The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 69, No. 29, Ed. 1 Friday, April 16, 1982 Page: 3 of 16
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BEYOND THE HEDGES/by Michele Gillespie
Computer course aids
Russian students at UT
A new microcomputer at the
University of Texas Department of
Slavic languages appears to teach
students Russian with greater
success than either the classroom
or listening lab approach.
One assistant professor sees
positive results from the teaching
aid after only two weeks. "I had a
real vocabulary problem in my
classes, mostly because Russian is
a little more difficult than most
foreign languages," said Gilbert
Rappaport, assistant professor of
Slavic languages.
"Right now the computer is
programmed for vocabulary only.
But it has the capacity to use
graphs and figures for the more
complex moving verbs that are
incorporated in Russian," he
added.
The microcomputer, with a
printer and additional memory
unit, cost the department $3300,
which they consider relatively
inexpensive. The key to the success
of the system lies in its simplicity
and applicability to quizzes.
Students write down the answers
while at the microcomputer. In a
listening lab situation, the majority
of students do not respond at all to
the questions on the tapes.
The Russian courses require
students to work on the computer
for at least a half hour a day. But
Rappaport finds that students
spend much more time working
with the computer than the
minimum requirements.
Rappaport is quick to point out,
"The computer is a compromise.
With the computer and the
classroom combined, we have a
four skill approach — reading,
writing, listening, and speaking.r
Prof burnout examined
at New York gathering
At a recent national symposium
for academic administrators and
faculty members held in New York
City, participants discussed faculty
"burnout," a condition
characterized by physical and
emotional exhaustion and the
feelings of severe professional
restrictions.
"Burnout is a grab-bag term that
has arisen only lately and has
something to do with the times,"
stated Joseph Katz, director of
research for human development,
and educational policy at
S.U.N.Y., Stony Brook. "It
includes everything from
aspirations through disatisfactions
to straight clinical depression."
"It comes from plugged-up
mobility and a general sense of
retraction., .with declining
economic and social status. It
includes fatigue and absence of
challenge," he added.
According to Herbert J.
Freudenberger, author of a book
on burnout and fellow with the
American Psychological Associa-
tion, burnout arises when faculty
members are innundated with
assignments.
"But they are expected to take
new and creative apporaches to
their work. Society's values are
supposed to uphold traditional
values and not change....Faculty
members are torn in all different
ways."
Ayala Pines, research associate
at University of California,
Berkeley, says the main causes of
burnout are "lack of significance in
your work" and "lack of control
over your environment."
Stony Brook's Mr. Katz believes
some faculty burnout is a result of
today's students. "The students we
have now are different from the
students in the 50s and 60s." he
said. "They come with less
academic background, and need
more remediation. Some are
disrespectful and others are
downright hostile. Half of them
drift into class during the first half
hour and others drift out during
the last half hour. Obviously, this
takes its toll on the faculty and our
sense of utility."
Mr. Freudenberger said faculty
members must lower their goals
and detach themselves from their
jobs. "Faculty members try to live
up to goals that are unattainable.
They are too involved in what they
are doing."
Committee castigates
Columbia hiring policy
A group of Columbia University
faculty members and administra-
tors drafted an open letter
criticizing the hiring of tenured
female professors in the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences. The
letter states that the GSAS has
compiled a "disappointing" and
"unacceptable" record in hiring
tenured female professors.
"Since 1972, six women have
received tenure in the GSAS and
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four other women have resigned or
retired from tenure lines, leaving a
net increase of two," states the
letter signed by the "Ad Hoc
Committee of Women at
Columbia."
The School of Business is the
only other division at Columbia
that did not meet its "utilization
level" for women. This goal is
based on the proportion of women
in the pool of prospective
applicants for faculty positions.
Though students filed charges
against the School of Law for
discrimination against women and
minorities in its faculty hiring, the
School of Law met its utilization
levels for both categories.
According to Columbia's 1977
affirmative action plan originated
by the Office of Equal Opportunity
and Affirmative Action, GSAS
held 488 full-time faculty,
including 19 women and 259
tenure faculty, of which 14 were
women.
Assistant professor of English,
Constance Jordan stated, "The
statistics are highly suggestive that
the GSAS has not been in the best
possible faith in hiring women."
The 1981 update indicates that
the GSAS humanities depart ments
DOONESBURY
hi bepnie' professor
what arb cavendish is
you doing our sick urn.
HERE7 BEPNiES fill-
ing w
... for him
rf>.
goop morning, all, and welcome to
thewald6nwar.games forthenext
hour, we will ee responding to com
i puterscenarjos simulating a nuc-
isor oonfrontatton. tub
program 15 modelled af-
ter similar exercises
staged by the t&hagon.
