved with the SRC

in three specific research programs —
Wideband Detection Techniques, Sur-
vivable Network Routing and In-
tegrated Services, and Artificial In-
telligence and Software Engineering:
Using Knowledge to Guide Re- use.

The company also will have a seat
on both the SRC's Research and Ad-
ministrative Councils and will be able
to name at least one Resident
Research Fellow to the Center.

In accepting the Contel grant on
behalf of the University, President
Toll called the Contel-SRC affiliation
a national model for other partner-
ships between industry, government
and universities. "Increasing the
number of such affiliations with in-
dustry positions The University of
Maryland on the cutting edge of
research in this country," he said, ■

February 16, 1987

RESEARCH UPDATES

Soybeans, International Trade on Floppy Disks

Imagine. You're sitting at a computer
terminal in New Orleans, You arc at
the hub of frenzied activity in the
high-powered world of international
trade. And you are bombarded with
decisions that you, and only you,
can make.

Should you buy, sell, stand firm?
Do you need insurance to cover
those cargo vessels, ready to dock
somewhere in Japan where terrorists
have threatened to blow up the har-
bor? What do you do now that the
truckers are on strike and the news
from Chicago says get that shipment
through or lose your shirt?

This isn't a scene from one of Ivan
Boesky's latest flights of fancy. Rather
it is the latest brainchild of
agricultural economists Earl Brown
and Richard Levins. Brown is
recognized nationally for his educa-
tional efforts in international trade.
Levins for his work in computer ap-
plications in agriculture.

If necessity is the mother of inven-
tion, then innovation certainly must
be the father.

At least that's how Brown
describes how he came up with the
idea for SOYBEAN TRADER, a com-
puter game that is more than a
game — it's a deadfy serious educa-
tional tool.

"As an educator, my task was to
find a way to make a complex sub-
ject easier to understand and, at the
same time, interesting to a broad au-
dience," says Brown.

He didn't want to go the tradi-
tional route. " You know, just write
another manuscript and hope some-
one reads it and learns something
about international trade."

In fact, the S 200, 000 grant Brown
received from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and other groups was
contingent upon finding innovative
ways to educate students and farmers
about international trade — not exactly
the kind of subject that causes
swarming behavior among those two
groups.

Outlook

Outlook is published weekly during the academic
year by the Office of Institutional Advancement for
the facutty and staff of The University of Maryland
College Park Campus.

A.H. Edwards. Vice Chancellor

for Institutional Advancement
Rot Hiebert. Director of Public Information & Editor
Mercy Coogan, Production Editor
Tom Orwell, Tim McDonough,
Brian Busek, Staff Writers
Stuart Hales, Student Intern

John T, Con soli Designer & Coordinator
Stephen A. Darrou, Design & Production
Margaret A. Hall. Design & Production
Eric Moore, Student Intern
A I Danegger, Contributing Photography

Letters to Hie editor, story suggestions, campus informa-
tion and calendar items are welcome. Send to Roz
Hiebert. Editor OUTLOOK, 2101 Turner Building, through
campus mail or to The University of Maryland. Coflege
Park. MO 20742. Our telephone number is (301) 4S4-S33S

QOflOQ

Dr. Earl Brown

But SOYBEAN TRADER has. in-
deed, caused a mild sensation among
students, farmers and interested par-
ties in other states besides Maryland,

"The idea behind SOYBEAN'
TRADER is to teach basic principles
of international trade. I wanted to
strike a balance between a fun, but
useless computer game and sterile
education," says Brown.

The result is the equivalent of two
to three weeks of a college course,
crammed onto a floppy disk, that
still manages to be fun.

Adds Brown: " And realistic. The
kinds of situations you as a player
will face arc right out of real-life
situations an international trader in
soybeans faces."

The program, which will run on
any IBM -PC or compatible with 256K
of memory and a color graphics
adapter, has three large databases, ac-
cording to Brown. So the chances of
running into identical situations every
time you sit down to play the game
are pretty slim, he says.

"SOYBEAN TRADER is a reinforc-

Graduate Student Giveaway
in the College of Education

Each year LIMCP's Center for Educa-
tional Research and Development
(CERD) gives away graduate students
to those in need.

The giveaway is known as the
"CERD Associates" competition, and
the needy are professors in the Col-
lege of Education,

The Center is the unit of the Col-
lege of Education that distributes
research money received from the
state of Maryland. In the case of the
CERD Associates, funds are earmark-
ed for a limited number of graduate
assistantships to aid faculty in their
research. According to John Guthrie,
CERD director and professor in tin-
Department of Curriculum and In-
struction, the state provided 830,000
for these assistantships this year,

Estahlished in 1981, the competi-
tion is open to all faculty members
in the College. Professors submit
research proposals to CERD in the
fall; the assistantships are then award-
ed for the rest of the academic year.
According to Guthrie, individual
grants this year ranged from $7,000
to 89,000, depending on the level of

graduate student required — M.A. or
Ph.D.

Guthrie says that because of the
competition involved, the winning
proposals "represent some of the
best research in education in the Col-
lege —in the field as well."

People and projects winning sup-
port this year are:

• Steve Graham, assistant professor
in the Department of Special Educa-
tion, is studying the writing habits of
learning disabled students. These
students, he says, are often unable to
plan independently and write the
essays and stories they are assigned
in school.

Graham hopes his research will
result in a workable method that can
be used to teach these students how
to think through and organize their
essays before they sit down to write,
evaluate their progress as they write,
and to work without constant
supervision.

• Paul Markham, assistant professor
in the Department of Curriculum and
Instruction, is looking at the best ap-
proach for teaching vocabulary to

ing mechanism to learning," Brown
stresses. "If you just sit down and
play the game 10 or 15 times, you
will pick up some of the subtle
nuances of international trade."

"The game works best when you
use it in conjunction with classroom
instruction or workshops," he says.

Brown — who says his educational
philosophy is "the most opportune
time to learn something is when you
need to know it" — has shipped com-
plimentary copies of the game to
every state's Cooperative Extension
Service,

Here, in Maryland, the game is
catching on with this state's farmers
— a group whose future is increasing-
ly dependent on understanding the
complexities of international trade,
and one of Brown's real target au-
diences for education.

