for the public to purchase these "pucks" during the month of March. Selling these "pucks" also
at local businesses, in the dorms, and at athletic events, the Greeks raised $650.
Bray Retired.
Retiring after 23 years of service to the University, David Bray changed the face
of Clarkson's educational offerings during his tenure here. As chairman of the electrical and
computing engineering department, and later as Dean of Educational Computing, he ignited the
spark that led Clarkson in 1983 to become the first university in America that provided every
incoming freshman with a personal computer- the Zenith Z-100.
He also was instrumental in developing a word processing language which was named
Galahad because of Clarkson's Golden Knight sports teams. This Clarkson Mosaic was written
using the Galahad word processing language. Also as advisor to the student amateur radio club,
he provided Clarkson's solar-powered car-racing team with a Potsdam radio link from remote
points across the United States.
Mini-Baja:3rd.
Racing its amphibious vehicle against teams from more than40 colleges and
universities on a slick ski-slope at Mont Saint-Saveur near Montreal, Canada, during a three-
day competition in May, Clarkson's Mini-Baja team finished third. This race capped a year of
long hours working to design and build a lightweight off-road vehicle. Using thick hard foam
which allowed the vehicle to float and roll bars to protect the small driver's seat, the resulting
rear-engine vehicle weighed 380 pounds and was built for less than $2,000. Averaging 30 hours
per week to build the car, the team members felt that, as Scott Wilkas said, "It's kind of like
having a part-time job."
Racing down a ski slope and through a stream that ran down the hill, the team had to put
in as many laps as possible without any wrecks. One catch to the competition was that the
vehicles had to float and maneuver in water, and overcome obstacles set up each day to test its
endurance. Clarkson's lone special gadget was a tilt-o-meter, a dial mounted on the dash to let
the driver know how stable the car was.
Speedier Federal Loans.
College students found that they could obtain federal loans more
quickly under a new direct student loan program. This new program eliminated banks, guaranty
agencies, and other private lenders, and allowed the government to make loans direct to
students through schools. By so doing, it replaced the former system of reinsurance for loans
made by private lenders that were guaranteed by state or non-profit agencies, a move estimated
to save the taxpayers $4.3 billion over five years. By eliminating the need to go through a
private lender, this direct lending process was expected to cut the time to eight weeks from
three to four months.
Video Conferencing.
CAMP lecture room 175 was fitted out with video transmission/reception
equipment in November. Other rooms on campus were expected to be similarly equipped as the
usage grew and resources permitted: a room in the ERC and the Snell Hall board room. These
facilities provided new methods for approaching courses, seminars, interviews, press meetings,
etc. Staff of the ERC conducted evaluation procedures for all interested University personnel to
assure full use of the facilities.
Doctoral Programs Approved.
After an extensive review, the New York State Department of
Education approved the PhD programs in chemical engineering and in interdisciplinary
