Maroon

              The MAROON Vol. 63, No. 2 Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118 August 31,1984 SGA to ask for 100% budget hike By Michael H. Kleinschrodt The Student Government Association voted to double its budget May 8 when it passed, unanimously and with no discussion, Resolution No. 4 which calls for the $10 SGA fee to be levied each semester rather than once per academic year. Before becoming final, this additional fee must be approved by the university Board of Trustees. The board is scheduled to vote on the issue at its meeting next week, according to Clark Kelly, SGA president. Kelly said the measure is supported by the Rev. James C. Carter, S.J., university president, and Vincent P. Knipfing, vice president for Student Affairs. This move could increase the SGA's annual budget from about $40,000 to more than $80,000 each year. Kelly said that last semester he instructed Sheila Earthman, who was then Business delegation president, to write the bill. He said he then arranged the bill's timing so that its chances for passage would not be hindered by negative publicity from The Maroon or by an outcry from students. Earthman is not attending Loyola this semester. According to Kelly, Loyola has "a plethora of small-minded thinkers" who cannot conceive of major projects that would revitalize the university community and who are not willing to do what it takes to complete them. Without the increase; Kelly said the SGA would be limited to doing small things. With the increase, he said 1984 could be a banner year for Loyola. He said that nothing big could be done with the SGA's $40,000 "Mickey Mouse" budget, pointing out that Tuiane University's student government body has an annual budget of about $400,000. Tuiane has an enrollment of about 10,000. Another benefit of the budget increase, according to Kelly, is that it would decrease the percentage of the SGA's total budget that is spent internally. Currently, the SGA's internal budget accounts for more than 50 percent of the total budget. If the total budget is doubled and the internal budget is not, the percentage would be significantly decreased. Kelly said that if the budget increase is approved, $15,000 of the increase would be added to the internal budget to pay for a program of prominent national speakers. Kelly said the increase is necessary to inaugurate this program and to implement other programs mentioned in his campaign. However, he said that he has given up his idea of developing a shuttle parking plan because it would be too costly and he has received little or no indication of support from the students. Also, he cannot yet initiate his proposed Council of Presidents, because too many organizations have not elected their officers. At Tuesday's meeting, the SGA passed, with no objections and no discussion, its proposed internal budget as prepared by Treasurer John Uhlenbrock. The budget was set at $26,400 but contains a provision to allow for a $15,000 increase should the trustees approve the SGA's requested budget increase. Another one bites the dust. Few people on campus this week could fail to notice the demolition of Cummings Hall, especially those in the Communications/Music Complex whose classrooms were only feet away from the falling debris. —Photo by John McCusker COMPACT dropped after negative review By Rene Sanchez COMP/ACT testing has been suspended indefinitely in response to negative faculty and student viewpoints concerning the test's ability to achieve its purpose. "The test doesn't seem to be doing what it was intended to do," said Dr. Patrick Bourgeois, associate dean of Common Curriculum. "And even if it did, the attitudes and reactions to the test were so bad and so negative both from students and faculty, that there was a strong suspicion it may hurt other kinds of tests that are more important," he added. A special ad hoc committee studying the COMP/ACT (College Outcome Measure Project of the American College Testing Program) strongly recommended discontinuing the testing and reassessing its success in evaluating students' common curriculum progress, Bourgeois said. The committee's decision was made after it evaluated informal interviews with several dozen students and faculty members and considered data from a psychology department study, according to Bourgeois. Bourgeois said COMP/ACT's disappearance ends a two-year experimental period in which the test was used. It may return, however. "One point which leaves the question open is that SACS (Southern Association of Schools and Colleges* may be going toward this type of test for specific degree programs," Bourgeois said. "But it doesn't necessarily cover a program like common curriculum so it's not necessarily the case that we're going to have to use it." The decision on COMP/ACT's future is still five to seven years away, Bourgeois said. "This outcome measurement test is something that could go by the wayside," Bourgeois said, "but it also may be something that should be done in light of SACS demands." According to Bourgeois, Loyola students would vote for the wayside. He said students felt that the COMP/ACT does not accurately test the common curriculum and it does not correspond to any aspect of their college experience. 47 just didn't think it could reflect or indicate what the common curriculum was doing." — Bourgeois "This outcome measurement test is something that could go by the wayside," Bourgeois said, "but it also may be something that should be done in light of SACS demands." According to Bourgeois, Loyola students would vote for the wayside. He said students felt that the COMP/ACT does not accurately test the common curriculum and it does not correspond to any aspect of their college experience. See COMP/A CT/page 2