Thursday, February 20, 1997
ATTITUDES:
Freshmen have different concerns than those 30 years agoBy
Brooke Olson
Daily Bruin Staff
Thirty years ago, freshmen entered college in the midst of
intense civil and students’ rights movements, as well as the
Vietnam war, which comprised much of their concerns.
Students were also interested in developing "a meaningful
philosophy of life" and the women’s movement had just begun to
change students’ ideas about family.
Three decades later, students’ interests, values, attitudes and
aspirations have dramatically changed, according to "The American
Freshman: Thirty Year Trends," a compilation of annual surveys
conducted by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute.
With questions ranging from sex, drugs and partying to concerns
about finances, grades and health care, the survey has grown
enormously in both scope and influence.
"(This survey) is important because it gives us a sense about
the thinking, the views and the attitudes of not only the students
of today but the leaders of tomorrow," said Trudy Bers, senior
director of research, curriculum and planning at Oakton Community
College.
Over 700 campuses and more than 9 million students have
participated in these freshman surveys since 1966.
Since 1986, when federal funding for the project was terminated,
the participating schools have chipped in to cover the $600,000
yearly cost of producing and evaluating the four-page
questionnaire, which is handed out during freshman orientation or
the first week of Fall Quarter.
The data is often used by the chancellors and presidents of
various universities as a way to understand the student body.
"Institutions can identify issues that may come to the fore on
their campus … issues that could lead to protests on the campus,"
said James Trainer, director of the Higher Education Consortium at
Franklin & Marshall College.
For Sarah Parrott, research analyst at the UCLA Higher Education
Research Institute, one of the most shocking revelations about the
survey was the increase in smoking among women.
In 1966, men were nearly 50 percent more likely than women to be
frequent smokers; by 1978, the sex differences had reversed, with
women over 50 percent more likely to be frequent smokers.
"Although it’s hard to say why this trend has reversed, I would
attribute it to the increase in advertising," Parrott said.
"Obviously, men stopped smoking as concerns about health rose,
but the women’s growing desire for independence as well as ads
which present healthy, young independent women smoking has led to
this increase," she added.
But the realm of influence is not strictly limited to
advertising. Television also has an effect on students, from career
choices to a general increase in materialism, said university
researchers.
In the 1980s, business careers, such as accounting and
administration, ranked among the top future plans for the students.
However, in the 1990s, more and more students plan to major in
medicine.
"It’s obvious that TV has had an affect on career choices,"
Parrott said. "Dallas and Dynasty ranked among the top shows in the
1980s, while the 1990s are dominated by shows such as Chicago Hope
and ER.
"These career choices are not based on money  you can earn
a lot of money either in business or medicine  but more on
the prestige that surrounds these careers as a result of the media
attention that is given to them."
Yet high salaries rank among the top goals for students.
Especially notable are the changes in the two contrasting value
statements: "the importance of developing a meaningful philosophy
of life" and "the importance of being very well off
financially."
In the 1960s, over 80 percent of the students surveyed felt that
it was "essential" to develop a philosophy on life. By the 1990s,
that number had dramatically reversed, with over 80 percent of the
students concerned with financial, as opposed to spiritual,
desires.
"All of the questions we ask about money and making money have
become more and more important throughout the years," Parrott
said.
In the 1980s, students were concerned with making money for
"money’s sake," said Linda Sax, associate director of the Higher
Education Research Institute.
However, Sax added that the 1990s are characterized by a more
realistic approach to life and to what it takes to succeed Â
namely, money.
Views of the role of women at home and the workforce have
"liberalized"
over the years, according to members of the study.
Since the first survey in 1966, women have become more like men
in their educational plans, career goals and even some habits.
In addition to an increased smoking trend, more and more women
attend undergraduate school with the view that it’s the beginning
 rather than end  of their education.
Over 60 percent of the women surveyed in the 1990s plan to earn
a degree higher than a bachelor’s, compared to less than 40 percent
thirty years ago.