"When we tested an earlier version
of the game at the Maryland State
Fair, the kids were initially attracted
to the color graphics. Kids today
seem to be uninhibited about
computers."

Soon, however, adds Brown,
"farmers and other adults started
moving in on the kids, losing their
inhibitions about computers, especial-
ly when they learned how easy it
was to play."

What's in store for the future?
"We're working now on a new com-
puter game for commodities trading,"
says Brown. "And a national satellite
feed for a teleconference on interna-
tional trade in February."

Maybe it's a good thing Ivan
Boesky didn't have his fingers in this
one. ■

—Skip Myers

students for whom English is a se-
cond language, Is it better for these
students to learn new words in
English by reviewing definitions and
synonyms, or learning them in the
context of selected readings? How is
retention affected in the short term
and the long term?

• Stephen Porges, professor in the
Department of Human Development,
is working on validating a teacher
rating scale to detect behavioral pro-
blems associated with students' atten-
tional disorders in elementary school
classrooms. The rating scale was
designed by Porges in the early
1980s for high school students and
adults in Illinois schools.

• teri Benson, associate professor in
the Department of Measurement,
Statistics, and Evaluation, is doing a
statistical study using the LISREL
computer program. Benson is
evaluating the strength of LISREL
when using imperfect data. The
study will have implications for
testing theoretical models in the
fields of psychology, sociology,
economics, marketing and education.

PRELUDE Wins Gold Award

The University of Maryland's admis-
sions recruitment publication
PRELUDE won a gold award (first
place) in the catagory of student
viewbooks for schools over 10,000
students in the 2nd Annus] Admis-
sions Advertising Awards competi-
tion. This year's competition by the
Admissions Marketing Report drew

more than 500 entries from over 200
colleges, universities and technical
schools around the country. Second
place was awarded to West Virginia
University.

PRELUDE is designed and produc-
ed at the College Park Campus by
the Office of Institutional Advance-
ment, Creative Services, for the Of-
fice of Undergraduate Admissions.

Outlook

February 16, 1987

Graduate Students Honored

UMCP's topflight graduate students
this week will receive recognition for
their contributions to the University.
The UMCP Graduate School is
hosting a program and reception for
graduate students holding major
fellowships on Tues., Feb. 17, in the
Art/Sociology Building. The program
begins at 3:30 p.m. in Room 2003
Art/Sociology Building with the
reception following in the Atrium of
the Art/Sociology Building.

College of Education to Unveil
Work of Art Depicting Its History

Faculty and students of the College
of Education are anxiously awaiting
the unveiling of a frieze depicting the
history of education that will hang in
the north lobby of the Benjamin
Building.

The 4 by 1 6-foot frieze is a gift to
the College by Randall J. Craig,
associate professor of art education in
the Department of Curriculum and
Instruction. Craig is well known,
especially in his home city of
Baltimore, as an influential black ar-
tist and sculptor.

The unveiling ceremony, schedul-
ed as part of the College's celebra-
tion of Black History Month, will
take place in the Benjamin Building
on Feb. 24, at 4:30 p.m. Chancellor
John Slaughter and joe! Carrington,
member of the Board of Regents and
a 1970 alumnus of the College, will
speak at the ceremony. Dean Dale
Scannell will accept Craig's work on
behalf of the College. A reception
and display of the artist's other
works will follow. The frieze traces
the history of education from the
time of Aristotle to the most recent
efforts by the College in the state of
Maryland.

Scannell says the work will be a
lasting gift to the College. "It sym-
bolizes education in our culture over
a long period of time and recognizes
the important leaders that have made
significant contributions to the
development of education."

Associate Dean C. Raymond Ander-
son is also pleased. "We think it is a
very nice rendering of the history of

I J. Craig standing In front of a portion of Ms frieze, entitled "History of the College of Educa-
tion," which will be dedicated on February 24th In the north lobby of the Benjamin Bldg.

education in one 16-foot frieze," he
says. "1 personally believe its
presence lends a bit of class to an
otherwise quiet building."

Craig, who came up with the idea
of creating the piece for the lobby,
says his purpose was twofold: "One,

to help with the buildings beautifica-
tion; the other was to give a visual
statement on the important stages of
teaching."

Craig says the work, entitled "The
History of the College of Education,"
represents different stages in the

development of education —
influential philosophies, leaders, and
events. A likeness of the late Harold
R.W. Benjamin, renowned education
scholar and dean of the College from
1941-1949, is featured prominently in
the work. The frieze has the iook of
bronze, but is actually made of resin
and fiberglass.

"It's a multi-cultural piece," Cratg
says. "There are Black persons, Asian
persons, handicapped persons, Anglo-
Saxon persons — it depicts the range
of groups in a multi-cultural display."
Craig credits Robert Risinger, pro-
fessor emeritus of education, with
providing much of the historical
background necessary for the frieze.
Clark Mestor, a doctoral student in
art education, assisted in its creation.

Though he is well versed in the
use of resin and fiberglass, Craig says
the frieze was a challenge. "It's dif-
ferent from other things that I've
done — it's a large piece— the
challenge was to fill up that wall."

Ac ha Dcbcla, lecturer of African
and Afro-American art at UMES, has
said of Craig's work: "The lifelike
representations and the unique con-
gruity of elements used in his art are
profoundly expressive. His preference
of the human subject is obvious ...
his familiarity with the material, com-
bined with his artistic skill, shows a
convincing perfection allowing a
strong statement ..."

Anderson says the draped artwork
in the north lobby has caused a stir.
"There's a lot of curiosity on the
part of the faculty and students about
what exactly is behind that curtain
down there. It's creating some
mystery and excitement— but no
pecks!" ■

— Tim McDonough

UMCP Passes Reaccreditation Process

continued from page 1

Magrath also complimented the
University for the cooperation the
team had received from top ad-
ministrators, the Regents, faculty, staff
and students. He said, "If any one
characteristic impressed us, it was
their openness and candor in discuss-
ing issues with us — and with
themselves, These of course are sigrts
of a healthy institution, and we
believe that the University of
Maryland College Park, despite the
challenges before it, is a healthy and
significant American university."

