Feb. 25,1987
Blumberg
"I've heard a couple complaints
_ from people who have had like a
M personality clash with a certain
(continued from pg. 1) professor, withdrawn from the
and gets aggregated within the have to investigate the specific class after several weeks, and
university and finally ends up as case to arrive at a solution. then find out that they have to
a budget request to the state Still another student take this guy." Blumberg
legislature," said Blumberg. questioned why some required answered, "Let me look at that
Even if the division courses are offered only at night, again. I think that's a fair
gets the money to recruit new He pointed out that often full- thing ..."
faculty, it faces another problem, time students wish to work part- If a student questions a
"There's a tremendous shortage itime at night. Dr. Blumberg grade, "You're entitled to know
of qualified faculty in a lot of stated two reasons why a course what your grade was based on,
different areas. For example, in is scheduled at night: First, if you're entitled to see all your
Information Systems . . . there sufficient enrollment is not papers, you’re entitled to know
are approximately ten open anticipated in a day class, the what the grading formula is,"
positions for every available course may be offered at night in said Blumberg,-". . . but you
faculty person, and that's roughly order to pick up additional en- reach a point . . . where it
true in Marketing, Finance, just rollment. Second, the division becomes a matter of professional
about every field except Man- may not have a full-time faculty judgment." For example, if the
agement, where there are only member available for that course, 'student claims that he deserves
two open positions for each Consequently, a part-time profes- fifteen more points than the
available faculty ...” sor is hired, and the course can professor gave him, that be
"lt’s not that we’re only be offered at night comes a matter of professional
insensitive or uncaring," he said. "• • • Another criticism judgment, unless it is a case of
Another student said
that he knew a Marketing major
who had needed to take some
required courses and had found
those courses all offered during
two time slots.
"It's one thing that
when we schedule we look for,
and we try to avoid, but we may
not," said Blumberg. He warned
that a case such as that of the
Marketing, major sometimes is
contingent upon the individual's
situation. When he handles a
complaint, he first verifies the
facts. "Sometimes people-hon
est and honorable people-will
look at the same thing and see
somehting different," he said.
The fact may be that the person
cannot take a course offered in a
different time slot because he or
she chooses to work afternoons.
Dr. Blumberg said that he would The student countered, talking about as a faculty-the
KKKMMKMMMMMKKKKKKKKJ expectations that we have for our
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T CfßCitivK too low • • • and 11131 not onl y
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I hear a lot: Some people don't discrimination or is incorrect,
like certain of our faculty," said Blumberg, adding that he
Blumberg contemplated. One must weigh the facts of a
student clarified, "Well, they situation involving discrepancy
would like a choice. They would over a grade. "I just want you to
like to know that they could get know I take that very seriously,"
around a certain teacher if they he said.
wanted to." The student noted
that if a particular person is the
only one teaching the course for
the next three years, "then you
have to take him."
"That's a fair state
ment," replied Blumberg. "For
example, if someone were to
take a course with a particular
person and fail that course,
there's no good justification, I
think, for having to take that
course again with that person,
that professor. . . . Sometimes
we just don't have anybody else
qualified on the staff..."
The student also noted
that some professors seem to be
teaching on a much higher level
V than the students' level.
"Part of what you’re
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One student questioned,
". . . there's not necessarily a
consistency between how much
is expected in various courses. ...
Math and sciences, and I even
find them interesting, always
seem to be disproportionate in
the amount that is expected....
Is that taken into account, you
know, how when a course is
structured how much effort needs
to be put forth in one as opposed
to how much effort needs to be
put forth in others?"
Dr. Blumberg replied,
"That’s one thing in fact we're
should convey and communicate
them much better ... but you're
right, there's a lack of uni
formity.”
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talking about, that's what pro
fessors do; they try to motivate
their students ... try to chal
lenge you and push you beyond
because a large part of what you
learn in college is learning how
to learn," responded Blumberg.
He noted that the student will
have to be able to dig for
information on the job; the
information will not be handed
to the student. ". . . the othei
part, I think you're right, we
need to get some uniformity in
our expectations. Some profes
sors don't demand enough and
some are too demanding, and
we're working on that; we’re
talking about it, trying to get
uniformity in our syllabi and our
expectations."
To develop better com
munications and break down
barriers between students and
faculty, a student suggested
holding informal, open forums
with faculty members. Dr.
Blumberg said that, in his
experience, such forums have not
worked. He said, "I think that
when you schedule something
like that formally, it becomes
something formal." But, he
added, "It wouldn't hurt to try it."
Dr. Khosrowpour said that
although he would personally be
in favor of the forums, faculty
attendance should be voluntary.
One student said the he did not
feel students would attend be
cause he feels that many students
are apathetic.
Another problem, said
one student, is that students are
complaining that they cannot get
in to see Dr. Blumberg. Blum
berg questioned if the com
plaining students could not get
in at the exact time they
happened to be there or if it was
totally impossible to get in to
see him.
"See, in my own
defense, I have to admit that you
can't always get in to see me
when you want to, but remember
that the division of Business has
275 graduate students. It has 565
undergraduate students. We have
30 full-time faculty and about 8
part-time faculty, and so on and
so on, and then I'm involved in
scheduling all these other things
. . . scheduling courses and
classes, working on the strategic
plan. We’re trying to revise our
curriculum. ... I have outside
meetings and a number of
things, administrative duties,
within the division. But what
I'm trying to say is that I'm a
very busy person. That's no
excuse, but it just means that
like with any other executive
that you sometimes just can't
walk in to see him," countered
Blumberg.
He admitted, "Some
times the secretaries get very
protective of me because they
know that I'm working against a
very tight deadline [on the
schedule]. But I think . . . it's
unfair to always say that at any
given time that anybody should
be able to walk in my office to
see me."
Blumberg added, "In
addition to that, anyone should
be able to see me—by ap
pointment. And in some cases
they haven't been able to make
appointments, and that I think is
pretty well resolved now."
Jeanette Brinker, SGA
president, said that, taking a bet,
she attempted to get an ap
pointment with Dr. Blumberg.
She succeeded. She said that she
feels that students who really
want to get an appointment can.
"You just have to be persistent,"
she said.
Stating that the Busi
ness division is larger than many
small colleges and that he has
limits, Blumberg said, "We're
not mean. Believe it or not we
care very much about our
student, most of us. We really
do. But you get stretched awfully
thin sometimes. . . . So, again,
it's a matter of allocation of
scarce resources, which is what
Economics and Business is all
about."
"... A lot of people
just want to talk to the guy in
charge . . . and other people
most of the time are better able
to resolve the problems anyway
than I am. . . . The person in
charge doesn't always know the
(continued on pg. 8)
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