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Page 4 Study finds fre learning morp o> COLLEGE PRESS EXCHANGE i Freshmen who entered college in i 1997 are more competitive and materialistic than ever. 1 They want good grades and advanced degrees because they want high- j paying jobs, not because they love learning. i And don't bother asking them about i the finer points of politics and social is- 5 sues, because most certainly don't seem to care. < Or so suggests a long-standing study t of first-year college students conducted by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles. The study, considered the nation's most comprehensive assessment of student attitudes and nlans surveved more than 348,000 entering freshmen na- tionwide and represents the 1.6 million students who started school last fall. It doesn't exactly paint a flattering picture of the graduating class of2001? all classmates of Chelsea Clinton. ? According to the study, first-year ? students are so disinterested in academics, government and social activism s that they're more likely to frequently t oversleep and miss class (34.5 percent) p than to work on a political campaign 1 (8.2 percent) or support causes devoted to cleaning up the environment (19.4 t percent) and promoting racial under- e standing (an all-time low of 31.8 percent). "Sounds pretty accurate to me," said e 18-year-old Jennifer Jones, a self-de- i scribed goody-two-shoes at Indiana University who said she studies hard for " the As and Bs she makes. f "People want more things but are p less willing to work for them because g they just expect them to happen., she said. a Researchers at UCLA who con- i ducted the study suspect she's right. d They note that students' lack of interest in academia comes at a time when o nearly half, 49.7 percent, say they'll i] maintain a B average in college. P Are v for a job Work class s Offer Hep> busine Look no furth( the perfect opj has created li time evenin You'll be national expent clas 7.5( Con Paic Flex Adv Plec wor Come to work in our nev at 420 Rivermont Dr :shmen less ii , 1 : interested in From there, the study reports, a record number of students plan to attend graduate school. Nearly 40 percent said they'll get their master's degrees, while another 15.3 percent say they won't settle for anything less thpn a Ph.D. "Having an edge in the job market is the motivation here," said Alexander \stin, an UCLA professor and the study's founder. "It appears that what's good for the sollege application or the job applicaion is what really counts. Look, for exPeople want more things but are less willing to work for them. Jennifer Jones Freshman, Indiana University imple, at the high level of students who ispire to get their Fh.D.," he continued. "The strange thing is that we aren't dso seeing real interest in the occupaions where that degree is most ap>ropriate, like teaching on the college evel or scientific research." In fact, those occupations are near heir lowest levels of student interest iver. * So is politics. This year's freshmen demonstrat:d the lowest level of political interest n the history of the survey. Only 26.7 percent said they believe keeping up to date with political afairs" is important, compared with 29.4 >ercent just last year and the high of >7.8 percent in 1966. Tm not so fed up with politics as I im with the way everyone approaches t," said 18-year-old Claire Weingarlen, a Syracuse University freshman. "I don't think Congress is focusing n the right things. Few things of any mportance seem to get done." Added Jones: "With all the empty iromises politicians make, they're get'0(1 loc parM that v around your schedule? a competitive \ 'ou gain valual jss experience? jr! Inter-Media Ma * I XT porrunuy ioryou: in 00 new job opportun g positions are now : calling the custome lly known clients. N ;nce is necessary. Tr ses being formed da We offer: D/hr to start npetitive bonus stru< J training :ible scheduling rancement opporturi isant and proressior k environment v state of the art call center, . Stop by, or give us a call New^ The Gamecock -x. j i I m ueresieu in si l socializing re ting to be no better than high school COLL government. It all boils down to finger pointing and petty rivalries that pre- WASI vent legislators from addressing things the na people really care about. ers, Pi Perhaps the only issue hot enough are coi to get more students involved in the po- legegi litical process is the legalization of mar- La ijuana. millioi