The UCF Report, Vol. 13 No. 16, February 27, 1991

              Wm-.<:
Volume 13, Number 16
The University of Central Florida newspaper for faculty and staff
February 27,1991
r News cups-. Legislators get UCF's wish list
Universities ask
• The community arts
program is seeking collections
of diaries and journals and
single diaries /journals for an
exhibit in May in the library.
The purpose of the exhibit is to
show the variety in autobiographical records written and
inherited by women in Florida.
There is special interest in exhibiting hand-made diaries,
children's diaries, inherited
diaries, collections of journals,
notebooks, and logs, as well as
autobiographical collections
that some may not have
considered diaries but the
owners do, such as a photo
journal or scrapbook.
To enter, send a photograph
of the diary and a letter of description, plus a self addressed
stamped envelope to Patricia
James, the community arts
program, UCF, Orlando, 32816.
For details call, James at x2195.
• The English department is
sponsoring a conference of
scholars interested in the
relation between politics and
literature in the 17th century.
It will bring 60 scholars from
26 states and Canada and
Britain to UCF on Thursday-
Saturday, March 7-9 for what is
thought to be the first national
meeting on this topic. It was
created and directed by
English professors Katherine
Keller and Gerald Schiffhorst,
who plan to publish selected
proceedings of the conference.
Participants will discuss
censorship, propaganda and
other governmental policies
affecting the production of
literature inthe century.
For information, call x2212.
• The foreign languages and
literature department, in
cooperation with the office of
international studies, will offer
five foreign study programs
during the summer. Programs
are open to all students.
The primary purpose of the
programs is to improv language and cultural proficiency.
Summer programs are to:
Jonquiere, Quebec, May 13-
June 7; Jena, Germany, July 1-
Aug. 7; Urbino, Italy, July 1-
Aug. 7; Cracow, Poland;
Madrid/El Escorial, Spain,
June 29-Aug. 7; Leningrad,
USSR, July 3-Aug. 14.
For information, call x5937.
Letter from the president
Altman: Money problem
■ ■ ■ mm      m m   m ^Hfc, mmk
bump in road for UCF
Note; This letter represents
the first in an occasional series of
letters to the UCF community
about subjects affecting campus
development.
The 1991 Legislature will convene next week, and, as usual, its
deliberations will have a direct
impact on the university's operations next year. Gov. Lawton
Chiles' proposed budget, which
serves as an important starting
point, calls for our budget to be
effectively reduced by another 5
percent. This recommendation
will place before the Legislature a
series of dilemmas for funding the
State University System.
Substantial salary increases for
faculty and staff, and funding for
enrollment growth and needed
facilities remain our top priorities
for the session. Meetings with
members of our delegation have
confirmed their understanding of
and support for our needs. Our
success in providing high quality
education and the rapid popula
tion growth in the region will continue to make us one of the most
desirable and fastest growing universities in the state. An appropriate funding level will hasten this
development.
However, the continuing
shortfall in state income and the
repeated promises by elected
officials of no new taxes suggest a
poor budgetary outlook for next
year. Constrained funding puts
some of our development plans
for next year at risk. Obviously,
too, the economic downturn
reduces private funding prospects.
Consequently, we are taking a
number of steps now in anticipation of next year's budget. We will
continue our policy of very limited
hiring and spending. Doubtlessly,
the appearance of the campus will
suffer due to deferred maintenance. Wherever feasible, we will
control enrollment to about this
year's level by sharply limiting
non-A.A. transfer students.
Please see LETTER, page 3
for 'reform' when
planning budgets
In a year of fiscal uncertainty,
State University System and University of Central Florida officials hope
the Florida Legislature agrees to
attach fewer strings to educational
appropriations so universities will be
free to use funds where they are most
needed.
Under a management reform
plan supported by Gov. Lawton
Chiles, instead of specific university
spending being decided by legislation, lump sums would be approved
and university administrators could
then spend more effectively. Spending would still be closely scrutinized
by the Board of Regents.
"Our view of management
reform is that it will take us out from
under constraints imposed on us
from Tallahassee, and allow us to
manage our own funds here at
home," said Daniel Holsenbeck,
senior counsel to the president and '
director of government relations.
If the plan had been adopted
prior to this year's budget cuts, UCF
could have possibly avoided hiring
freezes and class reductions by
shifting dollars from other categories.
"We could shift dollars without
going through the governor or the
Please see LIST, page 3
Computer programmers ready
After months of practice, Southeastern champs headed for nationals
The University of Central Florida programming team
boasts a stunning Southeastern Regional record of
placing in the top three every year since their first competition nine years ago.
At this year's regionals, UCF placed first, earning a
spot in the national competition in San Antonio on
Wednesday, March 6.
UCF's record in national competition is impressive,
with a fourth-place finish in 1986, and a second, behind
Stanford, in 1987.
"When you realize that second in nationals really
means second in the world, you can't be too unhappy
with that kind of a finish," said computer professor Ari
Arooji, faculty advisor for the computer team since 1989.
The key to UCF's consistent success has been practice, he said.
"We try to duplicate everything that happens at
regionals and nationals," Arooji said. "Our objective is to
eliminate surprises so the team can concentrate on
solving programming problems."
The process begins with team selection early in
September. Twenty to 35 students are given a set of 10
problems to solve in six hours. Two four-man teams are
created out of the top 10 finishers. Teams are designed by
a balance in different areas of programming expertise.
Each problem in the competition has a different application. One may be a geometry problem and another an
engineering problem.
"We don't want all four students on each team to
have expertise in the same area," Arooji said.
Then practice begins. The teams, alternates, and six
advisors meet for eight hours every Saturday for seven
weeks before regionals. Six of those eight hours are spent
under actual competition conditions, efficiently manag-
Please see CHAMPS, page 3
Next Issue Of The UCF Report is March 13 * Deadline March 6
University of Central Florida
P.O. Box 25000
Orlando, Florida 32816
Address Correction Requested
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Orlando, Florida
Permit No. 3575