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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1974)
Two Hours of Music and Comedy in Revue In the Arena Theater Nov 14,15,16, 20, 21, 22, 23 9:30 Curtain—Tickets $2.50—Box Office 686-4191 Women’s Oppression and the Women’s Movement: A Revolutionary View A Forum Presented by Women from the Revolutionary Union Friday Nov. 22 7:30 p.m. 138 Commonwealth Sponsored by NUC and the Anna Louise Strong Collective Smokeless Lunches r~\ II al - -l M Ihrn F mm 122.1 \lder Enjoy all sorts ot sandwiches Solami Corned Beef Capicolio Pastrami Prosciutto picmc Horn Provolonc Cheese and other favorites Schlitz on Draft 30 a glass 7 5 o pitcher “Pizan s After Dark Live Music Fridoy 9 !2 p.m WOMEN! See Lieutenant Lynne Hanei About Opportunities As A WOMAN NAVAL OFFICER On Campus 18-21 November Located EMU/ Century F STftTi (^uttU'uU 'ptvtum fvu6eMU. The Sunday, November 24 8:00pm EMU Ballroom Students $3.00 Others $3.50 Limited Seating. rickets at EMU Main Desk and at the door Philosophy department 'walking a tightrope' Editor's note: This is the eighth in the Emerald's series on the financial state of the University. Friday: the School of Journalism. By LESLIE ZAITZ Of the Emerald Putting a price tag on philosophy is a bit like trying to fix a price tag on air. You just don't go down to the store and order some. But even if philosophy did come in gallon jugs, the University philosophy department could probably only window shop while itching to haul out gallons and gallons. Like other departments at the University, the philosophy department is faced with serious financial problems that are now worrying professors about the quality of education. Reductions in staff in the past five years have had a direct affect on the quality of education for 600-700 students. Such ''frills'' as outside speakers and films have been totally eliminated; careful grading has fallen by the wayside. The graduate program, some say, is under the threat of extinction. Arnulf Zweig, head of the department, said the department is in the same sinking financial boat as other University depart ments and is somewhat angered that professors must teach ex tremely overloaded classes simply to justify the request for additional funds and staff positions. He teaches the largest class with 177 students. Such large class loads have lead to a decline in the quality of work professors can do with each student. Zweig says that the average class load was 18 students per class last year, but increased enrollment has pushed the average to 25. Don Levi, an associate professor, says the larger classes "make it more difficult to pay attention to in dividual student needs." He adds, "In philosophy, it is essential they get feedback on their ideas." Drawing by Alfred Li Andrea Nye, a graduate student, echoed his thoughts. “Such large classes are not conducive to a really good discussion. The students are worried about those big classes. They don't get up and speak. I know I feel more inhibited in front of a huge class.'' In addition to the limitation on discussion, professors are severely limited in how they can handle student papers. Said Nye, "It's really a problem. Because there are not as many teaching assistants, the professors are grading more papers and they just can't do a good job when they have to. And they want to." Levi said careful grading is important to students. The grades and comments on papers serve as a barometer of a student's progress. "The problem is they have very little chance to know if they're making any progress without having something to compare their work with," he said. One of the most critical cuts in the department has come in the elimination of outside speakers. Zweig said philosophers from other parts of the country are extremely important to giving students a sound philosophy education and in providing ideas in addition to what the depart ment's staff can provide. Zweig noted sadly, however, the department has had only one outside speaker in the past two years. "And he did it voluntarily because he was here as a can didate for a position," explained the professor. The department once spon sored a nationally-known philosophy colloquium "bringing in some of the most outstanding philc.- ophers of the century. People from all over the Nor thwest attended. However, the $1,200 price tag was just too steep for a shrinking budget Zweig says the department hasn't really suffered because of the University library's financial ( Continued on Page 19) People fast for famine stricken In order to call attention to North America's disproportionate consumption of the world's foods, the Eugene affiliate of the international Oxford Committee for Famine Relief (OXFAM) is asking people to spend today in fast. The money saved by missing meals will be used to help small farmers in poor nations to grow food where the world's hungry people live. OXFAM was begun in England shortly after World War II. The main thrust of its efforts is directed at increasing the quantity of food produced by famine areas, as well as direction of activities designed to bring more immediate relief to an area. Money raised in today's fast, in which OXFAM groups throughout the world are ( Continued on Page 19) IFC gives funds to four women athletes, attaches statement to avoid precedence ::$SSS-S-Kwswtw::w & Women's Intercollegiate Athletics Director Becky Sisley asked for and got a $125 allocation from the Incidental Fee Committee (IFC) Wednesday night. The money was earmarked for travel expenditures for four women athletes to a Northwest Collegiate Women's Sports Association conference in Spokane. An additional request for $435 to send a single woman athlete representative to a Houston conference was rejected. The debate concerning the $125 allocation lasted for nearly an hour, most of it revolving around IFC Chairer Jane Aikens' motion that the IFC co-sign a letter to the Eugene business community asking for funds. Both the other IFC members and Sisley eventually rejected this idea as unworkable. It was finally decided that the $125 would be allocated along with a statement from the IFC that this move should not be viewed as setting a precedent. Also meeting with the IFC were representatives of the Government Dep dendent Student Coalition. They explained that the organization, which had formerly dealt only with the University's 1,300 student veterans, now desired to expand its services to include all students who are dependent upon the government for education in any form, such as social security, welfare and food stamps. They said that while their office ex penditures were taken care of under their present allocation, last year's IFC only allocated them $50 for program and operating costs. The IFC said that they would meet again with the group when it had prepared a budget that was based on the school year that remains rather than for the year as a whole as it is now written. Action on Alternative Film and En tertainment society was tabled until next week.
