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Thursday, October 28,1976
University Daily Kansan
Enrollment in history up at KU
By CHRIS COTTRELL
Staff Writer
Enrollment in college history classes is decreasing nationally, but the University of Kansas department of history has bucked the national trend.
Figures indicate KU's history enrollment has risen 15 per cent over the past four years.
"Nationally, the study of history is declining," Lymn Nelson, professor of history, said recently. "It has declined from about 30 per cent to peak a peak in the academic year 1969-70.
"There have been some studies done that indicate the study of college history in many parts of the country has decreased by almost one-third. Students are not taking history, instead, many of them are apparently turning to the hard social sciences."
NELSON SAID many students thought that the study of social sciences could provide better pre-professional training. He was one of the chairman and chairman of the department, agreed.
"History enrollments have been caught up in the drive toward professional school training," Stidman said. "I think many more students are getting jobs and careers with much greater assurance in the
University than they have in the past. They're concerned about jobs.
"And as a result, earlier on as undergraduates, they're getting themselves ready to enter professional schools, and they would have to be prepared, they would have under ordinary circumstances."
"I think that in the last five years, people who teach subjects in the colleges of liberal arts and sciences around the country have had a greater difficulty where their subjects could not be related to immediate job possibilities."
NELSON SAID that because history fell into the humanities division at KU, increased enrollment in social science and other courses in history as much as it did in other schools.
"As a consequence, enrollments in the history department have not declined as they have in the rest of the country," Nelson said. "The history department at KU noticed that its enrollments were declining four years ago because students themselves those questions, we asked students those questions and we developed some answers.
"It amounted to a re-evaluation of the role of history within a liberal arts education and the role of the history department within the University."
Tire dealers jammed when cold snap nips
With predictions of snow, car owners are searching for the best buy in snow tires, snow chains, and winter gear.
Most local tire dealers reported a rush in snow tire sales as the weather suddenly
"People were jammed in here last year when we got the first snow," said Henry Licktie of Gregg Tire Co. 814 W. 23rd St. "Last Monday when we got the first couple of snowflakes we got a lot of people in here buying tires."
Lawrence differs from other major cities in that it has no emergency snow routes, where snow tires or chains are required during heavy snowstorms.
THOUGH SNOW tires aren't required on Lawrence city streets or on county and state highways, Mike Garcia, Lawrence police sergeant in charge of the traffic division, said that the vehicle could be reduced by one-half if car owners used snow tires and chains when necessary.
Lawrence was "snowed under" by accidents occurring all over town during the few snow periods last year, Garcia said. As many as 100 minor accidents occurred during one rush-hour period from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Studded snow tires, those tires with metallic spikes for greater traction, can't legally be used in Kansas until November 1, and must be taken off by April 1 on county and state roads and by April 15 on city roads. You should also legislate during the last session to outlaw studded tires because of the damage they do to roads, but the measure was killed.
Forrest Bookout of Tire Co. 720, E9th St., said his stock of snow tires was plentiful. He said he sold three brands of tires and only one millette, had been affected by the strike.
Bookout said fewer customers were buying retreated tires because the price of retreads increased in proportion to the price of new tires.
DESPIITE A strike by rubber workers earlier this year that temporarily affected the supply of tires, the fire dealers don't notice the serious shortage of snow tires in Lawrence.
Lückig said customers were buying more recaptured tires than usual, but because of the strike old tires used for recaps were scarce. People unable to buy new tires were forced to recaptain longer and completely them out, he said, so they couldn't be recapted.
LICKTEE, WHOSE store sells Goodyear
licensed, said he was short of a few sizes,
and his prices are very low.
"A lot of tires are on order," he said, "and are just starting to come in."
Workshop's aim is to improve studying skills
Whether for the senior hardened by mid-terms or the freshman new to term papers, studying can be a difficult skill to acquire and retain.
An opportunity for traditional and nontraditional students to brush up their study skills will be provided by the Adult Life Resource Center, a department of the Division of Continuing Education at the University of Kansas.
The Center will conduct a study skills workshop from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 6 in Annex A, 13th and Oread Streets. The workshop costs $10.
Workshop leader, Julie Gordon, assistant dean of women, said yesterday that the workshop would concentrate on basic study skills as listening and note-taking, reading efficiently, scheduling time and reviewing for exams. She said that participants with specific concerns also would receive help in the sessions.
The Adult Life Resource Center, which attempts to help adults cope with their changing roles in society, also will direct a workshop Nov. 20 on career and lifestyle choices for single women. Anyone interested in registering may contact Sara Schappli at Annex A, northwest of the Kansas Union.
Tire companies make thousands of tires of one size, he said, using one mold. Then the mold is changed and the company makes thousands of another size.
"That's why we'll be out of one tire size and have plenty of another," Lücktig said. "We anticipated the strike and bought extra tires ahead of time, so we had some in front."
THIS RE-EVALUATION is embodied in a pamphlet written by Sidman called the Kansas Plan.
Daryl Dwyer of D and D Tires, 1000 Vermont St., said customers anticipating a shortage caused by the strike began to buy snow tires this summer. He said that he was short on radial sizes, particularly "L" and added that he would soon get some more.
"Our enrollments, which were in severe decline by 1972-73, reversed that decline in 1973-74." Nelson said. "And they have continued to increase."
Nelson said the increase in students had come without a corresponding increase in teachers.
Sidman offered a few reasons why KU
went to college while enrolment nationally was low.
"We've worked very hard at a number of things," Sidman said. "First of all, we're going to keep full-time faculty members teaching in the freshman classes." We have experienced people, to teach freshman classes. I absolutely believe in it."
"But you add to that other major program responsibilities that I've tried very hard to encourage," Sidman said. "One thing we do is to offer general interest topical courses for the casual course who would like to take a course now and then in history."
One example is a course taught by Siderman called Inside Hitler's Germany.
"This is not a specialist course for people who want to be historians," he said. "It's a general course for those people who are interested in a certain aspect of the past. I teach teaching it; the students enjoy taking courses trying to make them into historians."
Sidman added that history courses shouldn't be required in college.
"I WOULD NEVER want that," he said. "I 'tink freshmen should take history courses because I think they're very good for students no matter what kind of academic program the student wants to study, and I don't worry not having a resumed history course."
He said the history department tried to offer pre-professional programs for students who were interested in going on to some kind of professional training.
Courses of study are designed in such areas as social problems in education, law and public affairs, science and medicine, and business and economics, he said.
"We give students a pre-professional
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THE HISTORY department is also active in the Outreach teaching program.
"We've done more Outreach teaching in
the college, and other department in
the college," Siddharth said.
training by directing a sequence of courses toward the special interest." Sidman said.
He said that advising for students was taken very seriously.
"I've enlisted a tremendous amount of the human resources of the department to give students time in advising," Sidman said. He said students were directed to advisors who were versed in the student's special area of interest.
"We like to do the special interest topical courses, the pre-professional courses of study, and Outreach teaching," he said. "And that's what has made the difference—plus the commitment of the faculty to teach it, plus the time to course development. And you can't stand still. Every day you stand still you lose ground."
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