Reviewing the evaluation team's
report at the Feb. 6 Board of Regents
meeting, Vice Chancellor for
Academic Affairs and Provost William
E. Kirwan noted that the report sup-
ported most of UMCP's self- study
recommendations. He also pointed
out that in one respect the report's
recommendation differed from that
of the self-study,

"The team did not support the
recommendation for the creation of
an Honors College. The Campus was
asked to reassess the feasibility and
desirability of such a college," said

Kirwan.

The Commission's report, much
like the self-study, provides observa-
tions and recommendations on the
following: traditional duties and new
challenges; auricular reforms; quality
of campus life; governing, financing,
and managing the campus; the need
for an integrated master plan;
academic computing issues; library
resources and facilities.

It supports the Chancellor's aim to
make quality undergraduate educa-
tion one of the top goals of the cam-
pus by emphasizing the importance
of the undergraduate experience ear-
ly in its narrative. Recommending in-
creased interaction among students,
faculty, and administrators, it also
suggests the possibility that freshmen
remain as "pre-majors" for their first
year on campus and highlights the
need for the campus to strengthen its
advising and retention programs.

The report also applauds UMCP's
interest in reforming the
undergraduate curriculum, encourages
continued investigation of feasible ap-
proaches for including foreign

language studies in the education ex-
perience of students, and discusses
actions which might be effective in
improving the quality of campus life.

It supports the need for enhanced
funding, better coordination and
management of campus information
technology, increasing computing
support staff, greater integration of
library and computing services, and
encouraging the State to grant the
Campus greater autonomy and in-
dependence in the management of its
its own financial affairs.

The report focuses particular atten-
tion on improving administrative effi-
ciency in its discussion of the need
for the Campus to have an integrated
master plan. But it makes the obser-
vation that "College Park's first tier
graduate and research aspirations are
inconsistent with its organiza-
tional/capital/support infrastructure,
The infrastructure necessary to sup-
port a distinguished research universi-
ty includes computing facilities, a
data communications system, a par-
ticular kind of library, certain
academic support services, a highly

professional administrative staff, and
a modern physical plant (not
necessarily new, but modern).
Without a master plan for rebuilding
this infrastructure at UMCP, the
possibility of slipping into the broad
"second tier" of state universities is
far from remote, in research and
graduate studies as well as in
undergraduate education."

The strengths— and weaknesses— of
College Park are amply discussed in
the report, and College Park's pro-
gress since its last accreditation is
summarized well by Magrath, who
says, "...the team is heartened by the
progress being made by the Universi-
ty of Maryland College Park in recent
years, even as we believe — and its
candid self-study confirms this— that
changes and improvements must be
made if it is to fulfill its aspirations."

Copies of the Middle State's evalua-
tion report may be found in the
libraries and in departmental and
dean's offices. ■

-Roz Hiebert

3

Outlook

February 16, 1987

Free Dance Class Available

The UMCP Dance Department will
present a day of free classes on Sa£.,
Feb. 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Modern dance technique, improvisa-
tion, and repertory classes will be of-
fered as well as an informal perfor-
mance of student and faculty works.
Participants should bring a bag lunch
and meet in Temporary Bldg. EE.
For more information, call Alvin
Mayes at 454-4056.

February 16 — February 23

MONDA Y

February 16

Richard L Hopkins (UMCP) will speak
about "Long-Term Planning for Colleges
of Agriculture: The Case of Burkina Faso
(West Africa)" at an International
Development Colloquium from noon-1
p.m. in 21 1B South Administration Bldg.
Call x6407 for info.*

Math Colloquium: John Benedetto
(UMCP) will discuss "The Definition of
the Fourier Transform" at 3 p.m. in 3206
Mathematics Bldg. Call x2841 for info.*

Robert O'Neil (Purdue) will deliver an En-
tomology Colloquium on "Predator
Search Strategy and Life History
Characteristics at Low Prey Densities" at
4 p.m. in 0200 Symons Hall. Call x3843
for info.*

Women's Basketball vs. Georgia Tech.
Cole Field House, 5:30 p.m.

Men's Basketball vs. Central Florida,
Cole Field House, 8 p.m.

TVESDA Y

February 1 7

Mac-Arthur Speaker Series: Nancy Lubin
(Office of Technology Assessment) will
discuss "Soviet Central Asia" from
noon-1 :30 p.m. in the Morrill Hall student
lounge. Call x4344 for info.*

Public Affairs Seminar: Mary J.
Cochran, director of finance and ad-
ministration at the Washington Suburban
Sanitary Commission, will speak about
"What Does it Mean to be a Chartered

Financial Analyst in the Public Sector?"
from 3-5 p.m. in the student lounge of
Morrill Hall. Call x3250 for info. '

Max Dresden (SUNY-Stony Brook) will
deliver a Physics Colloquium on

"Statistical Mechanics and Cellular
Automata" at 4 p.m. in Z-1410 Physics
Bldg. Call x3511 for info.'

Movie, "She's Gotta' Have It," Hoff
Theater, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Call x2594
for info.

University Theatre Production, "Ubu
Roi," Pugliese Theatre, 8 p.m. Call
x2201 for info.

WE ONES DA Y

February 18

Stephen B. Thomas (UMCP) will talk
about "Alcohol and Drug Abuse Preven-
tion for American Blacks: Targeting the
Message" at a Counseling Center R&D
Meeting from noon-1 p.m. in the Testing
Room of Shoemaker Hall. Call x2932 for
into.*

Agricultural and Extension Education
Seminar: Peter Jarvis (U. of Surrey,
England) will deliver "A Sociological
Perspective on Adutt Learning Theory"
from 12:15-1:30 p.m. in 0115 Symons
Hall. Call X4933 for info. *

The Auryn String Quartet of West Ger-
many will present a free concert in the
Music Library of Hombake at 12:30 p.m.
Call X6669 for info.*

Astronomy Colloquium: Don Ellison
(UMCP) will discuss "The Efficiency of
Fermi Shock Acceleration: Theory and
Observations" at 4 p.m. in 1113 Com-
puter and Space Sciences Bldg. Call
x3511 for info.'

