description:
Skyscraper poll evokes opinion on role of MSC Mundelein students have lofty expectations for student government, but in the past these hopes have not been fulfilled by the Mundelein Student Congress, or so the findings of a survey conducted this week by the Skyscraper staff on student government indicate. Staff members contacted a random sampling of the 1241 full time Mundelein students, comprised of commuters, residents. DCP's and scholastics. A total of 206 questionnaires were returned from 145 resident students. 54 commuters. 5 faculty members. 1 administrator and one DCP. The breakdown among classes were 72 freshmen. 43 sophomores. 44 juniors and 40 seniors. The survey included four In response to the first que.s- questions: 1) What should a student government do for the stu dent body? 2) Has the MSC met these ex pectations? In what way? 3) What has the MSC. as a Congress, done this year that you are aware of? 4) Do you feel that a central ized student government Ls important for your college education? The first two questions and the last were designed to evoke student opinion whereas the third question called for a factual, objective answer. Student opinion is apparent ly homogenous. Responses in all four classes showed a gen erally cynical attitude al though an overall confusion pervaded the replies. tion: What should a student government do for the student body? , the word mediate was often used, implying a widely-held belief that student government exists to settle dis putes. One sophomore commuter summarises: Student govern ment should mediate the dif ferences which inevitably arise between students and the administration. It should act as a sounding board. A fresh man commuter adds that it should be a representative of the student body acting as a go-between for students and faculty and between students themselves. A junior com muter differs saying, A stu dent government should be run strictly by the students Forget (hi- faculty. It should regulate students through laws and provide a school atmos phere generally wanted by the students. A junior resident holds that a student government should be mainly interested in the rules of the school and should work closely with the admin istration. It shouldn't spend time sponsoring mixers, etc More often students ex pressed positive views. In the opinion of a freshman resident A student govern ment should be available to further student action. It should open the way for stu dents who want to voice their opinion, constructively criti cize, and work on change if need be. A senior living off campus Sklencar enters politics MSC president resigns post The Mundelein Student Con gress President Marge Sklen car. resigned her office and temporarily quit college to be come the national administra tive co-ordinator of Students for McCarthy. She was offered the 150.00 a week Washington D.C. job at the Dec. 3 Con ference for Concerned Demo crats tor which Marge.was the Chicago co-ordinator. At the Dec. 13 MSC meeting, she read her formal resignation which was accepted, 15 to 1. resignation speech In her resignation speech. Marge said the most obvious and serious thing lacking at this high rise college ls lt; stu dent' commitment to some thing other than a grade point average. The critical situation In the academic community is one of not being able to relate to a world outside the aca demic structure. Marge concluded by saying I am leaving the structured academic community for a while because I truly believe that a higher priority exists right now. When I return to the campus in a year. I will have so very much more to offer. She took the McCarthy job. Marge said, because it otters practical learning experience in politics for her political sci ence major She also feels that the office will otter Invalu able contacts for the college and show that Mundelein is not in the hodunk category. new start During a Skyscraper inter view, Marge said that she does not believe the congress is in such a dire state as some of the officers believe. Marge sees the resignations, includ ing her own. as a shot in the arm ... a chance to start over if the congress problems are personal. She explained that as presi dent she set a tone and of fered an attitude of world in volvement that overwhelmed some of the congress mem bers. outmoded Congress To the question Has the Mundelein student outgrown the need for student govern ment, the ex-MSC president responded: It may be that she doesn't need it in the pres ent vertical structure which is pompous and ceremonial. Elaborating on this idea, she explained that It may be a good time to do a little ex perimenting for Mundelein may not need a student gov ernment in the form that ev eryone is familiar with. Maybe right now is the time for a community government com posed equally of students, fac ulty and administration. Marge believes that the stu dents are not concerned over the MSC resignations because the congress has not meant anything to them. Hearsay guest cites role of politicos in legislature As Democratic State Chairman from Arlington Heights, Mrs. Eugenia Chapman doesn't project the popular myths about Illi nois-style politics. Joining Mrs. Robert Matasar, political science department, she made that clear at a Jan. 8 Hearsay discussion. In making political decisions, legislators are influenced far more by friendship than outright bribes, and lacking a staff, are significantly hampered by lack of adequate knowledge concern ing the 4.000 bills introduced in each six-month session of the legislature, Mrs. Chapman said. Therefore, to influence other legislators, a representative learns to specialize in a certain area and can return advice he has received from other sp?cialists in other fields. Emphasiz ing this knowledge gap and the disparity between time and work load, the former teacher and mother of four described a system of passing law In which most legislators haven't read the bill, and men are frequently forced to spend the last half of their two-year term campaigning for reelection. Contrary to the myth that public officials are required to violate their convictions sometimes in order to return a favor. Mrs. Chapman replied that fellow-legislators