Central Florida Future, Vol. 12 No. 08, October 12, 1979

              UQE LIBRARY
Futura
Vol. 12
Friday, October 12, 1979
University of
Central Florida
No. 8
Conflict over child care funds unresolved
bv Barbara Cowell
staff writer
A controversy has been growing
between Student Body President Armando Payas and President Treavor
Colbourn over the use of $60,000 from
the university capital improvement
trust fund fees. The dispute has been
building since legislature passed a bill
last spring allocating money to these
centers in the State University System.
Payas had planned on the money
being used for the expansion of the
Child Care Center.
"We, student government, feel the
Child Care Center is a priority," Payas
said.
No agreement has been reached between Payas and Colbourn over the
matter. The Florida bill entitling the
money for the center, which was approved   during   the   last   legislature
Enrollment
Exceeding
Estimates
by Doug Marks
freelance writer
Enrollment at UCF is up approximately 1,000 students over last
fall's and UCF is responding well, according to administration officials.
Estimates made last spring predicted
the university would have 11,500
students enrolled this quarter.
However, "It was clear by June that it
would hit 12,000," said Dr. John
Bolte, associate vice-president for
academic affairs.
As of Sept. 22, 11,063 students had
registered. Late registration and
add/drop totals have not been completed yet. Bolte said UCF has seven
more instructors than it had last fall to
help handle the extra students. This
induces three full professorships and
four more adjuncts, or part-timers.
The # university should have been
"allocated 20-25 more by the Board of
Regents," he added.
The average increase per class is one
or two students, Bolte explained. The
greatest growth was in business administration-14 percent more students
over last year. Upper level classes,
engineering, hedalth services and
computer science are also growing.
"To cope woth the growing demand
for classes," said Bolte, "we cancel sections in which little interest has been
shown, shuffle instructors and split
classes to open more sections of desired
courses. We can move classes to larger
rooms. We have four new portable
rooms. We have the flexability to adjust from estimates to actualit'v."
Enrollment, page 10
^Today's Future
session,    states    that    the    university
president must approve of the expen-'
deture.
Colbourn has been reviewing the
matter since the bill was passed. Payas
said Colbourn's priorities may lie in
the building of the health center,
bookstore and student union.
Colbourn was unavailable for comment.
If the money is not used for the center, if will remain in capital fund.
Payas said he feels the center needs
the money to become self-sufficient.    .
See related editorial, page 8.	
"This vear the center will get $35,000
out of the Activity and Service Fee
funds," Payas said. "We're in favor ot
the additional $60,000 because construction of another building will
allow them to accept more children,
allowing then to become self-sufficient.
Conservatively speaking, the center
could be on it's own within two years
with our help now," he said.
PAYAS ADDED the capital funds
would be used to construct one large
room adjacent to the existing building.
In the past, not one penny of university money has gone to support the center," said Payas. "They have always
been allocated with money from A&S
fees."
The child care center expansion may
cost up to $200,000 Payas said and
Student Government is trying to raise
money in the community to cover the
additional costs.
"We show slide shows to local civic
groups. The Edyth Bush Charitable
Foundation met our needs in 1972
when the center was being organized."
he said.
THE BUSH foundation gave the
money to UCF with one stipulation.
The center would have a full
educational program for children. It
was to provide quality education and
not serve merely as babysitters.
Dean of Women Carol Wilson feels
the additional funding proposes a
challenge for the center. "They have a
waiting list of 50 to 60 students," said
wilson. "Students have been known to
enroll on more hours just to keep their
children in the center."
There is no number of hours
necessary to enroll achild in the center.
Students pay $27.50 per week for
child care, which includes one meal
and two snacks each day for full time
enrollment.
Student   Government    first    began
Child care, page 10
In some classes at UCF if you do not get there early you don't get a seat.because enrollment increases
have CaUSed Overcrowding. Brian LaPeter/Future
Loan default rate determines federal support
Kim Reade
staff writer
UCF has been able to reduce the unpaid student loan default rate from
25.74 percent to 16.35 percent this
vear, according to Comptroller Joseph
Gomez.
Gomez expects that by next year the
default rate will be down to 10 percent
or better.
The federal government would like
to see a 10 percent or better default
rate on all student loans, he said.
Because of UCF's ability to demonstrate improvement of the collection
system, the federal government will
continue to support funds for the loans,
according to Gomez. UCF could have
lost the support of the federal government if improvement was not demonstrated.
The   biggest   problem    of    unpaid
student loans is with the National
Direct Student Loan Program, said
Gomez. The loans are long term with
repayments starting nine months after
the student graduates.
Loan collections are slowed down
because of difficulties in keeping track
of students. Some students drop out
one quarter and are back the next,
others just drop out and "disappear",
Gomez said. Some students join the
Peace Corps, Vista, or the military; if
so, they can get a deferment on their
loan repayment. It is very difficult to
keep track of these students, who are
reminded to keep UCF informed as to
their whereabouts, Gomez said. UCF
has utilized a collection service agencv
that specializes in tracking down these
students.
The rules for student loan
procedures   are   set   by   the   federal
government, who supplies 90 percent
of student loan funds with UCF supplying the remaining 10 percent. The
responsibility of loan collecting is the
university's, but if there are problems,
the federal governmnet will get involved, said Gomez.
More specifically, at the end of the
15 days that the bill is due, a 15-day
past due notice is sent to the student.
Another notice is sent on the. 45-day of
late payment and a "stop" is put on all
records. The student is at this time
unable to register, recieve his grades or
transcripts. At 60 days past due, a
Western Union Telegram is sent. On
the 75-day a demand letter is mailed
followed by an attempted telephone
contact on the 90 late day.
Finally, if all attempts fail, UCF
gives up and turns the matter over to a
collection agency.
Volley for Volley   Outstanding Oviedo   Com^ter breakdown
Again this year UCF women's
volleyball team is starting off on top by
going undefeated in the first annual UCF
Volleyball Invitational Meet. For information about the team and their next
game turn to page 1 7.
Two UCF professors are involved with
life in Oviedo, a small town north of
UCF. While one professor was researching the town's history, the other ran for
mayor and won. See both stories on page
3.
What would happen to UCF if the
computers broke down or the programmers went on strike? Among many things
faculty would not get paid and students
couldn't enroll for classes. For other
possible problems that could happen see
page 5.