Friday

May 8, 1998

End of an Era?

The Coffee House's 'Perfect Burger' may be history to make way for new Burger King Express

Students and faculty looking for the "perfect" hamburger on campus may no longer be able to find it in the University Union.

As the CSUS Foundation works with Burger King to move its Express "Whopper" into the expanding Union, the "Perfect Burger" faces extinction from the Coffee House menu. And in August, the entire eatery might be eliminated if the Foundation brings in a franchise coffee and pastry shop, such as Java City.

"Right now it's all a work in progress," said Nancy Pennebaker, the spokeswoman for the CSUS Foundation, which runs campus Food Services. "As part of the agreement with the franchises on campus, sales of similar menu items are not allowed at the same area of the campus." This agreement includes restrictions against student clubs to sell similar food items on campus for fund-raisers.

Just what makes the Perfect Burger so perfect?

It's just one of many items served by the Coffee House's grill. For $3.45 you can buy the six-ounce hamburger patty topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon, garlic spread, mayonnaise and mustard. For an extra 50 cents, they'll throw in cheese. For 50 cents less, they'll skip the bacon.

The Perfect Burger's competition at Burger King is less meaty and less pricey. The 2.8-ounce Whopper goes for $1.19 and comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mayonnaise and ketchup. For cheese, it's an extra 40 cents.

For some students, it's a matter of convenience and health.

Steve Muehlberg and David Slagle, two CSUS seniors, said they prefer the more "hand-made" meals as opposed to "factory style" -- refering to "branded food" such as the trademarked Whopper.

While the Perfect Burger is touted at 88 percent fat-free on the menu, Burger King's burgers weigh in at 39 grams of fat each, according to Shirley Evans of the California State Food Nutrition Information Center in the 1998 Bows & Churches Food Values study.

But Pennabaker said a recent survey indicated a student approval of franchise meals.

"Students prefer branded food," Pennebaker said.

However, the Coffee House has been voted best in the nation for dining on large campuses, according to the Campus Dining Calendar published by Pennebaker.

As the University Union expansion reaches completion, the Foundation will choose new eateries to move in. The Foundation will accept bids from franchises before making any decisions.

"There are various ways a franchise is chosen to be on campus," Pennebaker said.

The Creperie in River Front Market, for example, was chosen by the Food Services director, she said.

Pennebaker would not disclose how much money each franchise must pay the Foundation to market their products on campus.

Burger King has been on campus for nearly 14 years.

Evaluations let students have say in tenure picks

Students thinking of skipping class evaluations might want to think twice.

For most departments, end-of-semester course evaluations are students' primary input into the tenure process, said Vice President for Faculty and Staff Affairs David Wagner.

Signed letters are the other primary criteria used to determine whether professors get tenure or promotions.

"They are very heavily weighted," Wagner said.

A minority of departments ask for student input in addition to evaluations and letters, which become part of every faculty member's permanent file. Wagner said he could not speculate on the number of departments with this policy, but he did say the use of student testimonials was more prevalent in the past.

The departments that seek additional student input post the names of instructors under consideration for tenure or promotion, and request that students comment before a faculty hearing committee.

"Twenty years ago, most departments did that. But more and more, departments are getting away from it," Wagner said.

The university's contract with the California Faculty Association requires a minimum of two student evaluations of faculty per academic year. Some departments have stricter guidelines.

Signed letters in favor or against a professor are important, but Wagner stressed the importance of the letters' being signed. Anonymous letters are not kept in a faculty member's file, he said.

Academic advice to be available on the Web

Students who need academic advising will soon be able to access answers to common questions via the Web, at www.csus.edu/acad.

The new academic advising Web site will offer mostly information from the CSUS catalogs regarding academic leaves, general requirements, issues about academic probation and available programs. A question-and-answer page on the site will also allow students to browse common problem areas for answers.

"The new site will be a great help to both current and prospective students," said Ed Perhay, an academic counselor at the academic advising center.

CSUS student Jason Galloway, a pre-computer science major, was contracted by academic advising to construct the site in January.

Galloway, who helped design and maintain two other Web sites for campus groups, said the site was complete except for the cover page.

The Web space will cost the department nothing.

"There's a certain amount of Web space allocated to the department, so it's free," Perhay said.

While the system will not initially allow students to ask specific questions and receive immediate answers, academic advising's goal is to become interactive.

"We are limited, though, to what we are allowed to do on the CSUS Web server," Galloway said.

Questions not answered on the site can be e-mailed to the department for a response.

Galloway and Perhay will update the Web as policies change until academic advising interns can watch over the site.