Photography exhibit Is being held In the Parents Association Art Gallery from January 28— April 17.

University Theatre Production, "Ubu
Roi," Pugliese Theatre, 8 p.m. Call
x2201 for info.

Men's Basketball vs. UMBC, Cole Field
House, 8 p.m.

Movie, "She's Gotta' Have It," Hoff
Theater, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Call x2594
for info.

THVRSDA Y

February 19

Meteorology Seminar: Gerald R. North
(Texas A&M) will discuss "A Strategy for
Measuring Tropical Rain from Space" at
3:30 p.m. in the Meteorology Annex. Call
X2708 for info.*

The Graduate Student Association will
meet at 4 p.m. in 0102 Francis Scott Key
Hall to discuss graduate housing and
legal aid for students. Call x4205 for
info.*

Rebecca Herb (UMCP) will deliver a
Math Seminar on "The Results of
Cassel man-Mi I icic on Asymptotics" at 4
p.m. in 1313 Mathematics Bldg. Call
x2841 for info.*

Physics Seminar: Sankar Das-Sarma
(UMCP) will talk about "Numerical
Simulation of Non-Equilibrium Processes:
Crystal Growth, Epitaxy and Surface Dif-
fusion" at 4:15 p.m. in 1410 Physics
Bldg. Call X3511 for info.*

University Theatre Production, "Ubu
Roi," Pugliese Theatre, 8 p.m. Call
x2201 for info.

Movie, "About Last Night," Hoff Theater,
7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Call X2594 for info.

FRIDAY

February 20

The UMCP chapter of Sigma Xi, the na-
tional honorary of the biological sciences,
will host a colloquium by Hugh Sisler on
the "Mode of Action of Antifungal Com-
pounds" from 11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m. in
1208 Zoology/Psychology Bldg. Call
X5063 for info.*

Domingos Lobo (D.C, Dept. of Human
Services) wilt discuss "The Paraphernalia
of Cocaine Use" at a Lunch 'N Learn
Conference sponsored by the UMCP
Mental Health Service. The conference is
in 3100E of the Health Center from 1-2
p.m. Call x4925 for info.*

"U.S. Policy in Central America: Its Im-
pact on the Labor Movement Here and
There" will be the topic of a General
Honors Colloquium at 2 p.m. in 0110
Hornbake Library. Call x2532 for info.*

Institute for Advanced Computer
Studies: Donald Norman will lecture on
"The Psychology of Everyday Things" at
3 p.m. in 2324 Computer and Space
Sciences Bldg. Call X1808 for info.*

University Theatre Production, "Ubu
Roi," Pugliese Theatre, 8 p.m. Call
x2201 for info.

Movie, "About Last Night," Hoff Theater,
7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Call x2594 for info.

Midnight Movie, "The Gods Must Be
Crazy," Hoff Theater. Call x2594 for info.

SATURDAY

February 21

Wrestling vs. Ctemson, Cole Field
House, 1 p.m.*

Gymnastics vs. UNC-Radford and
Florida, Cole Field House, 7 p.m.*

University Theatre Production, "Ubu
Roi," Pugliese Theatre, 8 p.m. Call
X2201 for info.

Movie, "About Last Night," Hoff Theater,
7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Call x2594 for info.

Midnight Movie, "The Gods Must Be
Crazy," Hoff Theater. Call x2594 for info.

SUNDAY

February 22

University Theatre Production, "Ubu
Roi," Pugliese Theatre, 8 p.m. Call
X2201 for info.

The Ensemble for Early Music will pre-
sent a University Community Concert

titled "Medieval Madness" at 3 p.m. in
the Auditorium of the Center for Adult
Education. A seminar will precede the
concert at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $13 and
$11.50. Call x6534 for info.*

Men's Basketball vs. Wake Forest, Cote
Field House, 4 p.m.

Movie, "About Last Night," Hoff Theater,
7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Call x2594 for info.

MONDAY

February 23

The Economics Dept. will host an Inter-
national Trade and Development
Workshop on "Safeguards Policy and a
Conservative Social Welfare Function"
featuring Alan Deardorff (U. of Michigan)
at 3:30 p.m. in Q2106 Tydings. Call
x3447 for info.*

James W, Jones (U, of Florida) will speak
about "Applying Models to Improve Crop
and Pest Management" at an En-
tomology Colloquium at 4 p.m. in 0200
Symons Hall. Call x5875 for info,*

Computer Science Lecture: Nancy Mar-
tin of SoftPerl Systems (Nashua, N.H.)
will discuss "The Software Engineering of
Expert Systems" at 4 p.m. in 2324 Com-
puter Science Center. Call x4255 for
info*

History and Philosophy of Science Col-
loquium: William Wallace (Catholic U.)
will talk about "Galileo and the
Aristotelians" at 4:15 p.m. in 1117 Fran-
cis Scott Key Hall. Call x2850 for info.*

Channon Price (UMCP) will deliver a
Space Science Seminar on "Lion Roars
and Mirror Waves" at 4:30 p.m. in 1113
Computer and Space Sciences Bldg. Call
x7313 for info.*

tree

If you have an event you would like to
include in the calendar, please submit it
in uniting at least 10 working days
prior to the week the event occurs.

Original Music

by UMCP Composer

An original composition by Larry
Moss (Music) will be performed this
week by the Auryn Quartet, a string
quartet of West German students stu-
dying this year at UMCP. They will
play Moss' String Quartet #3 in a
concert at 12:30 p.m. Wed., Feb, 18,
in the music library on the third
floor of Hombake Library. Moss
wrote the piece, which was commis-
sioned by the Kindler Foundation, in
1981. The concert is free.