will understand an honest refusal of support, but if you say you will vote 'yes' and then don't, you'll lose their trust. Concerning elections. Mrs. Chapman debunked the notion that money troubl s and weak party support preclude victory. I be lieve the individual can often make a difference if candidates will go out and speak to them. In the legislature itself, the vote is more often split among urban-rural patterns, rather than straight party lines, she said. In addition, she continued, despite a downstair belief that Cook County receives more than its share of benefits, the downstate politicians have the technique and Cook County goes without mure often than you would think. feels that student government ideally shouldn't do anything it should be whatever the students decide they can han dle. If they can handle a gov erning body, they should form one. If they can handle an ac tivities congress, they should form that. A faculty mem ber believes that the responsi bility of a student government to the student body is to stir it up. inform it, articulate its opinions and needs and seek to fulfill them. Also, stay ac tively involved with other lo cal, state, national student associations. A junior resident strongly states the ideal role of student government: To introduce a dynamic, motivated college at mosphere. Stimulate the mind in matters beyond classes. Be comprised of mature girls who are able to work well for the better unification of all. In the same line of thinking a faculty member answers, Arouse them intellectually- alert them to cultural growth add to their social develop ment through stimulating lectures, dis cussions; providing blocks of tick ets to the opera, concerts, plays, etc. and bring affairs First of all the college should have some organization to do anything. It should coordinate the activities of the school be cause of the great diversity of the student body. The reply to the second question, Has the MSC met these expectations? In what way? was definitely nega tive. '43 answers could be cat egorized as positive; 149 as negative.) A junior resident answered the question, For the most part, yes, when it wasn't afraid of what other people would think. I think the MSC. or more specifically. Marge Sklencar, has tried to make concrete the purposes: how ever, these purposes were met by a lot of opposition from the student body. A sophomore MSC officer said No not only little com- munication between officers and students, but bogged down with trivia and frumpi- ness. Good ideas are frus trated. In the opinion of a senior commuter, The MSC Is too unstable. No one is Interested enough to be responsible for government around here. But that's not bad. Student inter- MSC MYTHS Contrary to student ideas of MSC activi ties, the MSC does not: ... run foreign films ... sponsor McCarthy rallies .. .put out student di rectory .. .decorate the tea room ..publish the SKY SCRAPER ...sponsor anti-war protests 1 I I to campus: sponsoring dances, variety shows, dinners. On the other hand, a sopho more resident says a student government should stay in the background and not run the students but provide effi cient organization for student life and activities. A senior commuter says the purpose of student government is to act as a cushion be tween the students and fac ulty; sponsor and propagate collegiate activities and inter est in these activities reli gious, educational, social, po litical. In the opinion of a sopho more resident, government should get students inter ested and activated in events outside school shouldn't both er with trivia get into the city and nation. A freshman resident ac knowledges diversity of thought on the congress in her reply: I'm curious. I think it should provide an outlet for freedom and creativity, besides the old standards of being a sounding board and mediator between students and faculty. Also, hopefully, it should set up liv able standards of conduct, study. A member of the adminis tration also views a dual pur pose for MSC: I. Furnish leadership in tellectual, social, spiritual for the student body, I.E., act as a springboard for new ideas and their implementa tion. 2. Offer representation to the students oe the audible 'voice' of the students on campus. Adding a practical note, a senior resident answered. ests are wider now. For exam ple. Upward Bound drains peo ple who might be willing to be responsible, but since student government is such a dead end. these people have centered their energies elsewhere. A junior commuter said that her expectations have been met to some extent through the Academic Affairs Ccmmittee for communication between students and faculty and through the Outlook for communication between the of ficers and students. A freshman resident ex pressed confusion as to the role of the MSC in her answer: I do not feel qualified to judge MSC yet. I do not feel that I know what the real func tion of MSC is at Mundelein since I have no real under standing of the issues, if Indeed there are any. A senior resident holds that her expectations of MSC have been met, but added, ... they have taken on too much and then were disappointed. In the opinion of a junior resident, MSC officers make general statements about how the student body feels without consulting the students. A sophomore commuter adds that the prevalant feeling, and mine, seems to be that no one knows what's going on at all. I am not aware of what the MSC is doing, but from the little I do hear of its activi ties, it seems to be trying very hard to represent each stu dent. said a freshman com muter. One junior resident differs. MSC is more of a figurehead than a representative body. (continued on page 4)
title:
1968-01-11 (1)
publisher:
Women and Leadership Archives http://www.luc.edu/wla
creator:
Mundelein College
description:
Student newspaper for Mundelein College
subject:
Newspapers
subject:
Religious communities--Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
subject:
Students
subject:
Universities and colleges
subject:
Women's education
relation:
Mundelein College Records
type:
Text
language:
English
rights:
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coverage:
Chicago, Illinois
coverage:
Mundelein College