Page 64 - TheGoldBug1972-73

The Gold BUll February 20, 1973 Jan. term is an administrative headache but... bvFrancots Derauel The January T-erm has once again proved to be a novation, but some find a lack a variety in the success, according to most participants and courses and in the social activities on campus. Laidlaw was pleased with the results, commenting that it was a necessity since it was difficult to keep coordinators. This year's Jan. Term-that period of Dean Elizabeth Laidlaw who was an active ob- track of on-campus and off-campus students. relaxation and leisure-had the largest enrollment server during the term thought students were ever, thus manifesting its popularity. Ap- generally happier this year than in previous years. Exchange program is working. proximately 950 students, or 85% of the student She found the atmosphere much more relaxed than It appears the Jan. Term is improving every bcdv. were enrolled in on-campus classes, special during the regular semesters; and because of this year. This is probably due to early thoughtful studies, or trips. Many other surrounding colleges, less stressful situation, students were able to,get to on the other hand, have had less success with their know one another better. planning by the coordinators. Students can take a part in the planning of the term by suggesting ideas mini-semester programs, having less than 50% of members, to faculty department their students enrolled. !\-lealtickets were not a hasUe for courses and to Dr. Lightner. Ideas for social chairmen, -When the orange meal tickets were issued during activities during the term can also be given to Dr. . WANTED for Theft: hyenas the Jan. Term, most students thought they would be Lightner. Students can now start planning to take The off-campus trips always seem to bring about a hasUe; but as it turned out, there was less waiting courses in other colleges under the new exchange the most excitement, especially this year with the in line than in previous years (where students had program. Dr. Lightner will make a list of available trip to Africa. There were rhinos and elephants to wait to have their names checked off). Dean coll~ges before the semester is over. charging after the vehicle; baboons chasing snoopy students, hyenas and monkeys coming into the camp and stealing stuffs; and scorpions crawling under tents. "Tremendous!" exclaimed Dean Wray Students of _Navajo culture Mowbray as he summarized his trip with the- African group. He smiled as- he talked of huge animal herds, millions of flamingos on a lake, and. snorkling off reefs of the Indian Ocean. Dean learn more by participation Mowbray now advises anyone to go on a trip during Jan. Term: "It's crazy not to go if they (students) have the opportunity." He added that the mini- semester as a whole is a great educational in- Ten students from Western Maryland feel that by bad. There are no other Navajo schools. If an In- novation, a marvelous experience as a participant, living with young Indian' students at a reservation dian child' lives near a public school, he may attend but an administrative headache. school they have learned more in a couple of weeks that. It is no longer required that Indian children Dr. James Lightner, chairman of the than they would have by reading a thousand books. attend the boarding schools. mathematics department and coordinator of the The ten were members of a January Term class At the boarding schools, the big problem is Jan. Term, also went on an organized trip. He also planned by Dr. James R. Davis, assistant professor homesickness. While the January Term class was of education. Dr. Davis, who did his doctoral work on the reservation, three small boys, 9, 10, and 11, found that trips are, educationally, a worthwhile at New Mexico State University, arranged the experience, not only in' learning about foreign program through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and ran away from a school and were lost in the countries but in learning to live and work with mountains for five days in below freezing weather. people. the Navajo Indian Nation. They were found alive and uninjured. Their only reason for running away was homesickness. For Trips will improve next year Indian education and the American Indian have / this reason, each school has quite elaborate More trips were listed in the catalog this year and been topics of political as well as educational in- recreational facilities as an attempt to alleviate the since there is a fixed number of students who can terest recently, but the focus of Dr. Davis' January problem. afford to go, some of them did not have a high Term course was on Indian culture and education. enough enrollment. Therefore, three trips were Students were placed at five residential schools on The class found that the Bureau of Indian Affairs dropped after the preliminary registration; and one the- Navajo reservation which is in both New is making a strog effort, along with the Navajo (the trip to England with Dr. LeRoy Panek) was Mexico and Arizona although its headquarters is at tribe, to get the government to supply money for dropped after the final registration. Dr. Lightner Window Rock, Arizona. roads in order to make it possible for more students said the curriculum committee will be more careful to commute daily rather than board. in choosing next year's trips, because it is unfair to During the fall, the students had read a number of the faculty members