Departments use grad instructors
By RUTH ROHRER
Should graduate students teach?
The subject has been discussed pro and con for years. Opinions differ as to the answer. Some think graduate students should not be allowed to teach at all, while others say they can do more for a class than a professor.
Graduate instructors are used liberally in all of the major departments which offer courses generally required for a degree from the University. The bulk of graduate instructors teach freshman and sophomore courses in English, western civilization, speech, foreign languages, history and math.
GRADUATE instructors differ from graduate assistants (who conduct lab classes and assist professors in grading and other duties) in that instructors have the sole responsibility for a course in teaching, testing, and grading.
Graduate instructors are classed as half-time faculty members and teach a maximum of six hours per semester, William P. Albrecht, dean of the graduate school, said. They are paid a salary of $2,300 to $2,600 and are allowed to take no more than ten hours of graduate work.
Of KU's 3,000 graduate students, about 500 are assistant instructors, Albrecht said. More than half of these 500 have a master's degree.
ASSIGNING outstanding graduate students to teaching duties is the method KU has chosen to meet a problem common to all universities — the shortage of qualified faculty members
Prospective graduate instructors apply directly to the department in which they wish to teach, submitting transcripts, recommendations and applications citing why they want to teach while continuing their study. Different departments require varying types of applications. The English Department requires the applicant to submit an essay telling about his interests, background and why he wants to do graduate work at KU.
IN EACH department, the applications are reviewed by a special screening committee and the best applicants are chosen to fill the existing need. The number of graduate instructors hired is determined entirely by estimated figures of freshman and sophomore enrollments.
This year the math department filled 25 teaching positions with graduate students from 200 applications received.
G. Baley Price, head of the math department, said, "We select the best ones we can get. The competition for good graduate students is as severe as the competition for good football players."
James E. Seaver, chairman of the Western Civilization program, said, "We look for an unusual type student and someone with an exceptionally good background in the social sciences."
THE WESTERN Civilization program differs from the others in that it is entirely staffed with graduate students who conduct eight one-hour sessions per week. The instructors are chosen by a special screening committee.
The committee interviews all applicants and, from the results of the applications and interviews, chooses those whom it feels are most motivated to do the work.
Domingo Ricart, chairman of the Spanish Department, said.
"Those chosen are fortunate to have this excellent provision by which they can teach as they are studying. It is part of the learning process for them, since they plan to be college teachers."
TO BE ACCEPTED in most departments, a graduate student must have outstanding grades (at least an even distribution of A's and B's), the intention to earn a higher degree, and the desire to make teaching a profession.
Ronald Tobin, head of the French Department, said, "Our first criteria is that he be a good student. We go on the assumption that an alert, lively, and inquisitive student will be a good teacher."
The History Department also requires that graduate instructors have a master's degree and previous teaching experience, George L. Anderson, head of the department said.
There is an over-all effort to bring only the best qualified students to KU to teach. Once here, the student's effectiveness as a teacher is determined largely by the individual department's method of orientation and supervision.
Man assaulted
A KU student was assaulted by another male early this morning in front of New Robinson Gymnasium as he was climbing on his motorcycle.
The man went to Watkins Hospital after the assault. Hospital officials notified police.
Watkins Hospital would not release any information.
Hawks face Buffaloes
Kansan sports
KU's Jayhawks, after getting by two Big Eight opponents, face the always-tough Colorado Buffaloes tonight at Boulder.
KU maintains the league lead with a 2-0 record after victories of 97-73 over Oklahoma and 70-60 over Missouri.
Coach Ted Owens plan to play the Buffaloes the way he has played other Big Eight teams.
"THOUGH THE BUFFS are tough on the boards and have good balance, we don't plan anything different for them," he said.
The starting lineup will be Rodger Bohnestiehl, 6-6, and Ron Franz, 6-7, at forwards; Phil Harmon, 6-4, and Jo Jo White, 6-3, at guards, and Vernon Vanoy, 6-8, center.
Franz, who had been sidelined earlier with the flu, appeared fully recovered in the Missouri game Saturday. He scored 14 points, playing only part of the game.
Owens expressed praise for Bob Wilson, who scored 17 points in the Missouri game.
"WILSON HAS performed well in the last two games," he said. "We expect to see a lot of this boy in the future."
Wilson, a junior forward, has been averaging more than 18 points a game in Big Eight play. He will probably see action in the Colorado game, Owens said.
Bohnenstiehl, the team's top scorer and rebounder, is well again after missing the conference opener with Oklahoma because of a ruptured vein in his right leg.
AGAINST MISSOURI, Bohnenstiehl tied Wilson for leading scorer with 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
In their last outing, the Buffaloes were upended by Nebraska, 69-64. They enter the contest with a 2-1 record. They are tied with Nebraska and Kansas State.
The Jayhawkers left for Boulder Monday afternoon by commercial airline. They will return Wednesday morning, Owens said.
KU is No. 6
NEW YORK -(UPI)- KU climbed to sixth place in this week's United Press International major college basketball ratings, one notch above the Javahaws' position last week
UPI's top ten ratings for this week show:
Team Points
1. UCLA (23) (12-0) ... 350
2. Louisville (14-1) ... 296
3. North Carolina (12-1) 247
4. Houston (14-1) ... 189
5. Texas Western (11-2) 144
6. KANSAS (11-2) ... 128
7. Princeton (13-1) ... 120
8. New Mexico (11-3) ... 73
9. Florida (11-1) ... 63
10. Vanderbilt (12-2) ... 61
MORE TALKATIVE
Daily Kansan Tuesday, January 17, 1967
6
LONDON — (UPI) — Londoners made more than 275 million telephone calls in October, 1966, an increase of 7 per cent over October, 1965.
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