The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 34, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 28, 1987 Page: 1 of 8
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The North Texas Daily
Wednesday, October 28, 1987 North Texas State University, Denton, Texas 71st Year No. 34
New Texas law expels education degrees
By Jay Johnson
Staff Writer
A new law that will eliminate undergraduate degrees
in education in 1991 will weaken the education of teachers,
not strengthe > it as the Legislature intended, an NT
education dean said Tuesday.
“The law, in our estimation, was a mistake,” said
Dr. Richard Simms, the College of Education’s associate
dean for academic affairs.
“It limits people who plan to be teachers to 18 hours
of education courses, which means six hours of student
teaching and four other courses,” Simms said. “Barbers
and beauticians have more contact requirements (in the
field) than that.”
Senate Bill 994 was passed because of the mistaken
notion that an education degree was mostly education
courses, he said. About 85 percent of the coursework
for a degree in education are courses in the College of
Arts and Sciences. More than 100 hours are taken outside
of the College of Education.
“The coursework taken in teaching fields is ultimately
the same as that taken to earn an undergraduate degree
in arts and sciences,” Simms said. “A person who
Officials diagnose
remedy for Flow
By Kathy Linton
and Floyd Eggen
Daily Reporters
Financially troubled Flow Memorial Hospital does not
have much time, but it could survive if taken over by a
non-profit corporation by Jan. 1, said Michael Barton,
president of Hospital Management Professionals Inc.
Denton city and county officials asked Barton to do a
feasibility study on leasing the public hospital to a non-profit
corporation.
The hospital will need $40,(XX) from the city and county
to cover the costs of indigent health care through the end
of this year and $80,000 to cover existing cash-flow losses,
Barton said.
He said his projections are based on the hospital’s financial
records and on interviews with physicians.
Barton said the proposed corporation would contract with
the county and city to care for indigent patients at Medicaid
rates, but would not be an exclusive contract.
Under the corporate contract the hospital would be operated
initially as a family practice, primary care facility and could
perhaps reopen the obstetrics department by the end of 1988,
Barton said.
City officials have approved the non-profit corporation
concept as a way of keeping open the public hospital, which
provides medical care for most of the county’s indigent
patients. Denton county commissioners have voted to close
or sell the hospital.
The Texas Attorney General's Office, which represents
the public’s interest in charitable trusts, likely will move to
keep the hospital open, said Assistant Attorney General
Shelie Cheaney. Flow was established by a trust in 1947.
Ann Kitchen, an assistant attorney general in the charitable
trust division, said, “We will jump right in. We don’t
plan to delay anything. We can see that this has gone on a
long time, and we need to get it resolved.”
Kitchen said a legal document stating the attorney general's
stance should arrive in the state district court in Denton
this week.
Kitchen said Flow’s situation is unique. “Flow’s problem
is unusual because the hospital was established by a charitable
trust. With other city-county hospitals, the governmental
entities become involved voluntarily. But here, trustees gave
money and duties to the city and county, and they are stuck
with being co-partners," Kitchen said.
Barton said that many dixitors have left the hospital because
of the instability created by the city and county politics,
but most of the doctors indicated they want Flow to remain
open. “But they will stay away unless something changes,”
Barton said.
“Last summer, during a campaign to create a hospital
tax district, the hospital broke even and showed a profit
just on the hope that flow would stay open,” Barton said,
11 Barbers and beauticians have
more contact requirements (in the
field) than that. ??
—Dr. Richard Simms,
associate dean for academic affairs
College of Education
wanted to be a math or journalism teacher took the same
number and type of courses in the field.
“The whole idea behind the law is fallacious. We
worked hard to keep it from being enacted, but we found
that their minds seemed made up.”
Simms said the College of Education would have to
drop some majors because of the law, but that the overall
effect on the college would be minor.
“The preparation of teachers is a relatively small,
but historically important, part of what we do,” he said.
“We prepare superintendents, principals, counselors,
physical educators, business educators and others. Even
if the law stands as it was passed, the effect on the
college will not be that great because of its diversity.”
Students who are already enrolled majors that must
be dropped when the law takes effect in September 1991
will be allowed to complete work on their degrees, Simms
said.
He said the loss of elementary education degrees will
be the hardest part of the law to cope with if it is not
amended.
“What this new law says is that we won’t teach
elementary education,” Simms said. “A person who
teaches kindergarten through grade six is in a self-
contained classroom teaching math, science, social studies
and even art or music in some cases. The new law does
absolutely nothing to prepare the elementary education
teacher to teach six different subjects.”
The 1984 reforms that changed teacher certification
requirements to allow a full semester of student teaching
was ignored by the Legislature when it wrote the new
law, Simms said.
“It was like the Legislature was in a time warp,”
he said, “like they were unaware of the strides taken
since 1984. This change was a minor recommendation
of the (Governor’s) Select Committee (on Higher Educa-
tion.) In actuality they sjtent very little time studying
the issue.”
The positive aspect about the new law is the requirement
for supervision of teachers the first year they teach after
graduation, Simms said.
“The law requires that each teacher’s entry year is
probationary,” he said. “During that time the teacher
is under the supervision of a veteran teacher. This can
help the new teacher get a better experience that first
year and help reduce the number of drop outs,” he
said.
About 50 percent of teachers drop out of their careers
after five years, he said.
The state education commissioner has suggested that
the state Board of Education might recommend changes
to the law during the next legislative session in 1989,
and Simms said he expects the law to be amended before
it goes into effect.