Tickets on Sale for Tolomeo

Tickets are on sale for the spring
production of Handel's Tolomeo by
The University of Maryland Opera
Theatre. The opera will be perform-
ed at 8 p.m. April 11, 13 and 15 and
at 2 p.m., April 14, in Tawes Recital
Hall. Nicholas McGegan, musical
director of the Philharmonia Baroque

Orchestra in San Francisco, is the
guest director and conductor for the
production. The Smithsonian Concer-
to Grosso will perform as guest ar-
tists. Tolomeo will be presented
under the auspices of the Center for
Baroque and Renaissance Studies and
the Maryland Handel Festival. For
ticket information call 454-7271.

OUTLOOK

February 16, 1987

Elam Switches from

Topical to Traditional for Play

Nothing revolutionary will happen, in
the University Theatre's production
of Love's Labor's Lost, but it's a
radical departure for director Harry
Elam Jr.

Elam, assistant professor of Com-
municatiortlArts and Theatre,
specializes in social, political and
revolutionary theater. Love's Labor's
Lost, which opens at 8 p.m, Thurs-
day, Feb. 26, in Tawes Theatre, is
Flam's first Shakespearean produc-
tion.

The play is a comedy set in a
kingdom in which the court has
decided to change its lifestyle. The
king and his nobles have vowed to
give up easy living and devote
themselves to a more earnest way of
life.

They pledge to cut themselves off
from such pleasures as drink and

women for three years to concen-
trate on higher pursuits. Just as they
make their commitment to a
monastic lifestyle, a beautiful princess
and her court arrive from France.

The men are captivated by the
women and begin a comic struggle
between their vows and their desires.

In preparing his first Shakespearean
play for the stage, Elam has con-
fronted such challenges as unfamiliar
language and obscure references.

Elam has had to tutor his actors in
the proper articulation of
Shakespearean verse.

"The most important part of it is
that they get the meaning across.
They need to be clear on how
Shakespeare set up his words to ac-
complish his goals.

"If you speak to get across the
meaning, the poetry of the play will

come through," he says.

In looking at the script, Elam
found the play filled with references
topical to Shakespeare's time but in-
comprehensible to today's audience.
Elam dealt with that problem by
trimming the script.

An occasional solution to the latter
problem is modernizing the play by
working in contemporary references
and dressing the cast in modern
costumes. However, Elam considered
it important to keep his production
historically accurate.

One reason Love's Labor's Lost
was chosen for the Theatre's season
was to give student costume
designers a chance to work on an
historical production. Master's can-
didate Julia Weiss is designing the
show's costumes as her senior thesis.

For the costumes, she subtly used
a playing card motif— symbolic of

the games the characters play with
other. The French women have the
familiar hearts, clubs, spades and
diamonds of French playing cards
worked into their costumes. Hints of
the coins, piques, bundles and
chalice that are featured on Spanish
playing cards are blended into the
men's costumes.

Elam has enjoyed his work with
Shakespearean comedy.

"The message is a simple one —
that one has to live life and not cut
himself off from any part of it. The
message isn't profoundly political,
but I think the audience will find it
fun."

Time and dates for the play are: 8
p.m. Feb. 26-28 and March 5-7 and 2
p.m. March 1 in Tawes Theatre.

For ticket information call
454-2201. ■

—Brian Busek

Journal Writing Turns
Artist into Author

For more than 25 years Anne Truitt
had devoted herself to sculptures and
paintings when a major retrospective
in 1973-74 made her step back from
her work.

A retrospective is a shock for an
artist, Truitt says, recalling her feel-
ings about the retrospective exhibited
at the Whitney Museum of American
Art in New York and the Corcoran
Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

"All your works of art are dragged
back into the light of day. You are
forced to go back over ground you
thought you'd never cross again."

After the retrospective, she felt a
need to consider what might have
been unexamined when she distilled
certain experiences into her work.

In response, she turned to a blank
notebook.

The UMCP art professor began
writing' in her notebook about art,
memories, children, places, the
changing seasons — wherever her life
led her thoughts. The exercise
achieved her immediate goal.

"I learned from myself. The
ground under my feet became more
solid," Truitt says.

But there was much more to it.
Her contemplation of her life went
beyond herself, touching on ideas
that attracted the attention of an
editor at Pantheon Books,

Pantheon published her writing in
Daybook: The Journal of an Artist, in
1982. This fall, Viking Penguin
published a second work by Truitt,
Turn: The Journal of an Artist.

Turn includes Truitt's writings
from a period beginning in the sum-
mer of 1982 and ending in the
autumn of 1984. The theme is the

turns that her life took during that
time. She explores changes in her
family, work, and perspective.

In a recent review of Turn in the
Washington Post Nancy Mairs wrote:
"Truitt's is just the sort of compan-
ionship I seek out: even-tempered,
self-affirming, deliberate, alive to the
nuances of nature and the human
spirit. At her best, she uses her ar-
tist's eye to hold two worlds {the
world of artifice and the natural
world) in a single interpenetrating
vision."

Truitt finds interesting grounds for
comparison between her two diverse
disciplines.

Much more time passes between
the completion and release of a
manuscript than the completion and
showing of an artwork, Truitt says.
This time lag gives a writer more of
a chance to distance herself from a
manuscript than an artist has to
distance herself from a work of art.

In addition, Truitt finds her writing
is often more accessible to people
than her art.

"The response is entirely different.
People find my sculpture difficult
to look at and understand. 1 received
hundreds of letters from people
across the country about Daybook. If
you write a book in plain English,
it's understandable (to its audience)
and that's gratifying."

Truitt is able to write without
neglecting her other work in the pro-
cess.

"I can do both until I get to the
point where I go back and work
with the manuscript. When I start
working on that, I find I can't do
anything but that." ■

Qutijook

February 16, 1987

Where Students Call Home

Where do UMCP students come
from? According to a study released
last month by the Office of Institu-
tional Studies, the answer is all coun-
ties in Maryland, 49 states in the
Union, and more than 100 foreign
countries. The leading Maryland
counties are Montgomery, Prince
George's, Anne Arundei, and

Baltimore County respectively. The
four leading states outside Maryland
are New York, New Jersey, Penn-
sylvania, and Virginia. Foreign coun-
tries with the largest number of
students at UMCP are China
(Taiwan), India, Republic of Korea,
People's Republic of China, Iran, and
Vietnam.

