THE DECREE PAGE »
Alpija Jpljt
National Service Fraternity
NEW TEST GAUGE GIVEN
A Creed with Action
by Jim Clark
It is hoped that by this spring
the pines will once again see
those without blankets afforded
the opportunity of a dry rest
ing place. Thanks to the dili
gent work of the Alph Phi Omega
fraternity, Wesleyan will again
have its “love seats”. Stabbed
from behind and extreme lack
of stability characterized the
old ones and the Decree at
least thanks this nationally
known service fraternity for
its initiative and concern,
Alph Phi Omega subscribes
to the standards and ideals
of the Boy Scouts of America.
While not directly affiliated with
that organization, this is one,
fraternity that at least prac
tices its creed with more than
Up service.
The fraternity was started
on Dec. 6, 1925 when Frank
Reed Horton decided that he
wanted to instigate an organi
zation where men could get
in fellowship with one another
He had been a Boy Scout and
was lucky to have been under
good leadership. Mr. Horton
wanted to see his college friends
participate in the same sort
of fellowship he had so deeply
enjoyed- The ideals of his
former Boy Scout days were
perfect, hence the service fra
ternity that Wesleyan enjoys
through its Omicron Rho Chap
ter, Alph Phi Omega.
At present, the chapter is
ably guided by Tim Miller, with
the Decree’s beloved editor as
Secretary - Treasurer; Larry
Jones is Vice-President, Roger
Wiring is Recording Secretary
and Jim O’Dell as Historian.
Some of the many things that
the fraternity has accomplish
ed of note are the following;
with the financial help from the
Monogram Club, the new Trophy
Case was designed and built;
recent folk concerts, dances
and the ushering of many events
like the recent dramatic pro
ductions. Typically limited in
activity by its budget, the main
source of income comes from
the annual U. M. O. C. project.
Membership Is easy enough
for sincerely interested stu
dents and a pledge period is
naturally in force. Wliile past
B. S. A. membership is not
mandatory, the applicant must
suscribe to the World wide in
stitution’s ideals. The national
constitution simply stipulates
that the purpose of this fra
ternity shallbe to assemble col
lege men in the fellowship of
the Scout Oath and Law and to
promote its cardinal principles,
that of Leadership, Friendship
and Service.
Col
lege professors could throw
away their conventional true-
false and multiple choice tests
and the “normal grade dis
tribution curve,” even in large
classes, if their examinations
were designed to measure a
student’s depth of knowledge
instead of his guessing ability.
How this can be done was
described recently by Dr. Paul
E. Fields, professor of Psy
chology at the University of
Washington. Dr. Fields’ sys
tem, developed over the past
three years in Introductory
Psychology classes of more
than 350 students, has resulted
in significantly Improved stu
dent achievement. The results
are based on 100 different
exams given to a total of 2000
different students since 1964.
Although he uses true-false
and multiple-choice questions,
they are Inter - related in a
manner that removes the
“guessing factor” Inherent in
most objective examinations.
He also has developed a stu
dent study guide of sample
tests, “Teaching Tests In Gen
eral Psychology,” keyed dl-
Genius In Midiskirt-
A Poet In Boots....
By Ann Gucker
“I want to be a fisherman.”
Already being an expert photo
grapher-poet, Milani intends to
add deep sea fishing to her sphere
of interests.
Nancy Milani, sophomore, bom
in Bermuda, presently residing
in Farmington, Connecticut; soon
to have home base in San Fran
cisco.
The basic facts about Milani
the Person don’t begin to reveal
Milani the Individual.
Milani is a complex network
of various ingredients, like any
other person. Yet she is not Any
Other Person. Talk to her and
you discover a unique being who
strives to relate to everyone, and
does a pretty good job of it, too.
You see the girl who loves
people, who laughs and cries for
the whole world.
The value of Stratford to Mi
lani is that “it’s a challenge to
stay alive” here. This is the
last school she would have chosen
to attend and the last type of
people she would have chosen to
live with. Yet, if she had not
come here, she never would have
known these pet^le or have
learned to love them. It has been
a challenge, met with reward.
“Manners are fine, until they
become conditioned responses
and are no longer sincere.” To
so many, including Milani, who
can look at southern hospitality
without being caught up in it,
that is what southern hospitality
has become - a conditioned re
sponse, a habitual gesture - all
‘K
meaning nothing.
