IS GRADE INt LATION A PROBLEM AT ST. ANDREWS?
by holly ALLEN
Undergraduate grades have
sky-rocketed at American
institutions since the mid
sixties. A-minus is reported as
the average grade at Stanford.
At Harvard, 82 percent of the
1974 graduating class was
awarded a cum laude or
better. Yale banished the F
from its grade scale for one
year in order to encourage
studies outside of chosen
majors. In 1975, ever over half
i of the University of Virginia’s
I graduates made the dean’s
list.
The grade distribution at St.
Andrews seems to reflect this
trend, although the inflation is
reported minimal and far
behind' that of the “Ivy-
/'
/
Leaguers.” Since surveys on
grade distribution were first
conducted here in 1973 the
mcidence of A’s awarded to
spring term students has risen
about ten percent.
At the same time, the
number of C’s and D’s
distributed has respectively
fallen approximately eight
and four percent.
Registrar James Stephens
reported Tuesday that St
Andrews’ grades were in Une
with the distrubtions reported
in 1976 by 22 North Carolina
institutions of higher
education. St. Andrews
ranked close to the mean
among the ten participating
small private institutions at
all grade levels, with the
exception of its lower in-
• n 4 " ^ grade
inflation problem is a serious
one,” Stephens said, adding
however, that “It’s a problem
to be concerned about.”
Perhaps most sensitive to
the nationwide grade inflation
problem are those students
who have returned to St.
Andrews after an extended
absence from collegiate
studies.
Judy Guerry returned to St.
Andrews in 1976,14 years after
completing two years at Mary
Washington College in
Fredericksburg, Virginia. She
states that a stronger
motivation to make high
grades (now that she’s paying
the tuition) makes it hard for
her to tell whether good
grades come more easily. But,
she said, the attitude that’s
supported grade inflation “is
reflected in the drop add
option, I think. Another thing-
the cut business.
“It seems that things like
that reflect the general att-
tude of making things easier,
rather than abiding by a strict
set of rules. And that sort of
thing almost has to come out
in the grades,” she explained.
“I’m not sure whether that’s
good or bad, but you wouldn’t
want that flexibility to go so
far as to water down the
content of a course to make it
easier.”
Guerry also mentioned
noticing a growing laxity on
failing students.
“I don’t think as many
people fail for not doing their
work,” she said. “There used
to be no compromise about aht
at all. Now you can talk about
it. People don’t fail at the rate
they did when I was in school
(at Mary Washington). ”
Return student Phillip
Blundell also says that a
greater motivation prevents
him from judging inflation
clearly.
“I think a little extra age
goes a long way,” said
Blundell, who is now married
and the father of two children.
“It’s easier for me to buckle
down to study.”
He noted, though, that SAS
401 “was not easy.” He must
make three A’s to graduate
with a satisfactory g.p.a. and
still finds that a challenge
after a seven year absence
from St. Andrews.
One former student who has
(Continued on page 2)
The Lance
A Weekly Journal of News And Events At St. Andrews Presbyterian College
cidence of F; s given.
January 26. 1978 LAURINBURG, NORTH CAROLINA 28352
Monday Series Presents "
Puppet Theatre
Monday, January 30 at 6:30
p.m., the St. Andrews Puppet
Theatre will be presenting a
program as part of the Vardell
Monday Night Arts Series.
The Puppet Theatre is a
Winter Term course taught by
Brad Ford of the Theatre
Department.
Monday’s performance will
include Alex and his very bad
day, a humorous look into a
bad day in the life of a small
boy in Anytown, U.S.A.,
Metrics can be fun, a play that
introduces the basic concept
of the metric system through a
series of fables;- and
the Reluctant Dragon, a fable
showing you can’t judge a
dragon by its skin. The fifteen
students in the class have
rewritten the scripts for
puppet use, designed and built
the puppets for the plays.
The troupe will be taking
their shows to about 10
elementary and middle
schools in Scotland County.
“We wanted to do something
for children which is both
educational and en
tertaining,” Ford said. “We
are using the success of the
Muppets on Sesame Street as
a barometer that measures
the success of puppets as a
teaching tool.”
The school tour coordinator
is Courtney Ebbinghouse. Ed
Hendrickson is the designer of.
Metrics, Nancy Hinkle is the
Editor. For the Reluctant
Dragon, Karen Eades is the
Designer and Teresa Tallent
is the Editor. Linda Marrow is
Designer and Editor of Alex.
CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES on the Belk Bell Tower and
other renovation projects despite the wet weather. (Photo by
David Swanson.)
Accident
JSearly Fatal
If they had all been killed,
they would have gone out as
celebrities across the state in
every newspaper and evening
show. As it was, Mark Six,
Dennis O’Toole, and Steve
Newton will be quite happy to
remain in the rather dull
statistical category of those
who managed to total their car
without serious injury. They
would be quick to point out
that this state of affairs was
not their fault.
Driving to the Pizza Inn for
lunch, yesterday afternoon,
the trio, in Six’s grey VW
(affectionately known as
“Rommel” before his demise)
were broadsided by the
dispatcher for the Scotland
County Ambulance Service.
The car then flipped at the
intersection of South Main and
Armoury Streets and flew
This
Week
TONIGHT: Basketball at Methodist College, 7:30 p.m.
Women’s Basketball at Mt. Olive College, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27: Library Story Theatre: Presented by
the Education W18 Qass, 8 p.m. LA Auditorium.
Highlands HaU Dance - $1 Admission - 8 p.m.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 28: Ubrary Story ITieatre, 2 p.ni M
Auditorium. Basketball; St. Andrews vs Greensboro College,
7:30 p.m.
«iTMn4V JANUARY 29: CUB Film Series: “Monty Python
and the Holy Grail”, anarchy inthe Middle Ages, Wilmington
Main Lounge. 25 cents admission.
iwnwnAV IANUARY 30: Women’s Basketball: Methodist
College, 7:’00p.m. Foreign Students Meeting. Orange Lounge,
8:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1: Women’s Basketball: at St.
Augustine’s College, 7:00 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3: Winter Term ends. Basketball: at
Virginia Wesleyan College, 8:00 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4: Basketball at Christopher
Newpost College, 8:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5: CCC Ski Trip. Concert: George
Shearing at Scotland High Sriiool.