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Volume 78 Issue 5
Security Director Weedon resigns
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Weedon (right) has resigned effective Oct. 1
Grade inflation
Chris Hosford
Staff writer
"A: Excellent, B: Above aver
age, C: Average, D: Passing, F:
Failing." So reads the grade inter
pretation guide included on the
mid-semester and semester grade
reports of every Guilford student.
However, serious questions have
arisen about the accuracy of these
interpretations and the Guilford
faculty's adherence to these guide
lines.
In the spring 1993 semester,
62% of the grades awarded on
campus were As or Bs.
This may seem like good news
to most students.
"There are some smart cookies
on this campus. It's a private col
lege. People pay a lot of money to
go here. Why shouldn't they do
well?" said junior accounting ma
jor Eleanor McEntee.
But are Guilford students that
smart? Some professors say,
"No."
English Professor Rudi Behar
said, "We have extraordinary stu
dents, but too many are getting As
and Bs for what I consider to be C
work. It's not good for the students
and it's not good for the college.
"I think that kind of grading is
extremely unfair to the students
who are capable of doing more. I
start just about an inch above their
heads and ask them to grow."
Political science chair Bill
Schmickle said, "When I was com
ing up in college the competition
for As was fierce. The campus was
always quiet The library was al
ways crowded. You couldn't find
a place to sit. It's a different world
now. Academic standards aren't
quite what they once were."
Guilford may be following a
national educational trend towards
grade inflation. Grade inflation
occurs when relaxed academic
standards lead to increasing grades
for work of decreasing quality.
The net effect of this is that the
higher grades are devalued.
Students who receive inflated
marks in college might falter at the
graduate level.
According to Behar, "The false
As and Bs wouldn't stand a chance
in graduate school."
An article in the Apr. 27,1993
edition of The Wall Street Journal
reveals that 80% of the under
graduates at Princeton get nothing
but As and Bs and that only 8% of
Stanford students get Cs and Ds.
There are no Fs at Stanford.
Behar said, "It's not just
Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C.
Guilford's problem. It's the
nation's problem."
Academic Dean Kathy Adams
said, "It's a national trend, but
we're still concerned about it."
Political science professor Lou
Fike said, "Grade inflation is the
academic equivalent of bad
money. It's Grisham's law applied
to education. Soft grading drives
out stringent grading."
There are a number of possible
causes of grade inflation. Accord
ing to Fike, the trend can be par
tially attributed to an institution's
vested interest in retaining its stu
dents in an era where college en
rollments are slightly depressed.
Behar attributed the rise of grade
inflation to the "self-esteem"
movement in education that at
tempts to bolster a student's con
fidence through easier grades and
high praise.
Adams said "Too many students
enter college having gotten As and
Bs in high school and expecting
more of the same in college."
The Wall Street Journal article
found the origins of grade inflation
in the Vietnam era where sympa
thetic professors often awarded
poor students higher grades to help
them escape the draft
(Cont. on p. 4)
Gail Kasun
News Editor
Director of Security and Safety
Mary Ann Weedon has resigned
effective Oct. 1.
Weedon "refused to do an exit
interview," according to Joanne
Denny, Security and Safety secre
tary.
Roger Nebel, interim coordina
tor, did not comment when asked
about Weedon's resignation.
Provost Dan Poteet said, "As far
as I know, Mary Ann is leaving to
pursue other interests.
"She has certainly done a good
job here in a very tough position,"
he said. "Everyone at the college
wishes her well.
"We will maintain the same
level of a safe and secure environ
ment [after Weedon's departure.]"
According to Poteet in
Guilford's Community Newsletter,
"The college has taken several in
terim and temporary steps to bol-
File photo
Women's studies
major in the works
Ann Witt
Staff writer
A women's studies major is in
the process of being implemented
at Guilford. While there is no set
date for this implementation, talks
with key faculty members con
firmed that the process is on-go
ing.
Dr. Maritza Almeida, professor
of Spanish, is the current chairper
son for the seven-member
Women's Studies Committee over
seeing this process, a rotating com
mittee chosen by a faculty nomi
nating committee. The committee
includes four professors, one part
time faculty member, and two stu
dents studying women's issues.
According to Almeida, before
you can create a new major, you
need to make sure enough "re
sources" are on hand. "Money (at
Guilford) has been tight" she said.
The major would ideally be imple
mented without adding any new
faculty. Although Almeida stated
that the courses for the major are
available, courses need to be given
September 24,1993
ster security both for special needs
between now and Oct 1 and for
the short run thereafter, involving
unarmed part-time professional
security guards, who have campus
security experience and who will
support our student officers."
The seach to fill her position will
start after a broad review of secu
rity by Ad Council of "factors such
as reporting lines (Maintenance
Facilities Planning, Engineering
and Safety or Student Life), staff
ing levels, the possibility of con
tract approach, and what might be
termed the tone, or perhaps phi
losophy, of campus safety," ac
cording to the Community News
letter.
Poteet said that the major super
visory responsibility will shift to
Art Kopscak, director of grounds
and maintenance, and responsibili
ties will be given in a lesser extent
to the Human Resources Depart
ment.
Human Resources Manager
(Cont. on p. 3)
on a regular basis: "Students need
to be able to graduate on time."
Guilford currently offers a hu
manistic studies major that allows
students to choose women's stud
ies as part of a double major. How
ever, there is no established
women's studies major as part of
the school's set curriculum. In
stead, a women's studies concen
tration is available. The concentra
tion was established in March of
1983.
In order to become a part of the
curriculum, a proposed major gen
erally goes through several chan
nels. A proposal is made, gener
ally by a committee. This proposal
is submitted to the Curriculum
Committee. The proposal must
then be approved by the faculty as
a whole. Only then may a major
be established.
The proposal for the women's
studies major may be submitted
first semester to the Curriculum
Committee if "everything looks
feasible" Almeida said. The pro
posal may then be submitted to the
faculty second semester. Accord
(Cont. on p. 4) ing