CLOSE UP

Generating Interest in Power Engineering

PEPCO'a Potomac River Generating Station In Alexandria, Va.

"Most Americans tend to take electric
power for granted," says electrical
engineering professor Fawzi Emad.
"We plug an appliance into an outlet
and turn it on without giving much
thought to how the energy that
makes it operate is generated and
distributed."

During a recent storm, Emad says,
a falling tree knocked down PEPCO
lines in his neighborhood. "Although
we lost electricity in the house, my
son immediately said: 'Dad, let's turn
on the television and see what
happened.'"

Emad and colleague Isaak
Mayergoyz have developed a power
engineering program within the Dept.
of Electrical Engineering which at-
tracts some 50 students each
semester.

"Electrical engineering is a very
diverse area of engineering, and it is
very difficult to find room for power
engineering courses in the required
curriculum," notes Mayergoyz. it
was for that reason that we made the
decision to establish the power pro-
gram courses open to both
undergraduate and graduate students.
This approach provides the oppor-
tunity to take advantage of the solid
background the students have in
mathematics, circuit theory, and elec-
tromagnetic theory and to concen-
trate the material in the power
courses," he says. "Such an approach
also allows us to attract students who
are interested in power, and this, in
turn, promotes the quality of power
education,"

The power industry itself has seen
the need to insure that an adequate
supply of trained engineers are
available. "It is the number one
priority," says Emad. "The industry
feels the need to encourage the
development of programs to supply

trained manpower for future needs."

Support for the L'MCP program
has come from both the University
and the electric power industry
through grants from Bechtcl Power
Corp,. Baltimore Gas and Electric
Co., Virginia Electric Power Co., the
General Electric Foundation, and
Potomac Electric Power Co.

"We are not just training our
students to find and hold jobs, but
training them with applied
knowledge that will equip them to
change with the changing dynamics
of the industrv." Emad savs.

Power companies have public rela-
tions problems. All too often the
public perception is of a huge
organization bent on collecting
money, raising rates and boiling fish
in rivers, notes Mayergoyz.

"One of the purposes of the
power engineering program is to
change this perception and to em-
phasize that electric power is the
marvel of our century, that people
arc so used to electric power
availability and reliability that they
tend to take it for granted. Whenever
there is a break in the power supply,
our normal mode of life is severely
disrupted," he says.

"Conventional fossil fuel-burning
power plants are monumental in
size," says Emad. "They can burn as
much as 50,000 gallons of fuel-per-
hour. When we take our students to
visit these facilities, they are exposed
to real life. Students can see that
economizing on fuel consumption,
even by one percent, could represent
the equivalent of a full-time
engineer's annual salary, or more."

Students have visited a BG&E
power plant and the Possum Point
Power Station of the Virginia Power
Company. These visits, Emad notes,
helped the students understand the
practical implications of the theory
they studied in class.

Power engineering is. an integral
part of the education of electrical
engineers, Mayergoyz says. The pro-
gram currently offers four courses:
"Electrical Power System Com-
ponents" for students interested in
learning about transformers, syn-
chronous generators and induction
motors used in industrv; "Power

Systems," the representation, analysis
and stability of power systems;
"Stability of Power Systems," stabili-
ty analysis; and "Electronic Circuits
for Nuclear Reactor Instrumentation,"
the basic understanding of nuclear
radiation and radiation detection. An
electrical machines laboratory, which
focuses on experiments with
machines under transient and steady
state conditions, is also offered.

Research is a part of the program
as well. Researchers have developed
a ncv,- analytical technique for the
calculation of eddy currents in fer-
romagnetic conductors. The techni-
que has been developed and applied
to the calculation of eddy current
losses in steel laminations subjected
to rotating magnetic fields which oc-
cur in many types of electrical
machinery and other devices. The
evaluation of losses caused by these
fields is of importance in the power
area. Other research has focused on
stability of power systems.

I-'aculty members in the program
include Eyad Abed, who joined the
Electrical Engineering Dept. as assis-
tant professor in 1983. He received
his undergraduate education at MIT
and his Ph.D. from the University of
California, Berkeley. His area of ex-
pertise is the control and stability of
power systems.

Development of these courses was
coordinated with representatives of
the power companies who also serve
on a power engineering steering
committee which meets annually to
discuss the current status of the
power program and ways of increas-
ing its responsiveness to the needs of
the industry.

Additional cooperation includes the
decision by BG&E to award annually
two scholarships to freshmen who
intend to take courses in the power
area, the awards continuing for four
years for each student.

During the past three years, Emad
says, the program has had a signifi-
cant impact on the Electrical
Engineering Department and the
power engineering community as a
whole. It has promoted education
and research in the area, has resulted
in mutually beneficial cooperation
between the power companies in the
community and the University, and
has produced electrical engineering
graduates with sound backgrounds in
power engineering. ■

— Tom Otwell

PEPCO'a Chalk Point Generating Station on the Patuxent Rlvsr in Prince George's County, Md.

Outlook

February 16, 1987

Maryland at a Glance:
1987 UM Profile Available

The new, 1987 pocket-sized profile
of The University of Maryland
system's five campuses, Center for
Evnironmental and Estuarine Studies,
Agricultural Experiment Station and
Cooperative Extension Service is
available from the Office of Universi-
ty Relations, Central Administration.

The profile, which unfolds to a two-
sided 12"xl8" sheet, provides an in-
formative and informal look at the
University, essential facts about each
campus, vital statistics, and a brief
history. The profile is a useful means
of introducting UM to those un-
familiar with the system and its many
resources. For information and
copies, call 853-3739.

COLLEGE PARK PEOP1

A Tale of Two Women

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Anne Kirk

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Judy Young

Judi Young and Anne Kirk don't
know one another. They both work
on campus, albeit on opposite sides
of "the route," Young is a Sec. II for
the Office of Minority Student Educa-
tion; Kirk is the supervisor of inven-
tory accounts in general stores,
which is part of the procurement
and supply department.

In many ways the two women
present stark contrasts: Young is
black, under thirty, a UMCP
employee for two years. Kirk, on the
other hand, is white, older than thir-
ty and has worked here for the past
decade.

