-Capitol Times -
Undergrad
enrollment
plummets
8.8 percent
by Pam Bromily and
Alice Martin
Special to The Times
Undergraduate enrollment
dropped 8.8 percent at Capitol
Campus according to statistics
from Admissions Director San
dra Zerby.
Enrollment figures for 1985
were unavailable at press time.
However, admissions figures
show a drop from last year of
55 students. Admissions are
those students who have been
accepted and paid the admis
sion fee; enrollments are those
who register for classes.
Reasons for the decrease in
undergraduated enrollment is,
unclear since graduate enroll
ment has increased in the same:
time period, Zerby said.
A fourfold master plan is be
ing developed to increase:
recruitment of undergraduate:
students, Zerby said. The plan
includes mailings to prospective
students, visits to college cam
puses, opem hbuse visitation
programs and contact days, she
said.
To implement the plan, in
formation about the campus
will be sent to students at Har
risburg Area Community Col
lege and the Pennsylvania State
University Commonwealth
campuses, Zerby said.
Open house programs are
planned to give prospective
(continued on pg. 2)
Student Court appoints four
by Stacy Krnjalc
Three juniors and one senior
have been appointed to the
positions of Student Court
justices after being approved at
last thursday’s Student Govern
ment Association meeting, ac
cording to Student Court Chief
Justice Eugene Monahan.
After evaluating the 12 ap
plications for the justice posi
tions, Monahan gave recom
mendations of the four students
he thought were “best
qualified” for the positions.
SGA officials gave their ap
proval after viewing the ap
plications and two of the four
members were appointed at
that same meeting.
Knansie Griffing, 21, a
junior majoring in marketing
from Norristown, has been ap
pointed and sworn in as the
justice representing Church
Hall dormitory.
Some of Capitol's engineering students work on applications in one of the campus’ laboratories on the second floor
Engineers tops in the state
by Karen Hubler and
Sharon Olmstead
- Special to The Times
Capitol Campus ranks No. 1
in the state and No. 11 in the
nation for the number of
enrollments and graduates in'-'-
engineering technology, accor
ding to William Welsh, head of
the Science, Engineering, and
Technology Department at
Capitol Campus. Figures in
May 1985 support these
statistics.
Welsh attributed the high
enrollment to the growing
engineering needs of industry.
Students choose the Capitol
Campus engineering program
over the four other technology
Also sworn in was Patrick
Basso, 21, a second semester
junior majoring in computer
applications from Harrisburg.
Annette Adams, 20, a junior
public policy major who com
mutes from Mechanicsburg,
and James Douglas Pyles, a
junior finance/marketing ma
jor have both been appointed
and are sheduled to be sworn in
at tuesday’s SGA meeting.
Adams has a para legal
degree, according to Monahan,
and Pyles will be representing
Wrisberg hall dormitory as a
court justice.
In viewing the applications
for justices, Monahan said fie"
followed the guidelines provid
ed in the constitution - you
must have a 2.0 grade point
average, be a full-time student,
and show, qualities of a leader
- but most of hes decision mak
said. The other four schools are
Gannon College, Erie; Garden
College, Philadelphia; Pitt at
Johnstown; ' and Temple
University, Philadelphia.
“I wish it weren’t so high!”
said Welsh of an attrition rate
which averages approximately
one-third. The enrollment in
1982 was 335 while the graduate
number in 1984 was 271.
Rich Redling, a senior in the
technology department agreed,
“it is a difficult program.” Ron
Cope, a classmate said he fre
quently had to study five hours
a night.
ing was based on “gut feeling”.
“J was looking for decision
makers,” said Monahan, “Not
someone who’s going to sit on
the fence.”
Monahan also pointed out
that all four of the new justice
have at least a grade point
average of 3.0, which he said
was an important factor regar
ding their appointment.
The first session of student
court is scheduled for Wednes
day this Week. All new justices
will participate immediatley,
according to Monahan. No for
mal training will be given.
“Training is on the job train
ing,” said Monahan.
(Editor’s note: Times didn’t
come out on Friday, Sept. 13
due to equipment problems at students enjoy one ol the last days of warm weather at the Provost’s picnic before brisk
our printer.) f a n weather set in. (Story and more pictures inside)
High salaries, beginning at
$23,000, draw students to a
technology degree while small
class size, averaging 25, draws
students to Capitol Campus,
Welsh said.
i Capital Campus you get
personal attention. You also
have more control over your
curriculum,” said Crystal
Newcomer, a 1980 water
resources graduate.
When she needed a
hydrogeology course that was
not offered, she said, ‘‘They
were sensitive to the students
needs and very helpful. They
created a course for six
students.” Newcomer now
works as a sanitary engineer for
No. 2
Minority
enrollment
increases
by Ken Stlggers and
Dave Rhinehardt
Special to The Times
Minority offers of enroll
ment at Capitol Campus in
creased 69 percent this year ac
cording to the Capitol Campus
enrollment chief.
During the fall semester
registration period, 85 black
students applied to Capitol
Campus. Of the 85 who ap
plied, 25 were accepted and 16
eventually completed the enroll
ment process and are currently
attending Capitol, according to
Sandra Zerbe, director of
enrollment planning on
campus.
Of the 16 black students cur
rently studying at Capitol, 8 are
transferees from other cam
puses within the Penn State
system. Ten are females and six
are males.
Capitol Campus officials are
presently developing plans to
launch a ‘‘comprehensive
recruitment drive within the
state using current and past
Capitol Campus students as
recruiters,” Zerby said. “We
have an excellent group here.”
Many black students sug
gested a student center for
minorities. This would help to
further the interests of the
university and minio-rity
students in particular. The
center would serve to establish
effective rapport between the
minority student population,
and the various communities of
southcentral Pennsylvania.
Other aims of the proposed
center would include financial
aid to minority students, Zerbe
said.
(continued on pg. 2)