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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1978)
Computer science confronts problems By TODD ADAMS Of the Emerald The University computer sci ence department is at a cross roads — some critical problems demand attention and yet there is potential for improvement in a field of enormous growth. Dept. Head Steven Hedetniemi has seen some positive signs since arriving a year and a half ago, but problems such as out of-date equipment, demands on computer use and staff shortages New director will take charge still must be dealt with. A lot depends on the preroga tive of a new director of University Computing now being sought by a search committee, Hedetniemi says. “The new director is going to have to decide on how to proceed, how to generate some revenue,” he says. “And I'm talking about between a half million and $1.5 million.” And though the nation-wide search is almost over, the department s problems are not. This year’s operating budget in computer science left the depart ment low on funds this spring re sulting in curtailed access to the most vital computer science tool — the computer. “From the fall of 1976 to the fall of 1977, the number of credit hours enrolled in by students in the department rose by 41 per cent,” says Hedetniemi. ‘The Boyd (Continued from Page 1) together 42,000-plus people and not have some complaints,” Boyd responded. But I think the prob lems and complaints were at a fairly tow level.” When asked if he would support the idea of more such concerts at Autzen, Boyd says, “I’m open to the possibility.” Then Boyd adds, "I have to confess that I was one of those who was unenthusiastic about it. A University works years building a good reputation and you hate to jeopardize it for mere money, consequently, I had thought it was a high-risk proposi tion.” “But we had it, and the judge ment of people who thought it was a good idea" says Boyd, “turned out to be better than my own judgement, so if they wanted to have another one and I were as sured that the controls were as adequate, and if we could con tinue to get the minimum support necessary from the larger com munity, I would be willing to have another.” TAXPAYER REVOLT: "I think that a Proposition 13-like action would lead to increases in tuition fairly dramatically, and I think that would be very bad for Oregon be cause our tuition is high enough now so that any significant in crease would surely have the ef fect of reducing opportunity for a number of people who are now just barely able to get across the threshold.” Boyd adds, “Education could once again become a kind of or nament for the privileged, and I’m anxious for that not to happen. NEW METHODS OF FUND ING: Boyd feels “that we should be funded on what is technically called a program budget' rather than a head count or student dri ven model.” He feels the present method “does not provide ade quate support for basic research,” and makes programs that are not well-populated vulnerable since they can't be maintained. “Population goes up and down according to vogues and to job market, Boyd says. “University programs are established at great costs over a long-run of years,” and “need to be preserved from temporary deprivation.” MCAT GRE • OAT GMAT OCAT. MCAT* SAT• VAT• LSAT ECFMG • FLEX • VQE NAT'L DENT BOS • NURSING BDS STANLEY H. KAPLAN EDUCATIONAL CENTER Test Preparation Specialists Since 1938 OPEN DAYS, EVENINGS, & WEEKENDS For Information, Please Call: 343-2618 Summer Class in Eugene begins August 5th. Boyd has been working tor a new funding method for three years, and says, “No one’s going to be willing to go about new methods of funding until it’s clear what the tax system is going to be like.’’ Boyd has just returned from a meeting in Denver of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). The meeting was “to develop plans for cooper ation in the future of advanced graduate education,” says Boyd, “so that as schools reduce or eliminate programs, we can keep alive in each area all the programs that are needed.” Boyd says that the University is “more apt to provide advanced graduate instruction than to look for it elsewhere because it’s an important part of our mission.” The WICHE Student Exchange Program is designed to help stu dents from western states “obtain access to fields of professional education that are not availabe in their home states,’’ at in-state tui tion rates. Boyd says this is impor tant for Oregon students who want year-round librarianship training, for example. "Many GRADUATE programs are shrinking —the assumption is that many will shrink out of exis tence — like librarianship. If that’s going to happen it's terribly impor tant that we coordinate with sister institutions so we don’t all shrink the same program." Boyd says that he doesn’t ex pect to be eliminating much work at the advanced graduate level, but believes the volume of such work will be reduced substantially with smaller student populations. "But it would be prohibitively expensive and perhaps impossi ble to recreate them. If you let them go out of existence some would be lost forever," he adds. bistro • cafe • TAVERNA • restaurant • kafeneion • TAVERNA 675 E. 13th 343-0846 8:00 am-10:30 pm closed Tuesday comparison between the winter of 76 and winter of 77 showed a 34 percent rise." The influx of students puts a strain on the department’s budget and on use of the computer. But even if ample revenue is found next year, the problems won’t end there. “We have obsolete equip ment,” says Hedetniemi. “The computers we do have are out of date. One is eight years old (the model 50, 360 computer) and the other is six years old (the PDP-10). When they get that old, they tend to do what we call crash,’ or shut down.’’ Hedetniemi estimates it would take about $1 million to update the system in the department. “Computers can be purchased much cheaper now than a few years ago,” he notes. “We bought about a $25,000 micro-computer about four years ago. An equival ent machine could be had for about $1,000 now. According to Charles Klopfen stein, who has aided in the applica tion of computers in the chemistry department, the reduction in com puter price is the result of a change in the “economy to scale.” It used to be the bigger the compu ter, the more you got for the money, but because the cost of computer hardware (the mechan ical, electrical components) has gone down, it’s now cheaper to buy smaller models. Besides equipment needs and demands on computer use, another vexing problem is staff shortage. The department has hired two new instructors for the fall, only to fill existing vacancies. “We have the highest student faculty ratio of any department in the arts and sciences at the Uni versity,” says Hedetniemi. “Staff ing is a serious problem That’s not to say, however, that the present staff is not capable. In fact, Hedetniemi says the staff is perhaps the most positive of the department’s good points. “We have a high quality staff,” he says. “The instructor’s records are excellent. Faculty research is very active and some of the work that’s been done is super, super good.” Good rapport between the de partment staff and the profes sional staff at the computer sci ence center is another positive point, along with the graduate level program in computer sci ence, which Hedetniemi likens to a family in closeness and cooper ation between staff and students. “Things are definitely looking up,” says Hedetniemi. “We’ve seen definite improvement in the past year and a half.” HI M Dairy1 _niipph Queen Queen, Dairy Queen Best Milkshake and Hamburger in Town!! ^ Campus Dairy Queen 70S E. 13th Ave. Dairy Queen Dairy Queen _ We love phone orders. . P Ready to go when you * nive - Phone: 343-751* Dairy Queen DUFFY’S Live Music Friday & Saturday Foxe & Weasel 9 pm-2 am $1.00 cover Ron Lloyd every Tues. & Wed. 9 pm-1 am Hawaiian night $1.00 cover Saturday night anyone wearing Hawaiian garment FREE! 13th & Alder
