Stetson Reporter

»' ■ **":\-z i.1 Stetson University February 23, 1993 Volume 105, Number 17 • Plys/MInos issoe once again a point of contention in opinions Page 3 # The "Bonlta Belles" to perform for first time on campus Page 6 • Christian rock group 4H1M and Stetson sisters to perform a benefit concert Pages • Lady Hats to take on UF Gators tonight In basketball Page 14 By Kent Meckley Editor-in-Chief Yesterday morning at 10:50 a.m. the calendar system which included a Winter Term was struck down with a vote of 78 to 63. The vote ended a twenty-seven year tradition designed to give stud ents the chance to experience education in a new and novel way. In the last six years Winter Term has faced challenges a number of times from faculty and ad- minisfcration who felt Stetson should take a new direction. Five years ago Winter Term survived an attack by the faculty on the basis of overwhelming student support. This time around, while student support was present, it was not in the same form as the past. As a general rule, the more senior members ofthe College of Arts and Sciences supported Winder Term while the younger faculty members across the university felt that a change in the calender was needed. According to Dr. Craig Maddox, of the music school, the last time a vote in the Senate the vote was 51-50 against Winter Term. The final vote found 78 members against it and 63 members for it. The outcome was unknown until the very end, although Drs Musser and Reiter indicated that Winter Term had been ended as they left Davis Hall after voting. "This is my prediction." said Musser as he gave the thumbs down sign. Will Florida follow Pennsylvania's example? By Derek Ashworth Campus Life Editor As Florida legislators contemplate the future ofthe State Tuition Voucher, students attending private schools like Stetson should be concerned that their political leaders don't follow the example set by Pennsylvania last year when that state eliminated a century-old subsidy program benefiting private institutions. Eleven private colleges and universities in Pennsylvania were forced to adjust to operating with $76 million less than they expected as a result ofthe elimination of the state program. Education experts said Pennsylvania's program and similar aid programs in states, including Florida and Alabama, have been justified more by tradition and local politics than logic. Frank Newman, president of the Education Commission of the States, a Denver-based group that advises state officials on education policy, commented, "I think it's ultimately a good thing that Pennsylvania pulled out. but it makes for a very tough 1993 forthese schools. Meanwhile, the Bundy Aid Program in the state of New York, which gives more than 100 private colleges and universities a grant for every degree awarded lias also fallen victim to the state's budget crunch. The program has shrank in the last two years from $114 million to $36 million. Twenty-one states have a total of 59 programs which subsidize private colleges and universities, according to Associate Professor William Zumeta of the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, who recently conducted a study on such programs. "The overall logic of these programs," said Professor Zumeta, "is that unless states subsidize private schools, more students would go to public institutions, and that would cost the states more money. Describing the cuts in education spending, Stephen Gold directoroftheCenterforthe Stud\ of States at Rockefeller Institute in Albany added, "It's a sign of the times. "Higher education is getting hit worse than any other large area of state spending because it's seen as a cash cow for the rest of the budget."