Fundraiser Friday A Spaghetti Dinner/Silent Auction fundraiser will be held Friday 6 p.m.-9 p.m. in the Bonner Room of the Student Union Building. Procedes from the auction, which is being sponscrcd by the North Idaho College Child Development_Ccnicr, \\ill help fund three child care cost scholarships next semester, according to Bethann Fuller. supervisor of the center. By holding the fundraiscr, the center hopes to create an awareness of the financial needs of students with children that require child care. Fuller said. The event will cost SS per person or SIO per family. Tickcu will be available in ndvance nt the center. and child care will be pro\~ded during the auction.
North Idaho College
BEAUTY IN MOTION Choreographer Chlstopher Aponte will present five ballets Sunday at NIC.
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Sentinel
The
Volume 58 Numbers
Thursday, November 16, 1989
Students ' genera l knowledge lacking
<
Survey reveals notable education deficiencies I'
by Robbie Klenholz
photo b:, Al TltO'"PJOn
Up for twol-North Idaho College basketball player Traci Slebenfor-
cher gets alrborn during a recent game. Please see story on page 20.
Insurance survey set by lln1t11 Freeman
CHECKIN ' IT OUT Writer refs Intramural nicknames
Newman, Senator Greg Johnston and ASN IC =etary Gina Petri. The questionnaire the students will receive includes four questions: Do you have medical/health care insurance oLher than that proooed b>· N1 C? ir you ans'll<ered yes, which one of Lhc (ollowing medical insurance coverages do you have? (111erc will be a list to choose from.) At present all full-
The future of student insurance at Nonh Idaho College will heavily depend on the results of a survey that will be presented to students when they register for the spring of 199? semester, according to Tony Stewan, adV1SCr or the campus insurance committee. l)tc committee, \\hich was formed Sept. 13, includes Stewart, A.ssociatNI Studcnu of North Idaho College President Joe - - - - - pf_,,>« INSURE p.
10
A recent nntionnt surve) of 696 college \enior\ revealed that 24 pc"ent of tho~c \urveyctl thought Christo pher Columbus landed rn the W~tern lfcmt,phcrc some ume ofter the year 1500 Almo\t 42 perccni could not e,en pince the Civil Wnr m the corrc.:1 half-1:cniury. Even though the st udcnis tested in the Gallup Survey were sentors, the resuh, can still be compared to students on the North Idaho College campus, ~id NIC history instructor Judith Syltc. According to Syhe, the results are rele• vant to this campus because the information the college seniors were tested on was general knowledge that would have come from classes taken in the nw two years or college. Sylte said the survey was part of the National Endowment for the Humanitics'(NEH) booklet on college curriculum. The NE H chairman, Lynne V. Cheney, organized a pamphlet called "SO Hours: A Core Curriculum for College Students," outlining her interpretation of what an ideal college curriculum should be. Even before Lhe NEH Survey came out, in the summer of 1988, a committee from NIC sat down to review NIC's curriculum on the criteria of knowledge, skills and attiturle. This com.miucc came to the conclusion that NlC's curriculum needed immediate an.ention, Sylte said.
The committee then 1<.\ued u recommen dution 10 the College Senate that it review NIC ·s ,um,ulum '" 'll<t'II. Following the ,h,1in ol comnrnnd. the ~enate appointed a cornmrttee of us o" n. ~ompri\ed of three \enntc member,, three fo,uhy member,. and th ree NI• Currrculum touncil member\ und the divi~ton ch,1lr,. to c:oc .1mme the curriculum ond report thetr rmdmg, J\c,:ordmg to Sylte. who i\ on the ,:ommittcc app<iintcd by the ,cnate, the first 1.1,k they tucc i~ to ask, "What don it mean 10 be an educated pc non?" Bcrng educated i~ more than merely be· mg able to read and wme, Sylte ,aid. "It's cuhural litcracy ond being able 10 trommll culture. Many students have never even heard or Socrates, and if they hnvc it's rrom (movie) 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure,"' Sylte said. According to Sylte, this lnck or basic information is beginning to affect the job market. "A iignificant number of employ~s arc saying their biggest concern is students coming out (of college) proficient in specializ.cd skills but lacking in general knowledge." Sylte said. Because of this lack of general knowledge among graduating college studenu, ,na.ny states arc moving to general competency exams, which art mandated by slate legislatures. NIC bas oo immediate plans for such a test, Syhe said, because or the negative er. feet it would have on the student body. but a revised curriculum may be on the way in the next five to s.ix years.