"This is such an exciting office,"
Young says of OMSE. "Our purpose
is to offer support, especially
academic support, to minority
students. We provide great tutoring
opportunities as well as a warm and
friendly place for young people to
meet, talk and relax. I really enjoy
the one-on-one contact with
students."

"We run a busy operation here,"
Kirk says, "and do over a million
dollars in transactions each year.
Nearly all supplies — pencils, tissue,
light bulbs, typewriter ribbons, teas-
poons, napkins, work gloves, hand
soap, and on-and-on — required by
our campus, UMES ana UMBC are
ordered from this office. Most of my
work is done with a computer and
the telephone. We have the system
down pat."

Yet, despite their obvious dif-
ferences. Kirk and Young have a
common bond— one they share with
many other women not only on this
campus but all over the country:
single parenthood.

"Deanna is five years old," says
Young of her daughter, "I was 20
when she was born. I guess we're
both sort of growing up together. All
I know is that she is my inspiration.

I want so much for her."

Kirk says, "I've been single since
1976. My oldest son Jason is fifteen.
Paul is twelve. They are wonderful
kids and we're very close. In the
beginning, though, it was so difficult
for the three of us. Sometimes I
wonder how we made it through."

How Young and Kirk have and
continue to "make it through" is
another common thread they share.
For one thing, the two possess cer-
tain important inner resources, in-
cluding a rich sense of humor and
sure-fire survival instincts. Kirk, for
example, recalls the early years after
her divorce when her bi-weekly
paycheck was a pittance and her

family's diet consisted primarily of
beans.

"Now it's funny," she laughs, "but
back then 1 use to worry that the
boys weren't getting a decent diet.
And would you believe it? They
both still love beans — any and all
kinds of beans."

Young says, "I have big plans for
Deanna and me. After I graduate
from Maryland — I've been taking
courses since I've started working
here and now I'm a junior— I hope
to get a job that involves economic
forecasting or saies. Mainly 1 want to
make enough money to support my
daughter and myself. 1 want to be
able to afford good schools and a

BFSA Looking For New Members

Keep your eyes and ears open, the
Black Faculty and Staff Association is
alive and well, says BFSA president
Jerry L. Lewis.

Founded 17 years ago, the BFSA
today continues to speak and act on
behalf of the more than 850 black
classified and associate staff and facul-
ty employees on campus. But unlike
the past when much of the organiza-
tion's emphasis was on faculty con-
cerns, today's BFSA is also strongly
interested in drawing black classified
and associate staff, as well as
students, into the group.

"We share a very similar ex-
perience on the campus regardless of
our rank," Lewis says. "Bringing our
expertise together as scholars,
maintenance personnel, technicians,
lawyers, office workers, and other
jobs makes for a voice capable of
commanding attention. Working
together as a team, we can make a
difference. BFSA is trying to develop

strategies to address the concerns of
the black community on campus. We
cannot resolve all of the concerns,
but we can certainly make a
difference."

One effort instituted this year by
BFSA to increase the organization's
effectiveness is the mentorship pro-
gram. Black first year students are
assigned a classified or associate staff
or faculty member who offers help
and advice in adjusting to life on a
large college campus that is
predominantly white.

BFSA is planning a June conference
which will provide a forum for
blacks and others to address the con-
cerns of black students, faculty and
staff who work, live and learn in in-
stitutions similar to UMCP.

To join BFSA or to learn more
about the organization, call Judy
Johnson (x5811) or Sharon Fries
(x2925). ■

quality life for the two of us. Some
people may say this sounds awfully
idealistic. I say that I'm a person
who is willing to work very hard to
achieve my goals."

Young and Kirk speak freely about
the down side of being a single
parent — especially those moments
when the kids let on that they resent
or regret their father's absence from
the family. This is particularly true in
Kirk's case since her sons are well in-
to that wilderness called the teenage
years. It's tempting, she says, to
overcompensate for the sense of loss
her boys fee! by relaxing basic
discipline.

"I know I've been guilty of letting
up on rules as a way of showing the
kids that I understand what they're
going through," Kirk adds, "and
other women 1 know have done the
same thing. I think you can't do that,
however. Kids need discipline, love
and a lot of stability."

Young says, "Being a working
single parent means that you have to
teach children early to learn to give
and take. They have to understand
sooner than other kids, I guess, that
they are not the center of the
universe. In the long run this can be
a plus, however. At five my daughter
is already very independent."

Of course, most of the time Kirk
and Young aren't thinking about be-
ing single parents with full-time jobs.
Both are upbeat by nature individuals
whose busy lives are enriched by
good friends and supportive family
members. As Young neatly puts it: "I
prefer to look at the many goods
things in my life. My child, my
health, my job, my future plans and
others. I've already proved that I can
deal with the difficulties." ■

—Mercy Hardie Coogan

Outlook

February 16, 1987

Don't Leave UMCP Without It!

Qualifying UMCP faculty, associate
and classified staff have an oppor-
tunity to join the American Express
Corporate Card program. The card
will be issued at no cost to the
holder, and no fees or interest
charges of any kind will be imposed
by American Express as long as the
account is properly maintained.

The card is being offered chiefly
to assist UMCP personnel to separate
University-related travel expenses
from personal expenses. However,

use of the card is not limited to
University business.

The card has demonstrated its ef-
fectiveness at a number of major
universities as a means for simplifying
travel record keeping and for
meeting costs. For the UMCP cam-
pus, its use can help contain ad-
ministrative costs by minimizing the
need for cash advances.

Payments of amounts due on the
card are solely and entirely the card-
holder's personal obligation.
American Express reviews the credit-
worthiness of all card applicants.
To apply for a card, pick up an ap-
plication at the Travel Services Of-
fice, South Administration Bldg.,
Room 3125.

Computer Science
Department at 20

In the spring of 1967 computer
science became a degree-granting
program at UMCP for the first time.
To mark the 20th anniversary of this
campus milestone, the Department of
Computer Science will host a three-
day Open House, Mon. through
Wed., March 9-il. Each day will
have a different focus.

