The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 63, Issue 13 - January 27, 1986

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Ife In Features ... In Entertainment ... Щ Students travel Color Purple 1 Ц to Nicaragua. Reviewed.... see Ml ... see page 9 page 12. Цвм— - . Jl4— -'-J . J,l,1 1 lelesLayolan Щ ЖЩЩ I M UK Oil lit Volume 63 Issue 13 January 27, 1986 FCA college renamed, Щ DENISE M. O’BRIEN, Staff Writer Loyolari photo by Brian Girvta Massive financial aid cuts due under Gramm-Rudman From College Press Service Congress ’ new budget-balancing bill, passed in December, could mean student aid soon could be cut by as much as 60 percent, some college lobbyists in Washington warn. The first round of cuts is due March 1 . Various sources estimate the first round could mean decreases of anywhere from two to 40 to 60 percent in all student aid programs. The new law, usually called the, Gramm-Rudman law after senators Philip Gramm (R-Tex) and Warren! Rudman (R-NH), who co-sponsored it, forces the federal government to balance its budget by 1991. But in doing so, Congress is not allow¬ ed to cut spending for Social Security, some welfare programs, many defense programs or to pay off the federal debt. So, unless the government tries to help balance the budget by raising some ly disastrous to millions of current and future students,” observes Kathy Ozer, legislative director of the U.S. Student Association (USSA). The same pressure to reduce spending could also force Congress to reduce col- lege program funding in the upcoming Higher Education Act of 1985, which sets speeding levels through 1990, adds Pat Smiih, legislative analyst for the American Council on Education (ACE). Under the new law, Ozer estimates Congress will have to trim about $11.7 billion from the 1986 fiscal year budget by March. If it doesn’t, President Reagan would “sequester” funds, deciding by himself which programs not to fund in order to save money. Based on what he’s done before, the president would seem likely to cut education programs to do it. In each year since 1980, President Reagan has proposed cutting federal stu¬ 'Consequences of Gramm-Rudman s 40 to 60 percent cuts will be absolutely disastrous" .axes, education programs will be temp¬ ting fiscal targets, lobbyists say. Just how deep the first round of cuts will be is open to debate. By calculating current Gramm-Rudman targets and the escalating deficit, Susan Frost of the Committee for Education Funding figures he U.S. Dept, of Education will have to shave all its college program fun¬ ding by 4.6 percent in March and another 30 percent in October. Educators are reluctant to specify just how many students would be forced out of school by the cuts, or to estimate how much schools would have to raise tuition to compensate for them. They do, however, think the cuts will hurt badly. “Consequences of Gramm-Rudman’s possible 40 to 60 percent cuts in higher education (by next fall) will be absolute- dent aid programs by as much as 50 per¬ cent. Congress historically has rejected those cuts, choosing instead to freeze most programs at or near their 1981-82 levels for the last three years. The federal government will spend about $8 billion on student aid programs this year — about the same as in fiscal 1985 before a supplemental appropria¬ tion bill funding Guaranteed Student Loans passed. After March, the Gramm-Rudman law then mandates the government to find ways to keep reducing the federal deficit by $36 billion a year through the rest of this decade. One way to reduce the deficit, of coiirse, is to raise taxes. “More and more people are talking about a tax increase. I will be the only (continued on page 2) Ж ifTthe latter months of 1985, an ж evaluation committee studied the College of Fine and Communication Arts with the purpose of helping the col¬ lege and its various programs realize their potential. The committee’s report, released December 4, imposes a sweep¬ ing set of changes on the college, in¬ cluding a name change. The committee, which according to Academic Vice President Rev. Albert Koppes was composed of a “broadly representative group of faculty,” reviewed, analyzed, and discussed the curriculum, budgets, personnel, and special needs of each program within the college. It then made a set of recommendations to reorganize the col¬ lege and set in place an administrative structure to deal with its needs and pro¬ blems. The committee’s report and sug¬ gestions were approved by University President Rev. James N. Loughran. One main change the committee sug¬ gested was dividing the college into two separate divisions. The committee’s report — just two pages long — leaves many questions unanswered. Donald Zirpola, the newly ap¬ pointed Communications Division Head who is currently serving as Chair¬ man of the Communication Arts Department, and Warren Sherlock, Ac¬ ting Dean of the college, would not comment on the report. Robert Ritter, the new Division Head for Fine Arts and a member of the evaluation com¬ mittee also declined to comment on the new division in the college. But regarding the significance of the college’s name change, Ritter said, “It’s because the word ‘arts’ after ‘com¬ munication’ was not descriptive of what [CA students} do. [The committee] wanted to get the word ‘arts’ out of there.” There is a great deal of controversy among art students as to why Ritter, a professor in the College of Science and Engineering who teaches 3 sections of engineering and design, is qualified to be a Division Head in Fine Arts. Ritter said of himself, “I’m not exact¬ ly a stranger to the arts. I do have a background in painting and taught art classes at Marquette University from 1959 to 1963.” Ritter also taught art for engineering students here from 1963 to 1968. “I taught [engineering students] Art History, Sketching, Sculpture, and so forth, because I thought they needed it,” he said. Ritter, who has been at LMU since 1963, also said that he has “known the arts faculty for 18 years — they are not strangers to me.” But David Helfrey, senior Studio Arts major who is an Honors student, Presidential Scholar, and President of the Art Society, is one of a number of art students wondering what is happen¬ ing to the department. “I have been asking questions and not getting any answers,” Helfrey said. “It looks like the administration is (continued on page 15) Hundreds lose classes, are assessed $50 penalty fee By JON SIMON Staff Writer v ■bout 150 students had to complete¬ ly re-register this semester as a result of a newly enactged joint Controller-Registrar policy. Under the new rule, the Registrar drops the classes of students who have not received finan¬ cial clearance by a specified due date. In addition to losing their clases, students are assessed a $50 “re¬ registration fee” if they wish to continue to be enrolled in the spring semester; the fee is imposed as a punishment, not to cover processing costs. As the length of the lines increased outside the Registrar, so did the ag¬ gravation. Peter Ferguson* a junior, was in Dallas on family business when the Registrar’s computer dropped his classes. Ferguson said “it’s very hard to speak with the Controller’s office from Dallas. The phone is always busy, and if you get through, you always get put on hold.” As a result of this communication problem, Ferguson was automatically dropped and forced to re-register. “Now I have to enroll in classes that are ‘lef¬ tovers,’” Ferguson said. “I get classes I don’t want and have to pay another $50 to take them.” Roselyn Coyne, a senior, was re¬ registering for classes when she indicated that seeking financial clearance would be difficult as she was representing LMU at four national debate tournamen ts and briefly visiting her family in New Jersey, all in the five-week span of the Christmas break. Her arguments were in vain; she had to pick new classes and pay the $50. Re-registration causes difficulties for students with tight schedules. “Debating cuts into your schedule enough as it is. Having to change my classes can be disastrous. I need Thesday/Thursday classes because the (continued on page 15)