and travel agents who books on Indian culture and education and the Students found that educationally the biggest planned the trip and also the students who signed group spent some days on campus before flying to problem is that the English and Navajo languages up. Dr. Lightner also plans to have more coor- the reservation, discussing what they had read and are so different that children are handicapped when dination between some trips so as to work through sharing what they had learned. After two and a half trying to learn English. The schools now are 'fewer travel agents and fewer larger charter flights weeks in the schools, they spent two days in teaching in Navajo and teaching English as a in order to save money to the students. Alburquerque, New Mexico, in what Dr. Davis second language. Most' of the teacher aides are Navajos but few of the teachers are. called an "unwinding situation." Contracts increase special studies The Western Maryland women found to their While m_any students were away on trips, most There was no problem of acceptance. At each surprise that the Navajos are well ahead in the stayed behind on campus studying a selected topic school the students were "adopted" by someone in matter of Women's Lib. Most Navajos are herds- or working on a special-studies. This year produced the student body or on the staff. Two of them were ment of some sort. But, -the wife owns the sheep; more and interesting special studies, revealed Dr. even invited to visit an Indian hogan and allowed to her husband is just a foreman. Dr. Davis said that Lightner. The faculty-student contracts = im- take pictures. This, according to Dr. Davis, is not fact alone struck the group as being quite different plemented this year were probably a positive factor always the case with Indians. The students, by the from what is generall~ known about Indians. in the increase. With the contracts the student way, found the hogan surprisingly warm and therefore knew exactly what was asked of him; comfortable. At another school where the principal The students, according to Dr. Davis, think the thus, the' contracts acted as a security for students. was a Creek and his wife a Kiowa, a picnic was class should be repeated in another January Term. planned for the students. The Bureau and the local teachers also feel that the One problem with this Jan, Term project was successful and should be continued. At Dr. Lightner was pleased with this year's Jan. Two students, they were all women, were the end of the project there were quite emotional Term, especially with the variety of courses given. assigned to each of five residential schools. Dr. goodbyes between the Indian children and the Although a great variety of courses were given, five Davis circulated among the five and also visited Western Maryland students. of them were very heavily enrolled, thus causing a with the Bureau. Western Maryland students lived Only two or three of the students were planning to problem: many students did not obtain their first in dormitories with the Indian students and assisted choice and some even did not get any of their three in evening and weekend dorm activities, as well as teach when they left Western Maryland for Arizona, Dr. Davis said. A couple of the others choices. The one hundred or so students who did not working as teacher aides during the school day. changed their minds because of this trip. Some of get any of their choices were immediately notified There also was time to visit Indian museums and the rest were sociology majors. A number of those and were able to get priority over any other open arts and crafts guilds. course. in the class have expressed a desire to go back to the Indian reservation professionally and work with College requirement causes problem The January Term group found that in terms of the Indians. One reason for the problem was the popularity of things that money can buy the schools are as well or some courses-Dean Ira Zepp's course on the better off than many in the East. They decided that Members of the class and their assignments; meaning of death, for example-but other important teachers in those areas must be dedicated because Many Farms (Arizona) Junior High School-- factors included the two non-western studies of the remoteness and poorness of roads. Each Elizabeth M. Altfather and Susan S. Sybert, .courses which met college requirements. These residential school is by itself. There is Savage; Chinle (Arizona) Elementary School- courses were two of the five most-heavily enrolled no town surrounding it, just some government Susan K. Squires and Jane' Gross, a student from courses. It is suspected that the enrollment was housing for married couples who both teach in the New England College; Ft. Wingate (New Mexico) high mostly because they met college school. / Elementary Schooi-M. Christine Meyers and requirements. Dr. Lightner did not comment on the Barbara J. Coates, Pueblo Pintado (New Mexico) possibility of this situation being repeated next Only Indian children attend these schools and Elementary School=Charlotte A. Lent and year, except that it only would by faculty action. they must display a financial or geographical Kathleen J. West, Crownpoint (New Mexico) On-campus was relaxed handicap to be accepted. Most are anywhere from Elementary School-Caroline M. Nevius and Linda Most students feel the Jan. Term Is a great in- 20to 60 miles from the nearest school and roads are M. Spence.