Support has grown steadily open i throughout the 1990s. This year, more of agix than 35 percent of students said they ing stv back the idea. Cigarette smoking also D( is more popular than ever. More than propos 16 percent of freshman said they smoke teacht frequently. givene Women continue to light up more Th than men, with 17.3 percent reporting er this frequent smoking compared to 14.6 per- Highe cent of men. erning "I think some of those stats have educat something to do with being let off of the CI leash," Weingarden said. lion pi "People can buy cigarettes for the meetii first time, so they're going to. They know U their parents aren't around to smell would their clothes or rooms. It's their way of foragr showing off their independence." tricts f While they may be establishing a Th few new boundaries, many students leges ^ are becoming increasingly conservative progra about some social issues, the study Th indicates. ' award " Support for keeping abortion legal partne; declined for the fifth consecutive year prepai to 53.5 percent, the lowest level since "T1 1979. but be] And after nearly a decade of grow- learnir ing acceptance of gay and lesbian re- Coi lationships, the percentage of those who lined p believe it is "important to have laws loan foi prohibiting homosexual relationships" come b increased for the second straight year Ser to 33.9 percent. says si "We've got to wake up, get students attract more engaged in service activities, over th encourage them to work collaborative- "T ly and be responsible for each other," courag Astin said. "In the meantime, we forgive can't be too critical of the trends facing gradua us. It's easy to put down students, but fession I think we're simply seeing a reflection he said of society." speech wing r ??? - Jiiii time p ff f fMTi Jill* i? r ? 2:00-3:( 3:30-4 I 4:35-4 5:00-6 O I 5:30-6 fpge? fix Dl? I 6:30-7: > | | 7:00-7: irketincj has ew business ities. Partavailable. rs of our Di o prior # F ainmg T ily. :ture lities ial whl1. For n conveniently located infon at 803-253-7950. ) 1 YMTvl TT /\ -P /lrt4-/" upjjiy ui euuuati icruiting classes EGE PRESS EXCHANGE Sen. Jeff Bingan sponsored legislatioi IINGTON?In an effort to fix give student loans f< tion's dwindling supply of teach- ates who agree to tea resident Clinton and Congress areas, asidering incentives to lure col- The bill also woul aduates into public classrooms, ates to demonstrate wmakers are worried about 2 skills in certain aca 1 new teaching slots projected to A proposal introd lp in the next decade because First, R-Tenn., wouli ig teachers and a rapidly grow- award two-year $5,C ident enrollment. to students with higl imocrats and Republicans have erages who agree to t ied offering federal dollars for f?r two years, sr recruitment?and loan for- The Education I ss. mates that 2 million r e proposals will be taken up lat- be needed by 2005. year as Congress revamps the T^e proposed incei r Education Act, the law gov- public attention not : student aid and other higher Jected teacher short ion programs the quality of teacher in too annniinnpd his $3RA-mi1- grams. oposal at the NAACP annual "^e 02111101 Jower tg last July. as we have in the pa nder the plan, 35,000 students ^r?Y11?f an c receive scholarships in return ^ Education Sec eeing to work in poor school dis- e^'T . 0_ br at least three years. Nearly 30 percent ie proposal also would target col- 6 pro e8S1?n . e*, vith strong teaehing-training jus a^ n _t a. u director of the privati e Education Department would on Tea"chi grants to those colleges that teachers enter the cl. r with needy school districts and enough training. re teachers to work in them. Berry recently vis he schoolhouse doors are open, ^ California where; hind too mafy do?"100 llttle guages were being sp ig is taking place, Chntonsaid. graduates of teacher lgressional Democrats have outr prepared for such cht iroposals that include student forced to "sink or swi rgiveness for graduates who be- But he is hopeful t eachers. part of lawmakers will l. