Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 22, 1993                   TAG: 9309220165
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

COLLEGES TOLD TO KEEP CLASSROOMS BUSY

The council has ordered colleges to meet the state standard for classroom use or be barred from requesting additional classroom construction funding in the 1996-98 budget.

Council members took action last week after voicing embarrassment over a study showing that 13 of 15 colleges and universities surveyed failed to meet the 40-hour-a-week standard. None of the schools met the state's standard for use of laboratories and art studios.

With the colleges in the midst of spending $472 million for a variety of new buildings, the council questioned why only five of the 12 four-year schools met or came close to meeting the rules.

According to the council-sponsored study, only Virginia Commonwealth University and Christopher Newport University met the standard. VCU uses its classrooms 47.2 hours a week. Christopher Newport tops the chart with 52.4 hours a week.

The study reports that Virginia Tech uses its classrooms 34.2 hours a week and Radford occupies its rooms 35.9 hours a week.

Council Director Gordon Daviessaid he was surprised Tech's classroom usage was so low.

"I would have expected it to be higher, and I think it should be," he said.

Tech is, however, doing better that Virginia Military Institute and Mary Washington College, which used their classrooms for 12.8 and 18.4 hours a week, respectively.

Davies said the schools can increase the use of classroom space by forcing faculty to teach when space is available.

"It's who chooses to teach in the afternoon, who takes classes in the afternoon," Davies said. "You'll only see that space used if you require faculty to teach in the afternoon."

At all residential colleges, classroom use plummets by 3 p.m, often sooner. Most of these schools have among the lowest classroom use rates, with William and Mary using classrooms 26.4 hours weekly and the University of Virginia using classrooms 29.8 hours a week.

Other colleges surveyed include George Mason University, 32.3 hours; Old Dominion University, 38.5 hours; James Madison University, 36 hours; and Norfolk State University, 30.1 hours.

Among community colleges, six used their classrooms 35 to more than 40 hours weekly, eight used rooms about 28 to 35 hours and four scored about 23 hours or more. Generally, two-year schools in urban areas rated the highest use.

An emphasis on large lecture courses contributes to the colleges' inadequate use of classrooms, which generally accommodate several dozen students. But merging several small classes into one big one also is a problem, with students often sitting on the floor and crowding doorways for lack of seats.

"The space is not always where you want it," said Davies, adding that schools need more lecture halls, particularly ones equipped electronically so students can tap in from remote sites.

JMU, ODU and VCU came close to meeting the 23-hour-a-week laboratory standard. Radford, UVa, Norfolk State, Christopher Newport, VMI, Mary Washington and William and Mary used laboratories 15 hours a week or less.