University of South Carolina Libraries
Freshmen want to still politically libe By Associated Press College freshmen arc more materialistic than ever t>ut still tend to be politically liberal on issues like disarmament, women's rights and school integration, according to a recently released survey. ? - ? -r r 1 I 1 tie ivtn annual survey 01 ircsnmau auuuucs, "The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 1984," was jointly conducted by the University of California at Los Angeles and the American Council on Education, a Washington-based higher education lobbying organization. More than 180,000 freshmen attending 345 nationwide schools were polled. Nearly 68 percent said a "very important" reason for attending college was "to be able to make more money" ? an increase from 66.7 percent last year and considerably higher than the 49.9 percent in 1971. BEING WELL OFF financially has thus risen from ninth place in 1970 to second place among personal values expressed by freshmen in the annual survey, topped only by a desire to become an authority in their field of interest. "This continuing trend toward greater materialism is consistent with changes in the students' career plans," said UCLA professor Alexander Astin, who directed the survey. Astin sa?d the percentage of freshmen aiming for business careers reached a record 22.2 percent this year, compared with 20.4 percent last year and just I wus< [fjLTERNfj Br see \ te QfiD?>-Or(TCH. 1 ||Sig !:z? TVlO.TWttOC. J U$if routt.... ^ i gg|gjj w mpi wm*tS I PSi n mmm ffflMMH ^tvc V HH| LOOK? |?jgg - ?* fSKBK HBelnHn ^KiS UT arnfcwce fm \H srucniwe* h te H& ID Ger HJTD JJ.j t\\Uu.Mt pis Ill 1 8f Iipl TV4COMLV k Wmmm ^^3 make monev. ral, survey says i 11.6 perccnt in 1966, the first year the survey was conductcd. c; Still diohtlv mnro frpshmen labeled themselves v "liberal" or "far left" than "conservative" or "far pS right:" 22.1 percent versus 20.5 percent. The rest t considered themselves middle-of-the-road. This represents a gain for self-identified liberals from U 1981, the one year conservatives outnumbered [g liberals by 20.7 percent to 19.7, but is still a far cry ^ from the nearly 2-to-l edge liberals had over conservatives in the early 1970s. , THE SURVEY suggested students no longer fit neatly into political categories. j students took a uoerai stand on military spending, with fewer than ever, 32.5 percent, thinking such spending should be increased. Nearly twothirds believed "the federal government is not doing enough to promote disarmament." On the conservative side, only 26 percent supported abolishing the death penalty, compared with almost 58 percent in 1971. Only 22.9 percent of students surveyed backed legalization of marijuana, compared with 25.7 percent last year and 52.9 percent in 1977. And while a majority still supported ideas like higher taxes on the wealthy and government efforts to protect consumers, energy conservation and pollution control, student support for such steps is at or near its lowest point in the 19-year history of the survey. Z-VM T1VE 90.51 | ?i . OTW * - - g| * t JuklSf^ mw^S f. W'i'rv fc&il "IBHKHiiill ; *' ,jHH|^HBBHHHHra *' h.flMi ^ ^BW^|p??^va| ?; J f ? Fair weather friends? From left, freshmen Dee Hill, Helen Ferris and Pam H the wind and frigid temperature as they take a walk Vv\^l a vHHHH^^^Bnl^M. f ?' 'Jjras ^VS3L ijV ^^^BiKiv InFfyfr^ ^?BNflHBr^^HttflH|^||HppR9flH|flK^^H|^^!flVf *.? LB^g^efiSs^ 1 1^" V. KSmMmim0sm^rmm >Bgi * JENNIFER STEIB / Tto tomcatk arrison don't seem to mind across campus. flHBBjQrPly ? 1