n.c.csMiy, tucsda^C march II, 1075 P*^e 2
School Gets Registrar,
Plans Better System
By KEN BALLARD
Kssay Staff Reporter
For the first time in NCSA’s history,
the school has a registrar.
She is Mrs. June R. Putt, who formerly
was the assistant registrar at the State
University of New York College of
Environmental Science and Forestry.
Besides having taken over the
responsibility for student records, Mrs.
Putt has many improvements in mind,
some of which are already being
implemented.
AMONG THE CHANGES are: new
registration cards for the beginning of
each trimester; a change in policy
toward incompletes, approved recently
by the dean’s committee; a change in
rules covering adds, drops and
withdrawals; academic credit for
certificate students; and the
centralization of student records in the
office of the registrar.
The new registration cards are
designed so that the registrar’s office will
have an accurate record of each
student’s schedule, as well as noting
changes such as new addresses and
telephone numbers.
Also, with a schedule of each student’s
classes, Mrs. Putt will be able to tell
whether a student’s grades are all in at
the end of a term. (Often grades are held
up when a few faculty members are late
in reporting them). The system will also
enable the registrar to determine if a
teacher may have failed to turn in grades
for a course a student has taken.
Until now, an incomplete has been
averaged into a student’s grades as an
“F” at the end of each term. Now,
imcompletes wil' be disregarded until
the end of the following term, when they
will be replaced by a grade on the
student’s late work or project. “In this
way,” according to Mrs. Putt, “a student
will not be penalized for incompletes. nor
will he receive credit for work not yet
completed.”
STUDENTS WILL NOW have only one
full week after registration to add a
course. Likewise, any courses dropped
during this period will not show on the
student’s records. However, courses can
be dropped after this first week until the
last "two weeks of classes with special
permission of the appropriate dean.
These Withdrawals will be designated
“W”; the grades “W-P” and “W-F” will
no longer be used.
If a student withdraws during the first
week of school, no classes will be listed
on the transcript for that term. In case of
withdrawals after that period, all courses
will be recorded as “W”, with the note
that the student withdrew from school.
If a student simply ceases to attend
class or to do work, he or she will be
given an “F”. The same grade will be
given if students are dropped from a
course because of attendance or behavior
problems.
IN THE PAST, certificate students
taking academic courses received a
pass-fail grade with no credit for the
course. These students will continue to
receive pass-fail grades, but will be given
the appropriate number of credit hours
for the courses they pass and complete.
“Since these students do, in fact,
complete the same course work as other
students,” Mrs. Putt said, “They should
be given credit for courses they
Mss, JUNE R. PUTT
Mrs. Putt became registrar last fall.
Kssay Photo By Bryant Arrington
complete, whether or not the courses are
required.”
Mrs. Putt is engaged in phasing in the
centralization of students’ records, and
hopes that by this summer she can
reorganize her files so that the records of
all current students can be retained in
her office. She has already begun with
students accepted this term, retaining
their complete files, including their
applications and letters of acceptance.
However, deans will continue to keep
whatever files they deem necessary for
students in their school.
“I do not think that making systems
more efficient makes them more
impersonal. I like the idea that students
here are treated as individual people, not
as numbers, and I do not want to change
that,” Mrs. Putt said. She also expressed
her belief in dealing with students on a
personal basis. “Art is a very
personalized thing; how can you
impersonalize the arts?”
MRS. PUTT RECOGNIZES there are
exceptions to any rule. “I look forward to
talking to students; I want them to feel
free to talk to me about any questions or
problems they may have regarding their
records-I like to think of cases as
people.”
Before her position at SUNY, Mrs. Putt
was residence hall director at Syracuse
University. She holds a master’s degree
in guidance and student personnel
and administration from Cornell
University.
de Mille Theatre
Called A ‘Chocolate Mess’
DEMILLE, From Page 1
lighting, and the steps.”
The designed fire escape, is up the
steps, around the theatre, through the top
exit doors around and down the stairs
and out the building.