In addition to providing access over the Web, the academic advising center sees students regularly at its office, located at Lassen Hall room 1012. The center has also set up a part-time advising center located in the Library, which is open four hours a day.

"When schedules come out, I see up to 100 students a day," said John Heath, an academic counselor who has been in the department for 15 years.

Both Heath and Perhay do not believe the new site will cut back on long lines and waits for students with questions or in need of advice. However, the Web site will clarify policies and help students avoid unnecessary phone calls and out-of-the-way visits, saving time and effort on both ends.

"These forms aren't the easiest to read ... our goal is to get kids in the office or on the Web, to inform and encourage them to know more," Perhay said.

He also said it's important for CSUS and its students to advance technologically with the times.

"Even if it's just to get on the Web and look at the Sac State page," Perhay said.

Some students said they do not intend to use the new site. Some have never sought counseling at all.

"I just do it myself," said Patrice Robinson, who graduates in May and has never used any of academic advising's services.

But other students, such as Magdi Ali, do use the center's services and said they would find the Web site helpful.

"It would be easier and I could save time. I wouldn't have to come here (to the academic advising center)," said Ali.

While neither Galloway or Perhay gave a specific date for the site's completion, Perhay said he had a "desire to have it done by the end of the semester."

Personal watercraft safety course a first

CSUS is the first university in the nation to establish an accredited safety course for personal watercraft, such as Jetskis.

The course -- which is designed to teach the safety laws of waterways -- will be offered as a physical education course in the fall of 1998.

Becky Rust, a student in Recreational Studies 132, Water Front Management, said she believes safety is an important issue for personal watercraft users.

"This class is the best thing they could have done," she said. "(The personal watercrafts) don't have breaks and people don't watch skiers."

Matt Wickey, another student in the class, agreed safety instruction was valuable to watercraft users.

"Uneducated people screw everything up," Wickey said.

The idea was sparked by water ski coordinator Brian Dulgar and Aquatic Center facilities manager Bob Whitford, who felt personal watercraft safety is becoming an important issue.

According to a report by the Department of Boating and Waterways, personal watercraft represent the largest growth of registered owners in the past five years. About 200,000 personal watercraft were sold in California in 1996.

But despite this dramatic increase in the number of vessels, the number of rivers and lakes remained the same.

The records from the department show that many boating accidents are caused by operator error -- which includes alcohol and high speed. Of the 58 water craft involved in fatal accidents, eight were personal watercraft.

Dulgar said there were several hurdles to clear in creating the course.

Much of the course was made available thanks to donations from corporations and state government agencies.

Kawasaki donated four skis to the program and trailers for transporting the skis were a gift of the California Department of Boating and Waterways.

But Dulgar said the biggest challenge was obtaining insurance for the course. After completing a nationwide search, West Del Mar Marine of Stockton was contracted at $820 per year, per ski.

The course also had to be approved by the Physical Education department, the Academic Curriculum Committee and the Student Finance Committee. The entire process took over 18 months, Dulgar said.

The course, Physical Education 23 -- which will cost students $100 -- will last 12 weeks and will be held at Folsom Lake. Two Tuesday/Thursday sections are scheduled. For more information, contact the Physical Education department at 278-6441.

Fewer students finish on time

By JANEL BURCHETT
DAILY ILLINI (U. ILLINOIS)

(U-WIRE) CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Not sure if you'll graduate on time? Don't fret -- you're not alone. According to The American College Testing program (ACT), there is an all-time low in the number of students who graduate from college within five years.

A nationwide study showed that 52.8 percent of students earn a bachelor's degree within five years, according to ACT. This is nearly a five percent decrease since 1983, when the study began.

The University of Illinois is no different. According to the College Guide in the Sept. 8, 1997 issue of U.S. News and World Report, the graduation rate for the University was 78 percent in 1996, with a predicted graduation rate of 66 percent. At the time, the University was ranked 12th in graduation rates in the listing of U.S. News and World Report's Top 25 public national universities.

The universities with the highest graduation rates were Harvard, Princeton and Stanford, with graduation rates of 97 percent, 94 percent and 94 percent, respectively.

According to Ira Langston, assistant vice principal of academic affairs, the percentage of students who graduate from the University of Illinois in four years was 48.9 percent in 1992, while the percent of students who graduated in five years was 68.8 percent.

In 1989, 80.9 percent of students graduated in seven years, Langston said.

The reasons for the large number of students who do not graduate in four years vary. Langston said some of those reasons might include students who have multiple majors. Students who change majors or drop out and then return might also contribute to this statistic.

Differences between full-time and part-time students were also listed as possible explanations of the figure.