Kim Hopkms/NT Daily Staff
THE COUNT IS ON—Dr. Frank Feigert of comes his contribution to the 643 pints of
the political science faculty displays a look of blood given Tuesday, said Wadley Blood
horror as Dr. J. B. “Count” Spalding wel- Center officials.
NT dean is first
to get award
since 1982
By Joy Jones
Staff Writer
NT Dean of Students Joe Stewart is the first since 1982 to receive the
Texas Association of Colleges and University Personnel Administration's
Distinguished Service Award.
The association is a group of about 350 college and university employees
who work closely with students. This includes deans of students, programming
personnel, housing personnel and other
student affairs personnel. The as-
sociation’s membership includes per-
sonnel from both state and private
schools.
Stewart, who has worked at NT
since 1971, said he was nominated
for the award by Greg Sawyer, as-
sistant dean of students, and Barbara
Jungjohan. associate dean of students.
“They caught me completely off
guard,” he said. “They didn’t tell
me until a couple of days before the
meeting that they had nominated
me.”
Jungjohan said: “Greg Sawyer was
the one who looked at the qualifica-
tions required for the award. Greg said
we should nominate Dr. Stewart, and I agreed.
“I’ve worked with Dr. Stewart for 16 years here at NT. and both Greg
and I feel he (Stewart) has done an outstanding job of representing students'
interests.”
Dr. Don Mills, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs at Texas Chnstian
University, is past president of the association and served as chairman of
the Selection Committee.
“We selected Dr. Stewart based on three things—service given to the
organization, service to the home institution and general serv ice to the student
affairs profession,” Mills said. “There are relatively few people nominated
for the award because so few qualify for it.”
Stewart said he has been especially pleased with several programs instituted
by the Dean of Students Office since he joined NT.
“We’ve been very successful with services offered to the total student
population, including disabled students, commuters and international
programs,” he said.
“We’re very glad that we’ve maintained a lot of individuality for students
in a fast-growing student population, and we are committed to the total
student development concept—a combination of academics and out-of-class
activites in a continuous process to contribute to his or her well-being.”
Stewart
$75,655 generates four lights
Cost includes foundations, poles, labor, lamps, fixtures
By Stephen E. Hadeler
Staff Writer
Four security and safety lights were erected
earlier this month on campus as part of safety
improvements funded by the state legislature.
The cost for the installation of four new lights
on campus was $75,655. This includes the cost
of the foundations, the poles, the fixtures, the
lamps, the wiring, and the labor for installation,
said Ray McFarlane, director of the physical plant.
“We have spent the money as the projects come
along. Since building projects under $200,000 do
not have to be approved by the Board of Regents,
decisions on how many lights to install and when
projects will be started are made by Vice President
for Administrative Affairs Fred Pole in consultation
with NT Chancellor Al Hurley,” McFarlane said.
The money was appropriated by the state in
1979 for safety improvements and the money for
the installation of the new lights came from this
fund.
The foundations must be 12 to 15 feet in depth
and concrete reinforced, the poles are 100 feet
ft We have spent the money as
the projects come along ...To
keep construction costs down,
NT takes bids on building
projects. If
—Ray McFarlane,
physical plant director
high, and it takes workers two to three days to
install just one pole, McFarlane said.
“To keep construction costs down NT takes
bids on building projects. By competitive bidding
we send a set of plans for the project out to all
interested parties in this area who do the specified
kind of work for the project,” he said. “We
normally allow two to three weeks for the bidding
process. Following those two to three weeks all
firms participating in the bidding submit their plans,
and the decision is made on which offer NT will
take,” McFarlane said.
Usually once the bidding process is over there
are five to six months between the time the project
is awarded and construction is begun, he said.
The most recent project was bid on last sum-
mer, the contract was signed by Humphrey
and Associates in September and construction is
scheduled to begin in February, McFarlane said.
That project will consist of the installation of
two new additional lights and the mounting of
additional lights to poles already erected, he said.
One of the new lights will be located immediately
west of the Clark Hall cafeteria and will provide
lighting for the Clark Hall parking lot and the
gravel lot on Maple avenue on the west side of
Ave. C.
The second light will be installed southeast of
the Services Building in the parking lot. Additional
fixtures will be installed on poles located at Avenue
D and Highland and Chestnut streets west of the
Physical Education Building. McFarlane said.
What's Inside
INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN PIANIST TO TICKLE IVORIES-
Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich. an internationally known pianist, will
perform today at 8:15 p.m. in the School of Music Concert Hall The
pianist's program will include Johan Christian Bach’s “Partita No
4,” Hohannes Brahm’s “Fantasiestuck. Op. 116" and Fran Peter
Shubert’s "Sonata in b flat Major, D. 960.” See Page 5.
CLUB RBL GIVES PATRONS MUSIC TO CUT A RUG BY-Club
RBL, the newest addition to the programming in the University Union's
Rock Bottom Lounge, was created to give NT students a chance to
dance to the newest music. See Page 6.
DOMINATING DEFENSE HELPS EAGLES SOAR TO TOP—The
NT football team is 5-2 for the season and 4-0 in Southland Conference
play. The Eagles are also fifth in the nation in Division 1-AA and first
in the SLC. A major reason for this record is NT's defensive unit; one
that has been dominant all season See Page 8.
Weather
Highs in the upper 70s.
Light northerly winds.
Lows in the lower 50s.
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Dowlearn, Laura. The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 34, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 28, 1987, newspaper, October 28, 1987; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth561394/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.