Manipulation Of Student Survey Results Charged
BY GINGER KING
Statistics are the victim of
analysis.
This appears obvious consi
dering Testing and Counseling’s
analysis of the Student Opinion
Survey^ of April 17 to be used in
the self-study.
The official report issued by
Testing and Counseling claims
that “The questionnaire guaran
teed the student anonymity and
assured him answers would be
considered statistically and im
personally used.”
But pertinent statistics were
omitted and answers were inter
preted correlate with the person
al objectives of the college.
The analysis offered no clear-
cut answers, but neither did the
questionnaire. Too many of the
71 questions were weighed in
either positive or negative de
grees but not both. Cross ques
tions forced students to answer
in a manner that either nullified
or reduced the impact of ans
wers to related questions on
the same topic.
Sixty-nine percent of the stu
dent body annotated the question
naire and 204 or 63 per cent of
the number responding comment
ed at length on areas surveyed
or topics of their choice. A very
small number of students used
the comment section for personal
gripes, according to the report.
School Calendar
On the subject of the School
Calendar, the report states,
‘ ‘The students generally favor the
four-term calendar; two-thirds
of them believe it offers more
advantages than disadvantages.
Sixty per cent, however, feel
it is not superior to the tradi
tional 18-week semester.”
If the majority of students
favor the foxw-term calendar,
how can they feel at the same
time that the traditional semes
ter system is superior? Testing
and Counseling did not resolve
the conflicting statements.
There were too many “how-
evers.”
seA
Is it possible for “the stu
dents (to) feel that the college
administration is democratic and
that it is concerned with the
welfare of the individual student”
while “two-thirds of them feel
that students should have some
say in the formulation of poli
cies and procedures directly af
fecting them” and “feel further
that they should have a larger
voice in student government af
fairs”?
A walloping 80 percent of the
students feel that they should
have more voice in SGA. The re
port omitted this revealing per
centage.
Grading System
A third of the students believe
that the four-category grading
system does not “provide sufr
ficient range tp evaluate ade
quately a student’s academic
work,” while “nine per cent of
those commenting severely cri
ticized the grading system and
expressed a preference for the
conventional five-category sys
tem,” the report said. Further,
the statement that, “they believe
that the present grading system
neither emphasizes or deem-
phasizes grades” in itself proves
nothing.
See SURVEY, Page 4
Registration ibr the 1967Sum
mer Session at Asheville-Bilt-
more College will be held
Wednesday, July 5 from 9 a. m.
to 1 p. m., Dean Thomas C.
Dula has announced.
Registration procedures will
begin in the Social Sciences Wing
of the Administration Building.
Dean W. W. Kaempfer said two
courses this summer will offer
graduate credit. These will be
offered under A-B’s Status as a
Graduate Center of the Univer
sity of North Carolina at Greens
boro.
The Ridgerunner
The Students^ Right to Information and Expression
VOL. 2 NO. 14
Asheville biltmore-college, asheville, n. c.
JUNE 23, 1967
Class Of 1967 To Receive
Degrees On Saturday Night
Site Of Commencement
The class of 1967 will receive Bachelor' of Arts De
grees in the Student Center Auditorium at 8 p. m. Sat
urday. The degrees will be conferred by President Wil
liam E. Highsmith after the commencement address by
Dr. James S. Ferguson, chancellor of the University of
North Carolina at Greensboro.
(Photo by Daniel N. Jennin^)
Summer Session Slated
To Begin At A-B July 5
The Graduate Center courses
include Literature 33E (UNC-G:
English 548), The Art of Fiction,
taught by Dr. Ellis Shorb, and
Education 697, Major Issues in
American Education, taught by
Dr. John B. Whitelaw.
Other course offerings this
summer include:
General Anthropology, Mod
em General Chemistry, Intro
duction to Economics, Compara
tive Economic Systems, World
Geography, the U. S, since 1877,
History of Russia, Humanities
See SUMMER, Page 3
The Class of 1967, second to
receive Bachelor of Arts degrees
since Asheville-Biltmore be
came a senior college, will be
graduated at 8 p. m. Saturday in
the Student Center Auditorium.
