Newspapers / St. Andrews University Student … / March 18, 1971, edition 1 / Page 3
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MARCH 18, 1971 THE LANCE Report Theme PAGE THREE (CoDtlDued from Page 1) gjio than in a specialized pro- ^li'ally students transferring (5 St Andrews might find the lachelor of philosophy a means of fitting in courses from other institutions without having to (l„d exact parallels with courses at St. Andrews. By tostitutlng a separate de gree the college would protect He value of the B.A. and B.S. as pre-graduate school de grees. At the same time It Muld allow the student the op tion of creating his own li beral arts program within the context of the St. Andrews com mitment. The degree should prove attractive to the able student who is not wUllng to commit himself to a nar rowly defined course of study. Normally a student would de clare his intention to pursue the B. Phi. by the end of his sophomore year. The committee recommends one of the following plans for the B. PhU. program. A. Total number of courses required for the degree: 37 courses. Required courses — C & C—8 STMS-2 P.E.-1 Free electives: 26. The stu dent could elect any course of fered In the college providing he meets the pre-requisites for that course. At least half of these courses must be taken from 300-400 level offerings. Course load: 4-1-4 Intent: This would allow the student to create as broad or as narrow a program as he desires. B. Total number of courses required for the degree: 37 Required courses—C&C—8 STMS-2 P.E. -1 Electives: 26. Restrictions: The student could elect any course for which he meets the pre-requlstes, BUT the stu dent could make no more than eight course within a single department. At least half of these courses must be taken from 300-400 level offerings. Course Load: 4-1-4 Intent: This would make the B. Phil, a true liberal arts degree by Insuring that the stu dent would take a wide range of courses in various disci plines. II. The committee recom mends the following revision In the St. Andrews grading sys tem. (1) Modification of the pre sent grading system to; Grade A B C NC W I (2) Excellent Good Satisfactory No C r e d It Medical Withdrawal Incomplete Discontinuance ot the grade-polnt-ratlo (GPR) as a criterion for remaining In school, because by definition everyone would have at least a 2.0, though the registrar would have the data to rank the class for honors, Dean’s List, etc. SPECIFIC PROPOSALS (1) the grade of NC be used in these cases: (a) failure to do satisfactory work (b) withdrawal from the course for other than medical reasons (2) That the cut-off point l>e- tween a C (or acceptable grade) and an NC grade fall In the middle of the D range of the present grading system. (3) A student who falls to pass 3/4 of his courses in a given term will be placed on academic probation from which he can be removed by passing 3/4 of his work the following regular tem or by achieving a record determined by action of the Faulty Executive Com mittee in the case of summer school work. (4) The Faculty Executive Committee will review the to tal records of students whose eligibility to return In a given year is in question. (5) All courses attempted will be listed on the transcript. ADVANTAGES OF THE NEW SYSTEM (1) The punitive aspect of the present grading system Is con siderably reduced. Students failing to reach minimum stan dards in a course are not pen alized throughout their acade mic career, as is the case when GPR determines the eligibility of a student to remain in school. (2) It may encourage good students to attempt courses in areas outside their major. (3) This system would reduce the pressure on a student who did not find himself capable of completing his work in the usual four year sequence. (4) It would allow Instructors to establish more consistant course expectations, since stu dents are not unduly penalized for failing to reach minimal requirements. (5) The attrltionproblemwlth borderline academic cases may be lessened. in. The committee recom mends the establishment of a procedure for giving college credit for appropriate high school work In order to accel erate a student’s program by giving both advanced standing and credit for particular work. This could he done by a pre school testing program In which the appropriateness of advanc ed standing was demonstrated resulting in credit being given for all courses below the level of tested competence where the rationale for courses below the rationale for course sequence Is clear. The same end would be reached by a student’s com pleting a particular course sa tisfactorily after which he was credited with courses below that one in the same program where the rationale for course se quence is clear (as In language or math, for example). The transcript would Indicate that course credit had been given thougji no grades would be re corded. rv. The committee recom mends that the College continue to honor top sophomore scho lars with public recognition and the awarding of a $500.00 scho larship over-and-above other aid received. This aid is now given only for the junior