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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 1981)
THE BATTALION Page 5 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1981 ocal pprovalandimplementation takes more than a year Adding undergraduate courses is an involved process By RUTH M. DALY Battalion Reporter Having an undergraduate course approved and added to a urriculum at Texas A&M University takes about one and me-half years, said Sue Matula, assistant to the dean of admis- ions and records. To get a course added, faculty in the department that vishes to add the course must fill out a form — with 22 copies ind a course syllabus, or outline, attached to each copy — equesting the new course. The form includes the proposed lourse name, course number, descriptive title and justifica- ion for the course. Currently the faculty member(s) who want the course tdded fill out the form and submit it to Matula, who approves he request and sends it back to the department for approval. This process will be changed so the department will ipprove the course form before it is submitted to her, Matula aid. After the department approves the course, the college must ipprove it. In some colleges the dean approves the course, hile in others, a board approves the course. For graduate courses, the course must be approved by a council made of faculty representatives from each undergra duate college before the form is submitted to Matula. After the course is approved by Matula, the form goes to the curriculum committee which is made of five ex officio mem bers, (including Matula, who is the secretary), representatives from each college and the library, and two student representa tives. The committee meets once a month. The curriculum committee reviews courses at least twice. If there are any questions about the course, the form is sent back to the department. If the committee approves the course the first time it is submitted, the form is approved again at the next meeting, then sent to the Academic Programs Council. This council, made of all the deans, meets once a week and reviews the proposed courses. Upon approval by the Academic Programs Council, the form goes to the Academic Council, which meets two or three times per semester. The Academic Council is made of all deans, department heads and elected faculty representatives. If the Academic Council approves the course, it is put into the next university catalog and sent to the Coordinating Board, Texas College and University System, in Austin. The Coordinating Board bases approval on a set of codes and the size of existing inventory at the University. The board is made of governor appointees, who make degree plans, and a hired staff, who review proposed courses. Course inventory is the list of courses the board has approved for the school year. There are 4,178 “teachable” courses for the 1980-81 school year at Texas A&M. Matula said deletions as well as additions are submitted to the board to keep the inventory balanced. She said faculty are encouraged to drop courses that have not been taught recent ly. For the 1980-81 school year, 85 undergraduate courses were approved and nine were deleted. Forty-six courses were added for the 1981-82 academic year and 59 were deleted. Matula said courses are not taught before a new school year even if they are approved before it begins, since the Universi ty has to wait until the new year to get funding for the course. New courses are usually introduced after students have expressed an interest in a subject to faculty members, Matula said. She said most new courses are introduced as 489 courses — special topics classes — when many students show interest. Classes may also be added if a department is expecting a new faculty member whose specialty will provide a new course, Matula said. Numbers for new courses are for departments to decide, Matula said. She said there is no set numbering system at Texas A&M, but there are a few guidelines to follow. The first digit for courses — l,2,3,4,6or9 — designates the level of the course. The digits one through four denote levels for undergraduate classes: one designates freshmen level clas ses; two represents sophomore classes; three, junior level; and four, senior level classes. Six represents graduate level courses and nine denotes classes for veterinary and medical school. When a new course is added, Matula said the number assigned to the course should not be a number that has been used within the last ten years. Then students won’t be enrol led at the University when the same number is used for two classes. rchitects’ buildings ack safety ideas, prof says By DENISE RICHTER Battalion Reporter Dr. Wes Harper, professor of chitecture, said Tuesday that to- ay’s architects are designing uildings with little or no atten- ion given to safety. Speaking at a seminar on life- :ety regulations, sponsored by the Texas A&M College of •chitecture and Environmental esign, Harper said technological advances have made high-rise uildings possible and common. donPfoHowever, fire-fighting in this type asal tof building is beyond the capabili- on][ :ies of the average fire depart- jnent, he