Michael Ford
Editor-in-Chief

   The Board of Visitors met for the first time this semester in the Spencer Gallery of the Fine Arts Center Jan. 11. The Board discussed a variety of topics including the recent passing of Act 1.  

   “I appreciate the hard work and contributions toward the Act 1 campaign,” Chancellor Jack Lassiter said. “The six counties in our area voted 70 percent plus on the bond issue. Nowhere else in the state did this happen.” 

   Jay Jones, vice chancellor of admissions, said the higher education bill passed resoundingly in the state and some of that money would go toward the e-corridor.  

   “Fayetteville is now connected to the e-corridor,” he said. “We’re about six months away.” 

   Provost David Ray discussed academic changes including the registering of students and the new eight-semester rule, which requires students only take an 18-hour minor and graduate from the university in eight semesters. 

   “We needed to reduce the amount of hours for a minor,” Ray said. “Many departments have responded to that request, especially agriculture. This reduction allows students to more easily fit that minor into their program." 

   Out of 600 incoming first-year students, 61 said they wanted to finish in the eight-semester plan. About six stuck with it and are still eligible. Ray said zero students were prepared for the eight-semester rule in the spring. 

   Lassiter added that this was not unique to the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus. 

   Ray also mentioned the importance of Act 672, which deals with course transfer. With the Arkansas Course Transfer System, students can more readily transfer from one university to another and easily know which courses will definitely transfer.  

   Clay Brown, vice chancellor of Student Affairs, announced a new program that offers students a gift certificate in exchange for their phone line, which will suffice a shortage of lines in the maintenance department. 

   “(Jim) Hudgins approached us for phone lines and said he needed more,” Brown said. “We offered a $20 gift certificate to the booksore for students on campus to give up their land line. Twenty four gave up and Hudgins needed 16.” 

   Jones also briefly discussed the masterplan and its first project, Weevil pond. 

   “Our Weevil pond is going to be that first impression as you come in,” Jones said. “When spring comes, it will be very attractive. It’s four-tenths of a of a mile all the way around. Thirty-three trees have been planted around it in the last month.”

   Other announcements at the meeting included the accreditation of the Social Work program until Oct. 12, 2013 and of the ASSN Nursing program until 2011. The university continues to work on a new catalog, which will include 5,000 hard copies and 7,000 DVD’s.