year, which is seen by some as an effort only to keep certain stu dents beyond the usual trans fer point. We recommend that the scholarship be given to these students for their senior year as well If they maintain a high quality of performance in the junior year. V. The committee notes an Inclination on the part of some academic divisions to inter pret “Individual work” as a phenomenon restricted to eith er very able and/or advanced students. Toward the end of Increased flexibility, we re commend a course listing for each division entitled “Special topics In . ...” This would provide the opportunity for In dependent work for any student with a defensible proposal, in any term, without prejudice as to his advanced knowledge of the discipline, so long as a faculty member would guide him and the division would approve the project. Such a course could be taken more than once so long as a transcript notation was made of the nature of the Rodgers ABC Store Just in: Boone's Form Jose Cuervo (86 proof Tequila) Chianti Petri LeRoux Harvey's Spanish Sherry Bristol Cream Miniatures Rhineskeller V2 gallons Bight Across From The THREE R’s ®ALPH, rick, & RANDY in McCoU, S. C. Lancers Richard's Wild Irish Soki Hostess Ciniono (Bianco) material. This procedure would enable students Involved In summer work related to their academic Interests to reflect on that work for course credit — giving them the opportunity to advance their standing and earn money and providing the college with additional tutltlon income. VI. The committee views commendably such programs as the monthly colloquiums of the Religion and Philosophy divi sion. We recommend that each division consider such a pro gram and that some provision l)e made for students Involved In Independent study to make presentations to the group. This combination of experiences serves well the collegiate char acter of our community by re- cognlztag the work of young scholars. vn. The commltte recom mends that the feasibility of a St. Andrews abroadprogramfor the junior year be given care ful study. In the meantime we recommend that students be ad vised of other junior year a- broad programs and that every effort be made to enable stu dents so inclined to take ad vantage of this experience with out prejudice to their grad uation on schedule. Vin. The commute recom mends that a serious study t>e undertaken to determine the costs of offertag a January term abroad for all students regardless of ability to pay and, further, that foundation sup port for such a program be sought. Failure to do this will reinforce growing splits in the student body which are harmful to morale. IX. The committee recom mends a study of the feasibi lity of using funds from one of our recently awarded un restricted grants to provide aid for the middle income student whose Parent’s Confidential Statement does not justify fi nancial aid but who none-the- less needs help in meeting our comparatively high costs. This would address the threatened polarizing of our student body into two extreme economic groups. X. The committee recom mends a careful review ot the faculty adviser program in an effort to see if it can be im proved to provide students with Informed, concerned, and ser ious relatlwis with faculty ad visers. XI. The committee recom mends that each division do a careful analysis of its course numt>ering, sequence, and pre requisite requirements to t>e sure that the rationale in terms of content and degree of dif ficulty corresponds to num ber, sequence, and prerequi site requirements. XII. The committee com mends the avowed effort of the College to develop strong of ferings in the behavioral and social sciences, and we urge early efforts achieve such a program by appropriate faculty appointments in psychology and sociology. xm. The committee recom mends the study of a program of student-taught courses simi lar to that in existence atBarat College in niionos. Specifically we suggest a program in which an able upperclassman would work in Independent study dur ing the fall term developing a course In an area in which he had demonstrated competence. He would be granted credit for that work. Concurrently, the course being developed would be listed as an option for Jan uary term work by freshman. If the course were well enough subscribed, it would be offered In January with additional credit given the student-teacher for teaching it under the pedagogi cal s u p e rvision of a faculty member. XTV. Finally, the committee recommends a renewed effort on the part of the administra tion to keep the student com munity informed of changes in academic program and per sonnel. Too often, only such morale-eroding news as the planned departure of a teacher reaches students, and the hir ing of new persons or adoption of new programs goes unre ported. DRUG ALERT If you are having troubis because of drugs and need someone to talk to call 276-1515. 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St. Andrews University Student Newspaper
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March 18, 1971, edition 1
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