lis ECentucky Kernel
Friday, April

Vol.

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, LEXINGTON

10, 1970

LXI, No.

12.1

Quest Questions
Ky JANE I). BROWN
Kernel Staff Writer

Publish Or Perish Investigated
not
dents

Quest, Questioning University
Education
by Students and
Teachers, an integral part of the
Free University organization,
met Thursday night to continue
their discussion on how students
and teachers can make the college classroom a "more meaningful experience."
Spud Thomas, coordinator of
Quest as well as Free U., opened the meeting by distributing
papers relevant to this question.
He began the discussion by
stating possible questions to consider in deciding what was to
be done and how it could be
done.
Keep Good Teacher
One possible course of action,
according to Thomas, would
have to do with how the stu

could keep good teachers
on campus.
The concept of "publish or
perish" was discussed and berated. One member, who said
he had come for the express purpose of discovering what could
be done, cited an example of
his former freshman English

"bumteacher. A
bling freshman," he credited
this instructor with straightening

him out.

He read a letter to the group
which had appeared in a recent
Kernel, explaining her version of
why she was being fired. The
members decided to see if her
case could not be made an example for what is happening in
many departments. Others in
the group cited their own examples of what happens when

Spud Thomas Urges
Classroom Changes

Spud Thomas, Free University coordinator, discussed with
about twenty residents of Bland-in- g
Tower his suggestions for
"making the classroom a more
experilearning
meaningful
ence," Thursday night.
The discussion, sponsored by
the Tower's Scholarship Committee, centered on what one
student could do in a particular
classroom situation.
The first step, and probably
the most important according to
Thomas, would be to talk to the
Thomas
professor
privately.
maintains that most professors
are not used to responsive students and will respond positively if approached by an aware
student.

As one girl agreed, "even
people with Ph.D.'s were idealistic at one time, and would
probably welcome a change
from the lectures they have
been repeating for thirty years."
Yet if the teacher is so steeped
in his ways, Thomas suggests

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that the student next make an
appeal to his classmates. Then,
with the added support, reassert
his demand for a more "meaningful classroom experience."
If the strategy still isn't working, Thomas said the depart-

ment head and then the dean
are the next steps; and in last

resort class resistance: "Sorry,
we're not going to take the test."
In explaining what he means
by a "more meaningful classroom experience" Spud Thomas
stated that "any learning that
takes place in this institution is
incidental.
purely
Learning
should be an experience. An
education will have to be gained
in spite of the system, not
through it."
The Free U. coordinator went
on to explain that to implement
a balancing off of power in the
classroom, the student among
many other possibilities must
first change his classroom behavior from passive to active.

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teachers do
respond "according to set patterns of behavior."
A member of the faculty explained ways that a department
can make things hard for nonconforming teachers. He said
they are subtly told that their
contract will not be renewed,
that their salary increase will be

"meager" or that their teaching
load will be increased, thus "using teaching as a punishment."
The same faculty member
outlined the criteria used to
"Teaching,
judge instructors.
research and service" are the
three main categories, he said,
and this would be fine if they
were "weighed equally."
When questioned as to how
teaching itself is rated, he asserted that students have a lot
to say in this matter by such
methods as evaluation sheets
and word of mouth. Several of
the students present voiced disagreement with this statement.
Classroom Behavior Changed
Getting the suggestions for
change to the students was another topic discussed. All those

present seemed to agree that
change was needed but there
was some dispute as to whether
students or teachers could most
profitably institute the change

in classroom behavior.
It was concluded, however,
that a teacher's behavior in the
classroom does not consist only
of "his personality, his background experience, or his knowledge of the subject matter," but
is largely determined by the behavior of the class members.
With this in mind the members of Quest decided to focus
their attention on the student.
They hope to furnish an information sheet of some form for
incoming freshmen, preferably
including names of whom to see
in "sticky situations," lists of
meaningful classes and some
hints on how to stimulate boring
professors-an- d
apathetic fellow

students.

Next week's meeting will be
held on Tuesday night at 6:30
p.m. in the Student Center.

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Classroom

Challenger

Elaborating on a point, Free U coordinator Spud Thomas remains the center of
attention at a Thursday night discussion
group in Blanding Tower. Thomas, who
earlier in the evening coordinated Quest's
weekly meeting, offered suggestions on
how students can better their educational experience. Kernel Photo By Keith Mosier

Nixon Charges Bias
In Car swell Rejection
WASHINGTON

(AP)-Presi--

dent

Nixon, accusing the Senate
of prejudice against Supreme
Court nominees from the South,
announced Thursday he will
submit "in the very near future"
a new nominee from some other
part of the country.
beAppearing dramatically
fore newsmen in the White
House press center, Nixon said:
"I have reluctantly concluded
that it is not possible to get confirmation for a judge on the Supreme Court of any man who
believes in the strict construction of the Constitution as I do,
if he happens to come from the
South."
Senate critics of Nixon's previous nominations of men to be
associate justice immediately as

sailed Nixon's comments. They
used such words as "incredible . . . mistaken and unfortunate . . . damning evidence of a
Southern strategy."
The chief executive said he
has asked Atty. Gen. John N.
Mitchell "to submit names to me
from outside the South, of
judges from state courts, appeals
courts as well as the federal
courts, who are qualified to be
on the Supreme Court and who
share my view . . . with regard
to strict construction of the
Constitution."
He said he believes such a
judge would win confirmation.
Just Wednesday, the Senate revote Nixon's
jected by a 51-4- 5
nomination of G. Harrold Cars- Please Turn To Page 6

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Spring Fancies Tarn To Sliowers

Two UK students, Lacy Walker and Mike Belanger, decided to get "a little wet
around the feet" when the waters began to rise from the newest UK fountain,
located near the Classroom Building, Thursday. The two students became so

Kernei I'hotos

Hy

Uiik Ware

enthralled with their activities that they decided to share a bit of the spring fun
with other students.

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