The Samford Crimson
78th YEAR, 18th ISSUE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1994
SAMFORD UNIVERSITY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
Deadline to turn in graduation application extended
By Amy Wood
Staff Reporter
Graduating seniors have until
March 1 5 to complete their applica¬
tions for graduation, said student
records employee Dean Hamann,
which is an extension from the origi¬
nal Feb. 21 deadline.
If a senior does not meet the
deadline, she or he can still partici¬
pate in the graduation ceremony but
is not guaranteed to receive a cor¬
rect diploma.
Over the past few weeks, some
seniors have said they are baffled
over the specific graduation require¬
ments. Many have complained they
do not know they have to fill out
certain forms.
Senior psychology major Donna
Nelson said, “Our advisors need to
be told so they can inform us about
record checks and applications for
graduation.”
However, Dean of Academic
Services Martha Cox said a letter
about the application for a degree
was sent to everyone who turned in
a record check form after complet¬
ing 80 or more hours.
Senior Mark Moseley, a pre-law
major, said, “I don’teverremember
getting a letter telling me to fill out
an application for my degree.”
Hamann said notices informing
SGA members upset
over proposed move
Student Activities and SGA scheduled
to switch office space by early June
By Milam Saxon and
Christi Barnes
Staff Editors
The SGA and Student Activities
are scheduled to switch offices in
the university center by June 1 and
some members of the SGA say they
are upset about the proposed move.
Dean of Student Affairs Rich¬
ard Franklin
said the sug¬
gestion to
move “may
have started
before I got
here, but I take
responsibility
for carrying it
ouL” The main
factor in the
switch, he said,
is providing more privacy for the
Student Activities staff.
Franklin said the current SGA
space ismore suited to those Student
Activities employees who hold
permanent positions and need more
privacy because of the “nature of
their work.” Currently, some Stu¬
dent Activities staff members are
forced to share offices he said.
“It’s my opinion that the SGA
doesn’t need as much privacy,”
Franklin said. “Thestudents are also
more transient, and they don’t hold
normal office hours,” he said.
But SGA President Brad Harris
disagrees. He said the SGA needs
private conversation areas so that
students coming in with problems
or concerns “don’t feel intimidated.”
The first vice president needs
privacy to talk with senators, and
the second vice president meets with
students about planning activities,
he said. The chief justice also meets
with the other justices and some¬
times holds pre-trials in the office.
Harris said he is concerned the
smaller area of the offices will also
make SGA operations more diffi¬
cult He said the SGA will be under
“pretty tight space constraints,”
which could have “a not-so-posi-
tive effect on the way we serve
students.”
In addition, the SGA needs room
to store some of the sound and light
equipment for Step Sing and events
at Howard, Harris said. The move
sends a message that the adminis¬
tration “cares more about the people
who plan stu¬
dent activities
than the stu¬
dents who par¬
ticipate (in
them),” he
said.
Harris said
he felt the
SGA was es¬
sentially told
that since the
Student Acti vities staff consisted of
“degreed professionals” and has
more responsibilities that they need
nicer offices.
“I was upset at first,” he said.
“We are the chief student advocate
on campus, the one organization
every student is a member of. How
can we represent concerns if we’re
disregarded?”
Franklin said he realizes the SGA
is not completely satisfied with the
change. “I wouldn’t say they were
ecstatic about the move, but they
understood,” he said.
“We’ve been talking to them
from the beginning. We didn’thave
100 percent agreement, but we did
have needs to be met,” he said.
Kristie Chandler, director of
Student Activities, said some of the
qualities she finds necessary for
office space for her department in¬
clude a central location, privacy
and enough space for computers.
Student Activities needs to “main¬
tain our contact with students, be¬
cause that’s our job.”
It is unfair to students meeting
with Student Activities employees
Please see Move, page 2.
"If we're not credible ...
we're going to be lost. "
Brad Harris
SGA President
students of thepacketdeadline were
run across the electronic billboard
in Howard, placed on the marquee
and an informational brief was also
printed in the Feb. 9 issue of the
Crimson.
Senior paralegal major Heather
Moore said, “Well, all I’ve ever
seen on the electronic billboard is a
1 -800number and nooneever reads
the marquee.”
Hamann said that if he does not
have either the record check form or
the application for degree form , then
he does not know if a senior is
planning to graduate in May.
If a senior has any problems,
Hamann said he will be glad to help.
“We are more than willing to work
with students if they have any ques¬
tions concerning graduation,” he
said.
The information printed on the
diplomas will be ordered according
to the data in the computer, unless
the application for degree form has
been turned in stating otherwise.
If incorrect information is not
changed before the deadline, a $25
fee will be charged for a replace¬
ment diploma.
But Hamann said hecannot guar¬
antee the replaced diploma will ar¬
rive in time for the graduation cer¬
emony.
To avoid last-minute problems,
a schedule has been worked out in
an attempt to inform seniors of re¬
quirements and deadlines, Cox said.
“Our goal is to allow students two
semesters before they graduate to
have their records checked.”
In an attempt to eliminate prob¬
lems in the future, a new program,
On-Course, has been designed to
give students a full audit of their
records, Cox said. Each student will
receive an audit through the mail,
describing exactly what courses are
needed to complete graduation re¬
quirements.
Cox said she hopes the program
will begin with the upcoming Au¬
gust graduation.
Свес
Mausb
/
Photo
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On stage.
Michael W. Smith,
contemporary
Christian singer,
performs last
Thursday in the
Wright Center.
Smith's current tour
commemorates his
tenth year as a
professional artist.
new fraternity considered
By Lynn Waldrep
Staff Reporter
Preparations forcreating a new
fraternity on campus by next se¬
mester are underway, speech
communications instructor Frank
Parsons, said.
Parsons would be the faculty
sponsor for the potential frater¬
nity . More than 40 male students,
mostly freshmen, attended an in¬
formational meeting Feb. 22
about a possible fraternity.
Parsons said the purpose of
the meeting was to gain infor¬
mation about what students
wanted and to get commitments
to the new fraternity, which ap¬
proximately 40 students have
given, he said.
Following the meeting, Par¬
sons and several interested stu¬
dents met with Associate Dean of
Student Affairs Richard Traylor
to discuss the possibility of form-
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ing a new fraternity. A meeting
will be held Thursday with Dean
of Student Affairs Richard
Franklin, who will then discuss
the idea with President Thomas
Cons.
Housing for the new fraternity
is not a primary concern, Parsons
said. The fraternity will “meet
where they can.” The first prior¬
ity is to convince the university of
the need of a new fraternity chap-
Piease see Fraternity, page 2.
see Fraternity, pi
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