Kelley Hayden, director of communications for ACT, said in a press release many reasons contribute to students attending colleges for more than four years. Some of these reasons, Kelley said, are an increase in the number of part-time students and students who attend college straight from high school, scheduling difficulty and the availability of courses.

Those reasons seem to coincide with opinions of University of Illinois students.

Alan Harwood, freshman in engineering, said he will probably not graduate in four years.

"The requirements are too high for the college I'm in," Harwood said.

Eric May, freshman in commerce, said he will not graduate in four years because he plans to take a year off. He said he feels some of his required courses are unnecessary.

Katherine Anderson, a junior, said that taking summer school classes and correspondence courses will enable her to graduate in four years. Anderson said she understands the difficulty of not being able to graduate in four years, however.

"You can't always get the classes you need. Many students don't understand the urgency of getting those classes," Anderson said. "There is also a lot to do on this campus."

Police Log

Saturday, April 25
VEHICLE/PERSON STOP: Two men were arrested at the Exxon on Collegetown Drive and Howe Avenue. The 26-year-old driver was arrested for driving under the influence and the passenger was arrested for being drunk in public. Both men were booked into the county jail.
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE: Nine to 12 shots were fired near the Guy West Bridge. The area checked OK and no one was located.
WELFARE CHECK: A man was talking to himself in the area of Amador Hall. The man was not located upon officer arrival.
OTHER INCIDENT: An unknown person set off a flare in an empty garbage can near Sutter Hall. There was no fire or damage reported to the garbage can.

Sunday, April 26
POSSESSION OF ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE: An unknown amount of marijuana was found in a dorm room in Desmond Hall. The student was cited for possession and released.
AUTO BURGLARY: The door of a 1993 gray Ford Ranger had its door lock punched. Nothing was reported missing from the vehicle.
FORCIBLE RAPE: A rape that occurred on March 31 was reported. Both the victim and the suspect are dorm residents and the case is still under investigation.
PETTY THEFT: A Uniden cell phone valued at $250 was taken from a backpack at an unknown campus location.
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE: An old unusable backpack was in front of the ATM at the River Front Market. It was put in the dumpster.
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE: A 20-year-old female resident of Draper Hall took an overdose of pills.

Monday, April 27
OTHER INCIDENT: A note and a cow's tongue were placed on the door of a residential advisor. The incident was felt to be a prank.
PETTY THEFT: A men's orange 21-speed Mongoose mountain bike valued at $500 was taken from the bike rack near Eureka Hall.
SUSPICIOUS SUBJECT: A man in the Library was sitting across from women, staring at them and making them uncomfortable. The man was not a student nor studying; he was contacted, advised to leave and complied with the request.
PETTY THEFT: A pair of in-line skates valued at $215 was taken from a dorm room in Desmond Hall.

Tuesday, April 28
VANDALISM: The cables of the emergency phones were cut in Lot 4.
WELFARE CHECK: A 36-year-old woman was having an allergic reaction to a new medication in Foley Hall.
WEAPONS VIOLATION: A transient was waving a large military type knife, 7 inches long, in the men's restroom of the Library. He was arrested and booked in the county jail.
INDECENT EXPOSURE: A man in the study booths of the Library was "playing with himself" while exposed and watching female students.
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE: Several young men in a white Toyota appeared to be casing cars in Lot 4.
OTHER INCIDENT: A student left a threatening note for a professor after a poor grade. The student was contacted and advised.
AUTO BURGLARY: A white Toyota Corolla in Lot 4 was broken into. A CD, amplifier and speakers valued at $2,100 were missing.

Wednesday, April 29
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE: A custodian reported a transient sleeping in the stairwell off of room 1015 of the Engineering and Computer Science Building. He was asked to leave and complied.
WELFARE CHECK: A woman in Sacramento Hall requested an ambulance, stating she felt like she was going to pass out. An ambulance was called and she was transported to a nearby hospital.
INDECENT EXPOSURE: There was a naked man running around making vulgar gestures near the Guy West Bridge. He ran away from campus and was not located.

Thursday, April 30
OTHER AGENCY ASSIST: The Sacramento Police Department requested assistance near the bike trail and golf course, where several fraternity members were doing an initiation along the levee.
GRAND THEFT: A backpack containing a cell phone, identification, U.S. saving bond, soccer shoes and text books was taken from the athletic field.
DISTURBING THE PEACE: A woman and man were contacted and advised after causing a disturbance at Draper Hall near the pool.
DISTURBING THE PEACE: There was a group of people yelling and making noise at Draper Hall near the pool. The people were advised.