In talking about people, Milani’s
favorite topic, she said, “I think
what’s so sad is that people see
the differences between them
selves and others, not what they
have in common - they don’t try
to love each other.
Instead, everyone plays God
and cuts each other down.” Sie
went on to observe that people
here are so conscious of them
selves that their main interest
becomes what others are think
ing of them.
Milani’s favorite possessions-
her sword, her flute, her pirate
ship, her camera, and her con
certina (a type of accordian).
Milani’s {Aotographs look like
those of a professional - when
asked how long she’s been work
ing in photography, she answered
that she’d just started this year.
She has her own darkroom here
at s’chool in Iris - it’s called
‘Nancy’s Electric Room,” due
to some minor (?) electrical
problem. MuchofMilani’spoetry
is accompanied by photographs-
not just pictures, but reflections
of moods and emotions and truths.
Some of Milani’s favorite en
tertainers include Richie Havens,
Dave von Ronk, Kenny Burrel,
Jimmy Smith and especially Liz
ard Man.
In literature, Yeats, Dylan
Thomas and James Baldwin rank
high in her estimation; in art,
her choice is Mark Chagall.
One last favorite possession
of Milani’s is her baby blue
lunchbox with flowers painted
on it. When asked what in the
world she did with it, she an
swered, “I pack lunches in it
and go on picnics.”
Only Milani could get away witii
it! And maybe that’s because
she’s NOT so conscious of her
self, because she loves people
jmd people love her for what they
have in common with one another.
Look for the kid with the Midi
skirt and boots, or a leather
jacket with cameras hanging
around her neck - she’s worth
looking for.
Tbis article is a reprint from
THE STRATFORD TRAVEL
LER, the student newspaper of
Stratford College.
rectly to the textbook, “Psy
chology and Life.”
In the Fields system, each
question consists of five parts;
a true-false statement and four
related multiple choice match
ing associations. A student
must answer all five parts cor
rectly to receive credit. With
this method, guessing just won't
work. The odds on getting cor
rect answers by chance alone
are 1 to 3125. But, once
students learn to use the Teach
ing Test manual, they develop
such good methods of studying
the text that they really know
the Important concepts.
“In the spring of 1967, when
the Teaching Tests were used
as a study guide, the average
student passed 84 per cent of
the questions; the top fourth
averaged 99 per cent correct,
and the bottom fourth of the
class averaged 62 per cent
correct. This time, 164 out
of 369 students were within
66 points (one standard devi
ation) of a perfect score.
In addition, the average In
ternal consistency coefficient
improved from plus.34 in 1964
to plus.59 In 1967, Dr. Fields
said. This coefficient meas
ures the precision with which
the good and the poor students
could be differentiated.
In citing data on the Im
proved student achievement in
his classes, Dr. Fields report
ed: “In 1964, the last time
conventional examinations were
used, the average student in
the class passed 56 per cent
of all the questions; the top
fourth of the class averaged
72 per cent correct, and the
bottom fourth of the class av
eraged 43 per cent. No stu
dent in a class of 362 was
within 240 points of a perfect
score at the end of the quar
ter.
Dr. Fields reported that the
most frequently earned score
in each of his last 24 exami
nations was a perfect score.
Because of this exceptional stu
dent achievement, he “threw
the normal distribution curve
out the window.” He now as
signs grades starting from
“perfection,” rather than from
“class average.” He believes
that when normal curves of
achievement are found in col
lege classes, they may be due
to the use of poor quaUty ex
aminations on students who are
lacking in motivation.
Dr. Fields also revealed that
he gives 12 in-depth exams
during a 10-week quarter to
several hundred students. They
can be hand-scored quickly and
objectively with keyed answer
sheets.
COLLEGE STUDENT’S POETRY ANTHOLOGY
The NATIONAL POETRY PRESS
annoiinces its
SPRING COMPETITION
The closing date for the submission of manuscripts by College Students is
APRIL TENTH.
ANY STUDENT attending either junior or senior college is eligible to submit
his verse. There is no limitation as to form or theme. Shorter works are pre
ferred by the Board of Judges, because of space limitations.
y.arh poem must be ITPED or PRINTED on a separate sheet, and must
bear the NAME and HOME ADDRESS of the student, and the COLLEGE
AM)RESS as well.
MANUSCRIPTS should be sent to the OFFICE OF THE PRESS
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NATIONAL POETRY PRESS
3210 Selby Avenue
Los Angeles, Calif.
90034
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Dare to be different!!!