Page Four
THE CAMPUS ECHO
Friday, April 28, 1961
NCC Tackles Reading Problems
In Experimental 'Crash' Program
Instead of asking why Johnny
can’t read, North Carolina Col
lege at Durham has inaugurated
a new “crash” program, directed
by a female expert, to determine
if Johnny can be taught to read.
“Despite nationwide publi
city given to the problem o:^
poor reading among American,
students,” NCC Professor Eu-
nice S. Newton said recently*
“many p>eople still find it hard
to believe that college students
have difficulty reading ordinary
printed matter.”
“The fact is,” she continued,
“a third and more students
throughout the United States en
ter college each year with sub
standard reading skills.”
The reading expert considers
it “most unfortunate that the
smaller, poorer and less selec
tive colleges are late-comers to
the teaching of reading skills.”
Harvard and the University of
Chicago are pioneers, having
been engaged in the work for
more than 20 years, Dr. Newton,
points out. The greatest general
development, she asserts, came
after World War II “when re
turning veterans showed high
non-verbal skills but poor con
trol of verbal skills.”
It is well known, of course,
that the problem is most acute
among Negroes and other mi
nority groups. On standardized
tests, many freshmen students,
particularly among the disad
vantaged minorities, show a
reading proficiency of ninth
grade and below. At North
Carolina College, where acade
mic standards are high, the re
sult is that between 25 and 50
per cent of the entering students
-do not complete their freshman
year.
Soon after he became presi
dent in 1947, Dr. Alfonso Elder
tackled “this terrible problem]
of human waste” by encouraging
teachers to conduct extra study
sessions. The poorest readers
were assigned to compulsory!
sub-freshman English courses.
Over the years, however, teach
ers of social studies, mathema
tics and the sciences have con
tinued to complain about the in-
Serve Pepsi
in the new
sociable
bottle
Beauty and Newness of Brasilia Stirs
Interest in World's Last Land Frontier
adequate reading skills among
students. Thus, year after year,
the NCC chief executive took his
problem to the state legislature
with a “highly priority” request
for establishment of a reading
laboratory.
When a recent session of the
legislature appropriated $16,000
for that purpose, the department
of education had already done
much of the groundwork. Dr.
Rose Butler Browne, chairman,
called in a reading expert to or
ganize and head the new reading
program.
Dr. Eunice Shaed Newton
came to NCC from Bennett Col
lege in Greensboro where she
had performed a similar service.
Prior to that, she was associated
director of the reading clinic at
Morgan College in Baltimore,
Md., and had taught in the
Washington, D. C. public schools
and was supervisor of elemen
tary and junior high schools in
Raleigh for eight years.
Dr. Newton is a product of
Miner Teachers College, Colum
bia University, the University of
Chicago, and the University of
Pennsylvania. She holds the
doctorate degree from the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania, where
she has also taught as a visiting
professor.
Her associates in the reading
program at NCC are Miss Shir
ley Odette Jones, a speech pa
thologist with a master’s degree
in speech from the State Univer
sity of Iowa; and Mrs. Pearlena
Smith, who holds a master of
science degree in reading from
South Carolina State College.
Dr. Newton greeted her first
group of NCC freshmen lasH
September. Based on results ob
tained on the Iowa Silent Read
ing Test, nearly half of the more
than 600 entering students were
placed in the compulsory read
ing skills program. The NCC?
reading skills director indicated
that staff limitations prevented
assigning even more students to
the remedial work.
The students attend labora
tory-type classes two hours per
week. They are homogeneously
grouped according to their'
scores on the Iowa Silent Read
ing Test into sections of 20 stu
dents each. They are subjected
to intensive work in developing
skills of “word-perception,”
“word attack,” “vocabulary
building,” “phonetics,” “struc
tural analysis,” “eye-fixations,”
and “elimination of vocalizaton’.
According to Dr. Newton, the
core of the program is individu
al instruction and teacher-de
veloped materials to meet indi
vidual needs. However, she and
her staff are assisted by such
automated devices as the EDL
Controlled Reader, Teach-X,
SRA Reading Accelerator, Psy
cho - technic Shadowscoope, and
the Foringer Teaching Machine.
Students will be exposed to such
“directed learning experiences”
for two semesters.
Dr. Newton states the goals
of her ambitious program ini
modest terms. “This is a servicei
course,” she says, “which is de
signed to develop those tool
skills’ immediately applicable in
the study demands of the stu
dents’ college courses.
“In seeking to up-grade the
academic performance of stu
dents through the development
of increased effectiveness m
their reading and study, the pro
gram cannot guarantee that all
students will become successful
in college merely as a result of
increased reading and study,
efficiency. Many other factors
besides competence in reading
MATO GROSSO — What may be the last and richest ^ the;
world’s land for farming and ranching lies here, about an hour *
flight from the exciting new and most beautiful city, BrMiu^
Cut through by the new intercontinental Pan American Hign«
way, the wide expanse presents an inviting picture to astute
investors. Here, 25 acres at
$8 each acre (minimum parcel)
may bring 100 times the price
in 10 years, according to Amer-
i c a n government economists
, and senators, who perceive why
such success is possible.
At 8411 Biscayne Boulevard,
Miami, the Brazilian Realty
Corporation, a thriving organi
zation, is finding a ready mar*
ket for good reason. Many
people who could not normally
engage in land investments can
now participate because of the
low down payments. They lo
cated in Miami since it is the
largest American city so close
to South America.