Computer science education will
be the theme for March 9. High
school students from Maryland and
Washington, DC. have been invited
to tour the facilities of the Computer
Science Center and other campus
computer laboratories. They will
have a chance to learn more about
the UMCP computer science educa-
tion program and to meet and talk
with faculty members and students.

On Tues., March 10, community
college and area college and universi-

ty as well as UMCP administrators
will tour the facilities and attend
forums and informal sessions devoted
to discussions of trends in computer
science. The goal is to develop a
dialogue between academic units and
academic institutions about future
directions in the field of computer
science.

Representatives from industry and
government will join faculty
members and friends on Wed.,
March 11 in a ceremony recognizing
contributions by various agencies and
corporations to the development of
the department's research programs.
An evening banquet will conclude
the three-day 20th anniversary
celebration.

For additional information about
the event, contact Nancy Lindley, the
Open House Committee, at
454-2002.

Honor Society
Members Sought

Sigma Circle of Omicron Delta Kap-
pa, the national leadership honor
society, is now accepting applications
for membership. Established at UMCP
in 1927, the society recognizes men
and women who have attained a
high standard of efficiency in col-
legiate activities. ODK recognizes
achievement in areas of scholarship,
athletics, social, service, religions ac-
tivities and campus government, jour-
nalism, speech and the mass media,
and creative and performing arts.

For information, contact the Office
of the Vice Chancellor for Student
Affairs, 454-5783.

New Asst. Comptroller Named

Edward C. Waskiewicz has been ap-
pointed the new Assistant Com-
ptroller for Contract and Grant Ac-
counting. He is responsible for cost
accounting, contract and grant ac-
counting, accounting for loan funds,
endowment funds, plant funds and
for inventory control. He was
formerly director of contract and
grant administration at Vandcrbilt
University and has served as com-
ptroller of the Wilmington (Del.)
Housing Authority and associate
director of contract and grant ad-
ministration at the University of
Delaware. His campus office is Rm.
3107, South Administration Bldg.,
and his phone number is 454-6812.

Student Awards
for Good Works

The Experiential Learning Programs
Office is taking applications for the
Robinson Student Humanitarian
Achievement Award. The award is
designed to recognize students who
have made outstanding contributions
to public service through humani-
tarian efforts in the past year and to
support them in carrying out a pro-
ject to address social needs within a
community. Four students from
UMCP will receive awards of SI, 500
each to carry out a humanitarian pro-
ject. The application deadline is Feb.
20. Award winners will be announc-
ed in April. For more information
call 454-4767.

Criteria Changed for
Kehoe and Kesler Awards

Campus Recreation Services, formerly
Intramural Sports and Recreation, has
announced new criteria for the James
H. Kehoe and Ethel Kesler awards.

Since 1982, the awards have em-
phasized achievement, sportsmanship
and program involvement. Starting
this year the award will recognize
"the highest degree of voluntary ser-
vice to the recreational needs" of
■students and staff at UMCP,

Nick Kovalakides, CRS director,
says the change was made to
highlight the efforts of staff
volunteers. The awards will be
presented at Campus Activities' An-
nual Awards Banquet in early April.
Nomination forms are available in
1 1 04 Armory. The deadline is Feb.
24.

Preschool Applications Open

The Center for Young Children,
located in the College of Education,
is now accepting applications for the
1987-88 school year. The Center of-
fers preschool and kindergarten
classes for three to five-year-old
children of faculty, staff and UMCP
students as well as families in the
community. Classes meet for 2 l A
hours daily, five days a week. The
Center's schedule coincides with that
of the University. Selection for
classes begins in March. For more in-
formation contact the Center at
454-2341.

Looking at Maryland

Through International Eyes

What is it that brings students from
all over the world to The University
of Maryland College Park?

According to a survey of interna-
tional students released last month,
48% decided to attend UMCP
because of the variety of academic
programs offered. At least half of
those surveyed said they will use
these programs to obtain graduate
degrees.

These statistics are pan of the fin-
dings of the survey, "Attitudes and
Perceptions of Incoming International
Students" conducted for UMCP's
Counseling Center by staff members
Susan Boyer and William Sedlacek.
Boyer, a doctoral student majoring in
Counseling Psychology, and
Sedlacek, the center's assistant direc-
tor and an associate professor in the
Depanment of Counseling and Per-
sonnel Services, interviewed 164 in-
ternational students entering the Col-
lege Park Campus during the Fall of
1985 and January 1986. The survey
was conducted with the help of the
Office of International Education
Services.

The authors say the study provides
UMCP faculty and staff with in-
valuable information they can use

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when setting student policy.

"As a group they represent hard-
working students who take their
education seriously," Boyer says of
those surveyed. "There are a lot of
difficulties coming to another coun-
try and pursuing a degree. The
University should take into considera-
tion these difficulties, and whenever
possible, try to ease their
adjustment."

Though academic variety was the
biggest incentive for international
students to leave their homes for the
College Park Campus, other reasons

were mentioned as well. Some 9%
said UMCP was closer to home than
other schools. Another 7% mention-
ed the school's proximity to
Washington. Though the student
sample was evenly divided between
graduate and undergraduate students,
a full 87% said their final academic
goal was advanced graduate
degrees — these included M.A., Ph.D.,
medicine, and law. Only 11% ex-
pected their highest academic degree
to be a bachelor's. When asked what
■ the hardest part of adjusting to col-
lege would be, 24% responded,

"meeting financial expenses." Other
challenges listed were earning
satisfactory grades (14%) and study-
ing efficiently (10%).

The study provides a glimpse at
the type of international student who
attends Maryland. Men made up the
majority of those surveyed. Some
60% of the students came from
South or East Asia, 17% from
Europe, 1 1 % from the Middle East,
5% from Latin America, and 2%
from Africa. Three-quarters of these
students had lived in the United
States less than a year.

Sedlacek says the findings will help
break down not only racial and
cultural stereotypes associated with
international students, but also the
notion that all students are the same
no matter where they come from.
"The important thing is that interna-
tional students have some similarities
to and some differences from other
students. It's important that we look
at those so that we can design our
programs in some optimal way." ■

— Tim McDonough

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