In addition, both sexes have changed their view of the role of
women in society. In 1967, a majority of freshmen  56.6
percent  agreed that "the activities of married women are
best confined to the home and family." This past fall, fewer than
one-fourth of the freshman class held that view.
In addition to a general principle of equality, analysts
attribute the decrease to a more unreliable economy.
"Only in a certain economic strata can a women actually stay
home  and that’s almost a luxury for people," Parrott said,
noting that it is harder for families with one working parent to
sustain a decent income.
Despite an increase in the number of women who plan to work
after college, student interest in raising a family has actually
increased over the years.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, women either had to
choose between raising a family or pursuing a career. Now, "women
are superwomen," Parrott said.
"Women do everything  and it helps that more and more men
are taking responsibility for home affairs," she added.
Although the gender gap has decreased slightly, differences do
remain between the sexes. Whereas 54 percent of the men believe
"sex is OK if people like each other," only 32 percent of the women
hold that view.
In addition, men are more than three times likely to spend time
playing video games than women.
Gender differences aside, both men and women are more likely to
rate themselves "above average" or in the "top 10 percent" on
academic, writing and artistic abilities, as well as on
self-confidence.
Increased focus on self-esteem in all areas of school Â
from elementary to high school, have led to a greater level of
morale among freshmen, analysts said.
"Students today are being educated or counseled to be more
confident in themselves," Sax confirmed.
In addition, analysts said the increased confidence could also
be related to high school grades.
Among freshman entering college during the late 1960s, "C"
grades outnumbered "A" grades by more than two to one. According to
the 1990’s survey results, "A’s" now outnumber "C’s".
There are three ways this can be viewed, analysts say. One is
that either students entering college are smarter than ever before,
or colleges are now only accepting freshmen that have "A"
grade-point averages (GPA).
Another view is that high school teachers are making it easier
for students to "get the grade", analysts said.
"Colleges are putting a lot of stock into numerical values
 GPA’s and SATs (Standardized Test Scores)," Parrott said.
"Having higher grades means the student will have a better chance
to get into college."
Students are also taking more college preparatory courses than
ever before and more freshmen aspire to postgraduate degrees.
But higher grades and increases in motivation do not necessarily
mean students are spending more time in school. College freshmen
reported that they were studying less, sleeping more and missing
more classes than their predecessors from the past 30 years.
All this suggests that the students of today have less interest
in a college education for its own sake, said Alexander Astin,
founding director of Cooperative Institutional Research Program, in
a Feb. 16 Los Angeles Times article.
Instead, it reflects "a tremendous pressure on students to use
college as a competitive edge".
Although many staff and faculty laud the survey for its
comprehensive analysis of student views and opinions, some believe
that the survey is not inclusive enough.
Due to costs and time and staff involved in administering the
survey, many two-year and community colleges are unable to
participate in the process.
"It would be nice if the survey had a wider range of
participants," Bers said. "Almost half of the freshmen are enrolled
in community college, but it’s the four year and private
universities that tend to participate in the survey and pay the
price of the survey."
Although members of the study recognize the limitations of the
data, they note that the data is "weighted" to represent more of
the underrepresented colleges.
"We try to make sure that the freshman population represents the
typical freshman population of that year," Sax said.
But still others believe that students may feel inhibited from
honestly answering questions on the survey.
Although the students print their names on the board, the survey
promises that their responses will be held "in the strictest
professional confidence." Despite the assurances, some students may
be affected by what researchers has termed as the "Bill Clinton
effect."
"Clinton took a good deal of heat for having admitted that he
inhaled (marijuana) and revealing information like that could be
damaging later in life," Trainer said. "So many students are so
concerned about their futures that they’re afraid the ‘Big Brother’
is out there watching them."
Members of the study contend that names and answers by a
specific individual will never be released.
Despite the survey’s limitations, it is still regarded as an
important insight into the eyes and minds of the future leaders,
according to university leaders and researchers.
"It is the best freshman survey in the nation  possibly
the world, and really allows us to view the social, political and
economic changes in the students," Trainer said.