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., ified teachers into th( ich a financial incentive would "The profession w 100,000 new teachers each year forts to drive home th< ie next 10 years. shortage of teachers he most effective way of en- ciety's conscience ab< ing new teachers would be to numbers but quality student loan debt for college need to produce," he: tes who enter the teaching pro- For financial inc and stay there for five years," scholarships to work 1 during a National Press Club sign an agreement to in December. ers, added Hidalgo, w! bk Spring Aerobi (Classes begin Mond vr 202 Blatt PE Center http://vt Monday T\iesday Wednesday T OO SteP SteD StCp uu Challenge Mep Challenge . ;i5 Power Interval foon :05 Cardio Cardio Combo Combo )5 Staff Staff Enrichment Enrichment Ei )0 :30 Step & Step Step & Slide Attack Slide k50 Ultimate Arms & Ultimate Ahs Abs Abs >:00 Power Step & Power Interval Rock Bottom Interval R i:15 Water Water >:20 Arms & Arms & Abs bte ?22" 30 Step Combo Step Combo ,ac Deep Water Running Step Step & Step Challenge J ^Sculpt J ^Challenge ^^Earn id You Know... Masma Is an essential fluid of life and there or good quality plasma. 'lasma-based medicines save thousands ol lere in our community. tust a few hours of your time each month c lifference in someone's life. layer compensates you each time you don; low often you donate, you can receive up t Jayer is seeking STUDENTS and others to he lealth with people in need, if you're at leas meet our health requirements you can < e you earn! lAro Dn\ #/>? / nation call 803-254-6683 _ Plasma donors are subject to medical screening and resting prior to acceptance, and at a m hri Wednesday, Janu >rs down, fi looking sli: lan, D-N.M., has college of education 1 that would for- Kingsville. >r college gradu- "In Texas, we 1 ich in high-need where we graduate to fill the classrooms d require gradu- never enter teaching strong teaching For some it's jus demic subjects. For others, it may be uced by Sen. Bill through college, i allow states to They leave then: 100 scholarships option to teach if no l grade-point av- out. each in the state Unless financial upon students wori )epartment esti- "some of them will 1 lew teachers will not continue in the f ltives have forced H alwaya alitt n?Ur n? fl stipends. Linda Tafe , , , pro~ tional Collie of Educ ^6, out hIso on t tt *i. preparation pro- ^Umrererty. Students who are our standarts- !nS bec!i of the 1 at?to meet the would be quickl; ' new teachers," . ^ca"se'Statesare retary Richard standards for teach. students who major ; of teachers leave are more comm] their first three s^said. ie Education De- . Most of [the inc< Berry, associate ^ve ^)ecause they're e National Com- er sutandards for teat ,says many new ^ think the safe issroom without standards. For teacher edu< lited a classroom tion will always be or 25 different lan- s^e sa*doken. Too many "Whenever you 01 colleges are un- tie wider, the gateke illenges and are critical." m," he said. Tafel said the ince he efforts on the way to deal with the t draw more qual- which has just start* 3 classroom. felt at National-Loui relcomes any ef- In the past mont] 3 point about the has received nume and to raise so- schools desperate to )ut not only the cancies. ' of teachers we "Maybe because ol 'aid. arship dollars [in the entives such as pie weren't encourr , students must teaching," she said. work as teach- "I always say we ho is dean of the enough good teacher cs Schedule ay, January 19, 1998) rww.sa.sc.edu/pecenter/crec.l hursday Friday Saturday ~si^ Challenge Power Power Interval Interval Step Cardio Combo Staff nrichment Step & Sculpt Step Step & SteP Attack Slide Attack Arms & Ultimate Ate Step & Power Lock Bottom Interval ^ Water Lower Arms & Half Abs__BjByHH Step Challenge HBmA1|XS Step & Sculp^ Extra Crc Whei is an on-going need f lives, some right Pli an help make the You ate. Depending on o $170 a monthl ^ !lp share their good ^ it 18 years old and r< QI start saving lives Mc I*1*) Bay< ill times. Colum 7L toy,. f>i ary 14,1998 iture m . l at Texas A&Mlave a situation enough teachers but some of them J," he said, t another major. ! just a way to get iselves with that thing else works ^ aid is contingent ang as teachers, take the aid and ield," he said, le cautious about ;l,deanoftheNaationatNational ! lured into teach scholarship doly weeded out. ^ s adopting tougher ?r training, most in education totted to teaching, mtives] are posialso tied to high:hers," she said. iguard.is higher :ators, "our funcle of gatekeeper," m )en the gate a litieper function is intives are a good eacher shortage, sd to make itself s. ti, the university rous calls from fill mid-year va thelackofschol past], many peoiged to get into s can never have s." Sunday 1 ^ Step Challenge * 1 I Step | Combo Step & Slide Power edit 1 You mate * asma Save Lives * t-b - vtuie 'ning ' mey! er Corporation 1916 Taylor bia, S? 29201 (j