Ever since the Task Force on Undergraduate Education released its scathing report on the deteriorating academic environment at the University, everybody has been trying to pin the blame on somebody else.

The professors blame it on student apathy.

The students blame it on boring professors.

Both students and professors blame it on large, passive lecture courses.

And everybody blames the high schools, which they claim are not properly preparing students for college.

All of these accusations have some measure of validity. What everybody needs to do now, however, is stop whining about the problems and start working toward solutions.

Some solutions are out there and need only be implemented. The following suggestions are but two steps the University could take right now to strengthen undergraduate education here. Both are already available, but should be used more widely:

-- Make all freshmen take a seminar on how to improve their study skills. It's not happening in the high schools, so it's time for the University to see that every incoming student is properly prepared for college academics. It must also stress the multitude of educational resources that are available at the University.

The College of Agriculture currently offers a study skills seminar to freshmen. A program this potentially beneficial should be mandatory for all freshmen.

-- Attempt to lessen the negative impact of huge lecture courses. At a university of this size, large classes are unavoidable. That, however, doesn't mean the academic experience has to be lessened. Breaking down lecture classes into smaller recitations or labs once a week helps, but more should be done.

The Instructional Development Program is a resource available to professors who want to develop their skills at keeping students interested in class. This program should be mandatory for all instructors of large lecture classes.

Professors who simply read from a textbook in front of hundreds of sleepy students is an all too familiar sight and provides only a passive learning experience with no student-teacher interaction.

Finding solutions to the weaknesses of undergraduate education at the University will not come easy. But implementing these and other suggestions will begin to improve the much-lamented academic environment here.