Thriftiest of buyers, Euro
peans in volume are planning
to migrate and are being joined
by Ajnericans who seek the
glowing opportunity offered
south of the border. This move
ment corroborates governmen
tal predictions of permanent
folks moving to the area opened
with establishment of the new
capital.
Last known, stand of virgin
hardwood on earth is here a-
long with a treasure chest that
Brazil estimates is' 25% of all
mineral wealth on the face of
file earth.
Today’s pioneers, settling on
this last land frontier in the
Western Hemisphere, wiU ben
efit from 100 years’ advance®
in communication, transporta-;
tion, technology, equipment and
science. Agronomists compare
this raw land to oxir own coun
try of a century ago, except
that the period of development
has been, cut one-tentti in time.
King. Ranch of Texas bought
more than a million acres,
Rockefeller over 400,600.
Climate is almost identicsd
to Miami, only this area has
never known a frost One
plateau, Brazil's highest ■ ex
tends 2,000 square miles and Is
eight fto 12 feet deep in rich
top SOIL Iowa farmland, recog
nized as the best in the U.S.
has an average top soil depth
of three feet.
For 70 years Brazil has en
joyed a democracy akin to our
own, with a two-party system,
stable government and no
bloody conflicts. Timber, rub
ber, minerals, arable land and
ideal climate in a peaceful
country. Here lies the greatest
challenge to American Inves
tors, w ho see new frontiers
pushed into Latin America to
expand the nation’s export
trade.
A good portion of the popu-|
lation explosion of the world!
ma^ find its relief as South
America develops its natural
resources.
Mr. Average
(continued from page 2)
class many times when I’d
rather be some place else. The
cut system is definitely a good
one.
(45 minutes later)
V. Where are you running to
and why?
J. Man it’s time for that
back door to open. Better hur
ry.
V. (now running) What’s
the rush?
J. Chow time.
V. I thought you said the
food wasn’t fit to eat.
(entering the Dining Hall)
J
V. Why are so many persons
here if the food is so bad? Why
don’t they eat at Paul’s?
J. Lesser of two evils. You
see, (gulping down the cold ba-
logna) we have to pay our board
along with tuition and room
rent. Since we don’t get refunds,
we just go along jvith it and eat
what we can.
V. Is this satisfactory?
J. School has to get her«
from somewhere. The food is al-
contribute to success in college,
the basic aptitude of the student,
the level of aspiration which he
brings from his home and com
munity, for example.”
Despite the modest claims for
her own program. North Caro
lina College administrators ob
viously have high hopes for
what President Elder has al
ready called “this barrier to
quality education, which is the
aim of our institution.
right, just prepared poorly.
V. Oh. I see. (munching let
tuce) By the way, how is the
protest going?
J. Huh? Protest? Are they
protesting? What’s wrong?
V. No, I mean the theater
protest. Downtown
J. Oh. The teachers took it
up and that’s the last I heard
from it.
(ten minutes later)
V. Do you think any senioirs
from here will apply to the
Peace Corps?
J. Oh 1 certai*ily think that
all the seniors will be interest
ed in applying to this Corps. It
would be a good idea, especially
My Name? Well
Now, Let Me See
Do you have a name? What is
it? These Bound like ridiculous
questions to all of us, and yet
when is the last time, if at all,
you checked your birth certifi
cate?
Six years ago, a resident of
the New Residence Hall checked)
hers. Four years ago a senior in
high school checked hers. Both
of these lasses had the Same
hilarious experience of seeing
for the first time that they were
being called by a name which
had no resemblence to the entry
on their birth certificates.
Ruby Mae, or Lillie Sauls, as
you like it, is a prospective
graduate. Of course she had her
name changed shortly after thei
discovery was made. Uh, after
cornering her mother and
father.
Her mother’s story is that a
doctor suggested the name
which she (the mother) did not
like or agree to use. The doctor
being slightly aggressive, enter
ed the name on the certificate!
and refused to change it. Thus,
Ruby was called Lillie for I'J
years.
When she decided to come to
NCC, she examined her private
document, and lo. Well, we said
before that she had it changed
so Lillie is Lillie and not Ruby.
Martha Davis, our senior of
last month, was born in a hos
pital in Raleigh. Everyone knew
Marty, but no one knew that
Marty was “Baby” Davis!
Martha discovered the birth dis
crepancy while in high school,
and far from the baby stage.
Since she was going to bi—.
named for an avmt, if she was a
girl, if she had been a boy per
haps an uncle would have
shared a name, there was no
rush to find the appropriate
name. And time went by. The
hospital, I guess, had to name
the bundle in ward 14 some
thing. Not knowing the afore
named aunt, namely Martha
Jane Davis, an unsuspecting
nurse registered her project as
“Baby” Davis.
Now are you so sure about
your name? If you find your
name is not what you think it
is, and I know you will check,
don’t be alarmed. “A rose by
any other name smells just as
sweet.”
for those who may not get other
jobs so easily. I don’t know a-
bout this thing too much. By
the way, when does it meet?
SERVICE PRINTING COMPANY
SERVICE FIRST SATISFACTION GUARANTEE)
Printing - Engraving
PHONE 681-2039
504 EAST PETTIGREW STREET
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
PROVIDENCE LOAN OFFICE
LATEST STYLES SVN GLASSES
LVGGAGE LOAI^S
PHOISE: 682-4431
Durham, North Carolina
106 East Main Street