Wednesday
March 17, 2004
Vol 1, No 35
Inside Today's Issue |
1. Higher ed legislation to be discussed April 8
2. School of Business plans lab upgrade
3. Colorado Assembly passes legislation in support of American Sign Language
4. Society of Physics Students gets award for outreach activities
1. Higher ed legislation to be discussed April 8
Higher education lobbyists will discuss the latest state legislation affecting higher education at the 2004 Legislative Update April 8 at Regis University. The event, sponsored by the Higher Education Association of the Rockies (HEAR), will run from 1 to 4 p.m. The program is free and open to any one interested in higher education."By April 8 we will have a good idea of which bills have survived, which ones died in committee and what looms on the horizon," said Carol Svendsen, director of Metro Education Ventures and a HEAR member.
Panelists will include Jake Zambrano of the CCHE, Tanya Kelly-Bowry of the University of Colorado system, Toni Larson of Independent Higher Education of Colorado and Andy Hartman of the Bell Policy Center.
2. School of Business plans lab upgrade
Metro's School of Business is planning to upgrade its computer lab. The lab opened in 2000 for business students - primarily computer information systems majors - as a place to run special business applications and to practice network installations without fear of disrupting the college's network.
Now, four years later, CIS Professor Kathy Marold is spearheading a move to replace the hard drives in the lab. "The update is expected to be completed by next fall," she said.
"Our students who already work in the business world are delighted when they see that our lab has the latest and greatest," Marold said, adding that the hardware upgrade will cost about $65,000.
Each semester about 600 business students use the lab, which also serves as a classroom. The lab has 30 student work stations and two instructor stations. It is supported by Information Technology staff but is completely separate from the college's network. "Students can practice writing whatever operating system they want without pulling down the entire college system" Marold explained.
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3. Colorado Assembly passes legislation in support of American Sign Language
The Colorado Assembly recently passed legislation requiring high schools and colleges to accept American Sign Language (ASL) as a foreign language equivalent. Metro currently accepts ASL for Level 1 General Studies Communications requirements, the same as other foreign languages.
"(The bill) is a validation of Metro's policies," said Jean Lundy, assistant professor of speech audiology in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences. "We were front-runners in this area before it became required."
Lundy says the legislation will encourage high schools to offer ASL instruction and will open up opportunities for deaf instructors.
The legislation, HB04-1037, needs to be signed by the governor before becoming law.
4. Society of Physics Students gets award for outreach activities
Metro State's chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) received a $300 award from the national SPS organization for outreach activities to promote physics and the organization.
The chapter plans to use part of the award to participate in the African American Leadership Institute's "Expanding the Visions: Men & Generation Next" conference, a workshop for young black males. Metro students will perform laboratory experiments and purchase physics textbooks for 15 to 20 conference participants during the conference this Saturday on the Auraria campus.
"Our goal is to make contact with students and expose them to physics and science," said Richard Krantz, physics professor and chapter advisor. Krantz noted that studies show students can become interested or disinterested in an academic subject by middle school.
Metro SPS also plans to participate in a youth program sponsored by the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development later this semester by conducting electricity demonstrations and tutoring local students.
The Society of Physics Students is an organization of the American Institute of Physics.
@Metro is an electronic news bulletin distributed every Wednesday to all faculty, staff and administrators at Metropolitan State College of Denver.
Copyright 2002-2003 Metropolitan State College of Denver
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Aviation
students give update on federal policy The students had attended the recent "2004 National Formulation of Aviation Policy Conference" in Washington, D.C. where they got an insider's view into how aviation laws and regulations are formed by the federal government. "The legislative process isn't cut-and-dry, black-and-white like I thought it was," said student Jeremy Raskin. "It's really a give-and-take situation." As part of the conference, each student was assigned a particular issue or area of federal aviation policy to study. The group then had the opportunity to meet with industry representatives, government employees and other key contacts to learn how public policy is developed and influenced. The topics discussed at the seminar included privatization of air traffic control, arming pilots in the cockpit, pilot fatigue and airport capacity. The lunchtime
seminar was sponsored by the Student Travel Program.
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