Point News, 1991 November 5

              MD to consider
privatization of
higher education
By Aaron Garnett
editor emeritus
Though it is already one of the most
autonomous public colleges in the
State of Maryland, St. Mary’s Col­lege
may gain further independence if
a recent recommendation made by
the chairman of the Maryland Higher
Education Commission (MHEC)
comes to pass.
Faced with State budget shortfalls,
Secretary of Higher Education Shaila
Aery, who chairs the commission,
made a presentation to the MHEC’s
Finance Policy Committee in early
October suggesting that some of the
State’s public colleges and universi­ties
be closed down or privatized.
Aery and the commission staff are
currently awaiting input on the ideas,
according to Jeff Welsh, MHEC’s
Public Information Officer.
“It would probably not occur, even
if someone started today, for about a
year or two,” said Welsh, in reference
to Aery’s recommendation, which is
non-specific andrequires further flesh-ing-
out by the commission. For any
changes to become effective, legisla­tive
action and the approval of the
Governor would be necessary, ac­cording
to Welsh.
While closing down St. Mary’s is
not expected to be considered, a num­ber
of cost-saving measures falling
under the label “privatization” are
likely to be discussed for the college.
“This whole idea of privatization
has about a hundred interpretations,”
remarked college Director of Public
Affairs Christine Cihlar. Speculating,
Cihlar believes that the changes, if
they occur, will most likely include a
simplification of the budgeting pro­cess
and exemption from State agency
requirements in purchasing.
Because it is a state agency, St.
Mary’s must follow detailed fiscal
procedures, make its purchases
through a State purchasing agency
and hire general staff members
through the Maryland classified em­ployee
program.
Many feel that State colleges and
universities, including St. Mary’s,
could be run more cheaply if they
were exemptfrom these requirements.
“We obviously do competitive bids
in purchasing, but there are certain
circumstances where that costs us
more money than what we save,”
commented Cihlar.
Whatever the outcome, Cihlar does
not expect major changes for stu­dents.
“Were it to come to pass, stu­dents
would not notice the
difference . . . in terms of their daily
lives.”
r n u i V D i v /m n i D n v / v r \ c i i
Nutty guys Alex and Joey guard the library. They look like gargoyles. So there’s no article. We liked
this picture and couldn’t think of anything else to photograph for the front page. Got a problem?
SMC to offer new English major
By Andrea Egger
news editor
Those language and literature ma­jors
concentrating in Englishreceived
quite a surprise on returning to St.
Mary’s for the Fall ’91 semester. A
separate English major has been es­tablished,
independent of the Lan­guage
and Literature major which has
dropped the English concentration.
The change was made for a variety
Science Center to begin construction
$16 million Center is scheduled to open in Fall of 1993
By Marc Shaffer
staff writer
Yet one more of the improve­ment
in the long-term Campus Mas­ter
Plan is nearing construction. The
planning for the science center,
which began over 10 years ago, is
nearing completion and could see
construction beginning as early as
mid December. Over 20 architects
bid on the $16 million project. The
state of Maryland is providing 12
million dollars of the cost and SMC is
providing the other $4 million.
Completion is tentatively scheduled
for the Spring of 1993, and the Center
is expected to open in the Fall of
1993.
The Science Center will reflect the
tidewater community and maintain
the small college atmosphere of the
North campus, according to Execu­tive
Vice President John Underwood.
When complete the science center
will round out the North Campus
Quadrangle. The Quadrangle will
consist of the Gym, Caroline Dorm,
Montgomery Hall, and on the north
comer, the Science Center. En­compassed
by the Quadrangle will
be a grassy mall area with trees and
various other plantings surround­ing
it. Encircling the mall area, but
within the confines ofthe fourbuild-
(see $$$, p!2)
of reasons, none of them cost-related.
They include, according to Barbara
Hoagland (Program Director for the
English department), the large num­ber
of students concentrating in En­glish;
differing interests regarding
seminar topics between foreign lan­guage,
or world literature, and En­glish
majors; and the complications
ofmanagingthe large facultyrequired
for an integrated Language and Lit­erature
Department.
As with any change to SMC’s aca­demic
program, the new English ma­jor
has not been free from contro­versy.
The actual requirements for
graduation have changed insignifi­cantly,
and majors in English and
Language and Literature still have
flexibility in course selection from
both departments. However, some
returning students think that the
change was unnecessary and confus­ing
while others believe that the Lan­guage
and Literature degree, with the
concentration in English, would be
more valuable to them, leading at
least one student to insist on continu­ing
under the Language and Litera­ture
designation and to resist the man­dated
switch to the new English ma­jor.
Despite this, it has become appar­ent
over the years that, “Most people
who major in English seem to want to
be called English majors, rather than
Language and Literature majors,”
according to Hoagland. She contin­ued,
“They are all sort of related . . .
the programs, as they are constituted
now, are essentially the same as they
were before.”
St Mary's unveils $10.75
million capital campaign
By Richard Zachary
staff writer
The college’s first ever Capital
Campaign was officially announced
on October 5 by Harry J. Weitzel,
President of the St. Mary’s College of
Maryland Foundation, a fundraising
arm of St. Mary's College. The cam­paign
seeks to raise $10.75 million
through private giving over a five
year period. Though just unveiled,
the campaign was begun two years
ago.
The campaign has acquired $8.5
million in cash and pledges from pri­vate
contributors so far, and hopes to
make up the remaining $2.25 million
inthecomingthreeyears. Onemethod
for obtaining the needed money is the
Annul Giving Drive, which involves
the student-run phonathon, slated for
the first three weeks in November.
The college hopes to yield larger
donations from targeted potential do­nors.
The Foundation for St. Mary’s
College, along with the Board ofTrust-ees
and the Advancement office have
been involved with looking for pri­vate
donors who are interested in lead­ing
the gift-giving effort with contri­butions
in the four, five, and six figure
range.
Says Director ofDevelopment Jane
Harding, “The money is to be used to
(see CAPITAL, p!2)
St. Mary’s student biweekly • Volume 77, No. 2 November 5,1991 • St. Mary’s City, MD 20686