OKAY, HERE'S THE SCENARIO. IT'S
PAY ONE. BOTH SUPERPOWERS ARE
MOBILIZING. SOVIET TROOPS ARE MASS-
■ mourn GERMAN BORDER. MIKE,
' WHAT IS YOUR. RESPONSE AS CHAIR-
\ MAN Of THE
$ JOINT CHIEFS :
it's now woo hours on pay
two. theres been an exchange
of tactical nuclear weapons and
i we've just lost a trjpeht, mous
response options are coming up
t / on your
screens!
mr.vice
president1
. YOU're in
1 charge
■ NOW!
n
fabulous! i think
this war is surviv-
ablef i'm an opti-
mist! lets get a
pial06ue going! al,
' Hours it going
urn civil.
dff&lse?
"tL
THE BLAST SHOCK
WAVES ARE
KNOCKING OUT
HEY! MY COMMUNICATIONS!
TERMINAL EVERYONE OATH-
' IS DOWN' ERAROUNPTER
| MINAL FIVE FOR
ARMAGEDDON'
jtsmam
but this is intro i pont minp i've
computer science! planmep something
awt you kind of special for you
slumming, berne? why-computer
generated
mp
games'
EACH OF YOU HAS BEEN ALIGNED A
PLACE IN me CHAIN OF COMMAND.
AS THE CRISIS GROWS, YOU MUST USE
YOUR COPE BOOKS1D RELAY ORDERS
T0Y0URsmre-_
gc forces.
I'M PUTTING GOOP! MR
MY TACTICAL PRESIDENT, IM OUT
NUCLEAR WEA- WHAT IS RIPING
PONS ON FULL- YOUR PC- BUT I'M
ALERT AS PER SITION7 UJEARJNG
PRESIDENT MY BEEPER.
REAGAN'S
ORDERSI
IT'S UP TO YOU, MR.
PRESIDENT! WHAT ANAPU<
tS y0URJ%?JTt0N THE WHITE
Atw/- HOUSE STTUA
J/0NR00M.
not too goop tm try- better-hurry.
ing to evacuate the we're start-
midwest sector. 3uti ing to track
dcnthave enough some ss-h's
guard units tv over we
deploy in both jg-.' bering
chicago and mjski strait'
°Z°3
WHERE ARE WE WATT. LOOKS
INTHESUCCES- LIKE HE Fl-
SIONT WHO'S NALLY60TR1D
IN CHARGE' OFALLTHOSE ,
TREES <
i've worked up a program
to simulate a nucuarcdn-
oames7 frchtawn. each of you
\ gets to play someone in
jhbcom-
fchain
fall shortest of hiring goals for
women, employing fifteen female
professors and associate
professors out of the expected 32.
Of these fifteen, twelve are
tenured.
The Ad Hoc Committee believes
the GSAS does not search hard
enough for qualified women when
making appointments, but Dean
of GSAS, George Fraenkel, argues
that the composition of the
school's entire faculty has changed
very little over the past decade,
which he concedes accounts for the
lack of change.
(5$fa
r one at a
i want a'05 time, one
to be ajsh ^ ^ can ^
alhai6' i vme. be the
in approximately is seconds, the
program will appear on your pis-
plays. if at any vme, you wish to
try to resolve the crisis through
quiet plplomacy,simply press the
clear. buwn a
could be a mistake.
remember. tensions
are very high'
!
UH-OH1 THE
s0viet5
just fired a
goopness'
round of
try to be
nerve gas
careful,
into a for
ward unit'
0<* aa
the StTUAlM ROOM! tm still
but you're supposed waiting for
to be aloft in the nancy to
national emergency finish pack-
airborne control ing, anp.. oh
post by x
now.'
NO i just
took a 01-
rbcthrr
CANT SAVE THATSAPE- ITSCER-
BOTHCTT1ES. CI5I0NONLY TAINLYNO
I THINK 1 YOU CAN SKIN OFF
BETTER BAG MAKE. MR. MY NOSE.
DETROIT. WHAT SECRETARY IVE AL
POWU GUYS READY BEEN
think''
vaporized.
MAD8-S2
pilot?
%
READY7.
code: red'
LET THE
code . .uh
games begin!
never minp
justafioct.
OF GEESE.
NO! YOU'RE OVER-
REACTING! it's
it's A just A BORDER
TRAP! i'm incipent!
601W ALL these
NUCLEAR'. JB cute ltttie
~7v mushroom?!
you are not.
i'm in al. where's
char6b! vice presi- 1m
i'm IN cent bush? %***-
char66! maine
whats
up? -x
co 3 —
hey, bern1e. could
"it you rj6 ME up fop,
jwwftj wc-man while
. you guys finish
off the psinet'
50thats nota0ap thanks. i was
what the piece of up all night
end looks program- getting the
like.. ming, bern uttie houses
vbwwpown
T he Rice Thresher, April 16. 1982. .1
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Grob, Jay. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 69, No. 29, Ed. 1 Friday, April 16, 1982, newspaper, April 16, 1982; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245501/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.