said. thek ? Approximately 125 people fislip ((attended the seminar held Tues- -Vealk (day afternoon in Rudder Tower, mooif Harper also said many build- low e ings today are designed with open ithei&nteriors that make it impossible jelcof to contain smoke damage to the ea involved. In an interview prior to the leminar, Dr. Charles Estes, head f the Department of Architecture aid life-safety regulations work at ross-purposes with the desire for h Msecurity in buildings. To guard against theft and illegal entry, 3 alternate building entrances and ffire exits are locked. However, I that runs counter to the idea that in the case of fire or general disas ter, all building entrances should e open to speed evacuation, he aid. Regarding the state of fire and ife-safety regulations and prop- sed legislation, Wayne Dye, sistant state fire marshal, said exas has no state-wide building :odes. Texas is a home-rule state, he said, with each city adopting its own codes. Dye was scheduled to attend the seminar but was unable :o because of legislative commit ments. However, while each city may adopt its own code, it has no juris diction over rural areas. Dye said. Violations in these areas can only be dealt with by the state fire mar shal’s office, he said. Three bills concerning life- safety regulations are up before ^ the 67th Legislature: one calling —< for sprinkler systems and smoke detectors in new or restructured h a course in life-safety designs. Dr. W.G'. Roeseler, head of urban planning, said the seminar was planned to give students the chance to discuss with knowledge able people the life-safety regula tions that they will be working with as young architects. Other speakers at the seminar included Dr. Pat Maher, associate professor of building construction; Dr. Charles Hix, dean of the Col lege of Architecture and Environ mental Design; and Charles King, regional manager of the fire mar shal’s office located in Huntsville. #”MSC AGGIE CINEMA "MY BRILLIANT CAREER" WED. 7:30 P.M. The second before she screams will be the most frightening moment of your life. Dressed tqkjll A FKIMUflYZ Picture Cinema 77/Rlm Group © 1980 Warwick Associates jjj I Vread the bantam book 1 FRI. & SAT. 7:30 & 9:45 P.M. 20th Century Fo* presents S An Ingo Preminger Production Color by DE LUXE * I 1 PANAVISION* ^TLSJ FRI. & SAT. MIDNIGHT LOOK ERIS ;TAT£ RAGE ids. .1 3k id buildings over 75 feet high; re duced insurance premiums for in stallation of burglar alarms, smoke alarms, sprinkler systems or other protective devices; and smoke alarm and fire detection systems to be installed in multiple- residence buildings that do not have an exit to the outdoors in each separate unit. Since Texas A&M does not offer Now Showing: GOLDIE HAWN CHEVY CHASE in "SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES” Friday & Saturday Midnight: "ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW" Starts Friday: George C. Scott and Marlin Brando in “THE FORMULA* SUN. 7:30 P.M. ! ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE $1.25 with I.D. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$« ter- $1 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $1 $ $ $ $ BUYINGS GOLD .ndSILVER >£v. 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Robert J Kaplan and Paul Lee man present My Brilliant Career starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill Produced by Margaret Fink • Directed by Gill Armstrong Presented by The New South Wales Film Corporation and GUO l ANAtySB RLM WLEASMO aWORATlOrt n a—wwuiniwimn. rollin' "MY BRILLIANT CAREER" FEB. 18 WEDNESDAY 7:30 P.M. RUDDER THEATRE K>«0 AkWUYS4S*k.MS IXUAyNG COOPOWAION E ® Prints by Mosdelab ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE MON.-FRI. 9 A.M.-5 P.M. TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE 45 MIN. BEFORE SHOWTIME $1.25 WITH TAMU I.D. vh.> 1 CALftA-> y- > I E-Systems continues the tradition of the world’s great problem solvers. Steinmetz was one of the few geniuses concerned with the practical aspects of electrical engineering. His pragmatic analytical approach led to the de velopment of efficient electrical power grids as we know them today. Scientists and en gineers at E-Systems are carrying on in his tradition. Through the combination of sophisticated analytical and simulation techniques, they are evolving optimal system solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems in electronics. E-Systems is recog nized as one of the world’s leading problem-solving companies in the design and production of com munications, data, antenna, intelligence and recon naissance systems that are often the first-of-a-kind in the world. For a reprint of the Steinmetz illustration and information on career op portunities with E-Systems in Texas, Florida, Indiana, Utah or Virginia, write: Lloyd K. Lauderdale, V.P., Research and Engineering, E-Systems, Corporate Headquarters, R O. Box 226030, Dallas, Texas 75266. E-SYSTEMS The problem solvers. equal opportunity employer M/F, H. V Charles Proteus Steinmetz 1865-1923 OUR GARLAND DIVISION WILL BE INTERVIEWING ON CAMPUS FEBRUARY 24 & 25,1981 OUR GREENVILLE DIVISION WILL BE INTERVIEWING ON CAMPUS FEBRUARY 26,1981