WINTER 1999
Volume 42, Number 2

IN THIS ISSUE

Stretching the Dollars to Update Technology

'Dear Mom...'

What We Need

Sweating out the Tryouts

Changing Binge Drinking

Health Iowa

Students First Rx

Plenty of Choices

Squandered Opportunities

Parent Times Briefs

Calendar

The state Board of Regents has authorized a 4.5 percent tuition increase for Iowa universities for 1999-2000, less than the 5.2 percent increase that had been requested but slightly above the 4 percent suggested by University of Iowa Student Government. Students also raised the question of the College of Business Administration giving preferential access to its computers to business students because they paid higher computer fees than students in other colleges. Parent Times asked UI President Mary Sue Coleman to comment.

Q: Tuition increases always seem to be wrapped together with the need for better technology. Where do you see the increase in tuition going?

A: We have been increasingly active in bringing in student government leadership very early­even in the summer as we are planning the budget­to talk about what they see as necessary on the campus to enhance the experience here. We let student leaders understand how the budget gets developed at the University and what the sources of revenue are. Tuition is one of those pieces. We've tried not to wrap the tuition increase exclusively with technology because there are many, many other areas involved.

I am very thrilled that we have been able to keep tuition low. But at some point you have to worry that we might be penny-wise and pound-foolish. If we aren't serious about this, we are not going to get better as a university. We have many needs for our students, and so it is my firm belief that we need to justify every tuition increase that we have in terms of what we provide.

Students develop a menu of priorities with faculty, with staff, and with us, looking at the issues. One issue is the need to be more aggressive about bringing our classrooms up to par in terms of the technology. I think one of the things that people who have been away from the University for very long perhaps don't realize is how much has changed in terms of needing computer-compatible classrooms. This has become just an exploding expectation. We have a schedule for converting our classrooms, but it is not nearly as fast as we want it to be.

Another area that the students felt very strongly about is that it's been a long time since we had adequate funding to really upgrade the seating spaces and the study spaces in the library. I remember as a student myself and I hear students talk now about how they love to go to the library. Well, what kind of seating do you have there, what kind of desk, what kind of lighting? It makes a huge difference. It's getting more computers in. It's improving our databases so that they can connect with other Big Ten libraries, because we want to create a mega-library here so that our students will have access to all the universities' collections. To upgrade those systems will cost us a couple million dollars.

Other areas that we have talked about with students are being able to reduce the size of classes by hiring more professors, providing more internship experiences for students, and providing more and better career services. Tuition dollars will go along with other funds to work on all of these things.

Q: How do you prioritize each of those needs?

A: We usually let all of the groups choose their top three priorities. Maybe we can't do every single one of them, but maybe we can put more money in for some. Particularly if there are priorities that are the same across the spectrum, then we can really put more money into them. Upgrading the classrooms has been a very important priority. Getting better facilities in the library is one that we hear over and over again, so we're going to put them at the top of the list. Rather than just spread our money out, we have been very careful about saying we are going to spend money here, here, and here, and we are going to defer others.

Q: The College of Business Administration has established a special computer fee, along with priority use of computers in the college computer lab by business students. Is that a singular happening or do you expect some other colleges to want to do that, too?

A: What happens in the Colleges of Business Administration and Engineering is unusual because they have specific demands related to what they are teaching. Business students must learn to manipulate financial databases. This is becoming an absolute prerequisite in the field. Engineering is the same thing, with simulated computer-aided design programs and dealing with huge mathematical operations. Those require very high-level computers and specific software.

In responding to those needs we have tried to say, in unusual circumstances, that we will charge more and then give priority access to those who have to have it because that is the way that they are being educated. Engineering and business administration students pay higher computer fees than other students. It makes sense to give them priority access.

Q: What have you heard from students this year at your Fireside Chats?

A: You know, it's just fascinating because the topics at every single Fireside Chat are totally different. At the one we had early in October, we had an environmental coalition interested in doing more and better recycling in the residence halls. They have some ideas and they want to work with people. I said, "Great! Go ahead and do it." Then we had students from medicine who were interested in issues related to their medical education, and we had a student from dentistry who wanted to talk about what's happening professionally in the dental world. One of the things I really like about those sessions is that students from different disciplines get to hear each other.

Q: Haven't most of the students at past Fireside Chats been undergraduates?

A: We have always had graduate and professional students come in, just a few, and I have enjoyed hearing what they have to say. What I think it does is to reinforce the notion that we are a single campus. We are a single university, regardless of what level you're at, and we need to think about ourselves as a single university.

Q: We now have brand new Student Health facilities in Westlawn. Knowing that it's the upcoming flu and cold season, as a parent what would you tell other parents about our services and facilities?

A: We have totally renovated Westlawn. Two floors were gutted and expanded to create precisely the kind of facilities that a student health service needs because of the particular nature of the illnesses that are prevalent in our student population. Mary Khowassah, who heads Student Health, was very much involved in the design. When you come in, it is just a wonderfully pleasant place with tremendous waiting rooms that have computer terminals, so students can learn about particular conditions in a private area while they're there. We have classrooms in that facility so we can teach preventive health issues. We have wonderful facilities for the physicians now.

Advanced nurse practitioners do immunizations, which was particularly important for the flu season. We would like to encourage students to go over and get immunizations every year. I think that everyone will be delighted when they see just how beautiful the facilities are and how well designed they are for the population they are serving. And they are in the same building now as University Counseling Service, which makes sense. I remember from when my son was in college, what it's like when you are a student and you get sick and you're not with your family and you are far away. Having a very good health service is key.

-By Lesanne B. Fliehler

University of Iowa President
Mary Sue Coleman