The commencement speaker
will be Dr. James S. Ferguson,
chancellor of the University of
North Carolina at Greensboro.
The Misslssii^i-bom universi
ty administrator received his
Bachelor of Arts from Millsaps,
his Master of Arts from Louisi
ana State University and his Ph.
D. from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Ferguson joined UNC-G
in 1962 as dean of the Graduate
School and professor of history.
Prior to his appointment Jan. 9
as chancellor, he had served as
vice and acting chancellor.
He was instrumental in the
planning that went into setting
up a UNC-G Graduate Center at
Asheville-Biltmore a year ago.
At press time, there were 54
candidates for BA degrees from
the senior class, inc'luding four
who finished their work in Jan
uary.
Dr. Lloyd Remington, associ
ate professor of chemistry, and
Roy Wood, associate professor
of economics, will again serve
as faculty marshals and Mrs.
Margaret Mitchell Kress will
be organist.
The Rev. Robert S, Busey,
pastor of Grace Covenant Pres
byterian Church, will pronounce
the invocation and benediction.
Dr. W, W. Kaempfer, dean
of the faculty, will present the
Cecil L. Reid Award for Schol
arship and President William E.
Highsmith will give a special
presentation. Dr. Highsmith will
also confer degrees.
Manly E, Wright, chairman of
the Board of Trustees, will pre
sent the Trustees’ annual report.
Following Commencement Ex
ercises, a reception will be held
in the Student Center Cafeteria,
Jointly sponsored by the Student
Government Association and The
Asheville - Biltmore College
Alumni Association.
Following Is a list of candi
dates for degree, together with
major:
David Kenneth Bashaw of Black
Mountain, psychology; James
Daniel Lee of Asheville, history;
James Shields Ussery of Ashe
ville, psychology; Phyllis Ann
Young of Candler, Charlotte
Cleveland Arneach of Asheville,
psychology; Larry Douglas Ear-
wood of Asheville, economics;
John Julius Jacobs of Asheville,
math; and Bessie Elizabeth Rob
inson of Oteen, literature.
Mildred H. Allen of Asheville
Rt. 3, history; Carolyn Mickle
Baldwin of Asheville Rt. 5, his
tory; Anita Bernice Ball of Wea-
vervllle, psychology; Patsy
Boozer Ballard of Asheville, psy
chology; Robert Alexander Beal
of Asheville, history; Ellen Dlan
Bostic of Asheville; psychology;
Dean Medford Cartwright of
Asheville, economics*.
Ctiarles William Cook of Ashe
ville, history; James A. Day of
Amendments
For Dorms
Matherville, Miss., government;
Denise Ilayna Diamond of Ashe
ville, psychology; Lenda Edwards
Sprague of Asheville, math; Da
vid Bolton Ehle of Asheville, ec
onomics; Alex Wilson EUwood
of Asheville, psychology; Cheryl
Lynn Flagg of Asheville, math;
Anne Gray Komegay Frick of
Asheville, government; Glener
Bums Gilland of Asheville, his
tory; Richard A. Griffith of Ashe
ville Rt. 7, math; FarzanehGull-
lebeaux (rf Asheville, French;
See COMMENCEMENT, Page 3
Are OKd
Amendments to the Student Go
vernment Association Constitu
tion and By-laws passed over
whelmingly in the recent elec
tion, SGA President Jim Day re
ported.
The Constitution amendment,
allowing the president of the Res
idence Council to be a member of
SGA’s Executive Council, was
OKd, 112 to 11.
Amendments ni, IV, V yid VI,
wHlch deleted one se^ion of the
By-laws, and set up the Resi
dence Council , House officers
and House Rules, passed by votes
of 111 - 12, 112 - 12, 107 - 17,
and 112-12, respectively.
SANDY SLUDER, a liter
ature major and risinj^ se
nior has been named edi
tor of the 1968 Summit.
Miss Sluder will also rep
resent Asheville-Biltmore
College in the Rhododen
dron Festival being held
this week at Bakersville.
Other Summit staff ap
pointments include Susan
Ivey, who will serve her
second year at business
manager, and Anne Marie
Wutsdiel, who will be as
sistant editor.