Another feature that has received
much criticism from almost everyone is
the steps in the theatre. People have been
conditioned to expect steps to be in one
pattern. This means the tread on which
you place your foot and the rise which is
the distance up to the next step should be
consistent. There are five patterns of
steps in de Mille with the top four
classified as a ladder by architectural
standards. Missy Snelling, a drama
student, was perhaps one of the first to
tumble head-over-heels down the steps.
However, since her fall, more prestigious
people such as Chancellor Suderburg,
Martin Sokoloff, Andres Segovia, and
writer have slipped on the steps.
The masking tape was placed on the
edge of each step as a safety measure
prior to the de Mille opening. Additional
lighting for the steps is planned. Sokoloff
stated, “Architectually they’re poorly
designed, but you can’t rebuild the
theatre. The first four steps were not
built according to specifications. They’re
going to be rebuilt.”
Sokoloff said the school is not planning
any legal action, nor did he feel any
would be necessary.
R. B. Deal, of the R. B. Deal
Construction Co. Inc., was asked about
the steps in a telephone interview. Deal
said, “I wasn’t aware of any problem.”
Upon checking, however, he did find a
letter discussing the steps. Deal then
stated speaking of the theatre in general,
“We built it like the drawings showed.”
Chancellor Suderburg was asked in ^
meeting with D&P students if
construction of the work center would be
any better than the de Mille Theatre.
After stating that plans for the work
center were available for “input,” he
said. “There were two main problems in
the construction ofde Mille. First, it was
a renovation of what was previously a
gym. Any time you do a major
renovation there are design problems.
Second, there was no watchdog, so-to-
speak, on the project who was in a
position to dissapprove of the work. The
people in Raleigh who had to approve the
plans couldn’t be here every day.”
Most criticism by faculty revolves
around the use of the studios and theatre
rather than construction. Richard Gain,
modem dance instructor, complains,
“The floor is horrible for dance. It sounds
hollow and amplifies every noise. And I
get cramps in my legs when I have to sit
in the house for very long.”
Robert Murray, director of acting
instruction, said, “At every meeting with
the architects, I questioned the sound
proofing because it is so important. Now
that the theatre is built, we find that
although we were assured of
soundproofing, the sound carries
everywhere within the building.” Chris
Steps and cracks are only two of the complaints.
Grace, director of maintenance, said he
thought, “The air ducts carry the sound
and because such a mass of air is moved
the problem becomes even more
noticeable than otherwise.”
Another problem, which is evident only
to a few, is the conduit (pipe that carries;
wire) overhead. Although a. sound
consultant, Shawn Mu^hy, was hired to
recommend conduit layout, his
suggestions were not followed.
Consequently, there is empty conduit
above the house because it was not
usablee.
KevinCamey, has been responsible for
making the theatre work electrically.
Although Carney would make no
statement concerning the design or
construction of the theatre, it was evident
that without his talents the school would
have had difficulty solving the puzzle of
wiring. With floors moving and cracks
appearing, one might wonder about the
structural strength. The main walls
surrounding the ttieatre are the original
Kssay Photos By Bryant Arrington
cinder block walls. The new beams that
support the grid rest upon the old walls.
They are also above and not touching the
old beams so as not to put weight
anywhere except the outer walls. An old
dock loading entrance on the east side
was filled with new concrete blocks and
the top of the joint reinforced.
Although some cracks have appeared
at numerous points around the wall, a
structural engineering consultant, Glenn
Eason, stated there was no cause for
concern. In a letter to the school, he said
that cracks could be expected during any
renovation. However if they increased in
number or size, he would look at the
situation again. He ended the letter with
the following: “It does not appear that
there is any cause for concern with the
structural integrity of the building.”
Sokoloff said further, “The theatre
itself makes a good impression on the
public. When you compare this theatre
with its problems, it is lOO per cent safer
to be in than the old theatre. And we know
it’s certainly more comfortable.”