North Carolina Newspapers

i Partly cloudy It will be partly cloudy today with highs in the 50's. No chance or rain is predicted through Monday evening. Volume No. 84, Issue No. 71 " it. Sr 'I Crafts bazaar Decision expected on by Tony Gunn Staff Writer A decision is expected early this week in David M. Stewart's appeal of tenure denial to James R. Gaskin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Stewart, an assistant professor of geology, presented his case to Gaskin Friday. Gaskin said Sunday he would not comment on the matter, but that he would decide within the next few days to recommend to Roy L. Ingram, chairperson of the Department of Geology, whether or not to reappoint Stewart to the faculty. "I don't know exactly what his ruling will be," Stewart said Sunday If still denied Construction to begin on fraternity house by David Stacks Staff Writer Construction on the new Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house is to begin Wednesday, Durward Owen, national executive director of Pi Kappa Phi, said Sunday. A contractor is to be chosen today to rebuild the house that was destroyed by fire at 216 Finley Road Wednesday. The rebuilt house is scheduled to be completed in March. , "The house will be just as good as new," said John Coffey, chairperson of the Pi Kappa Phi alumnus group that is rebuilding the house. "It will be just as good as when it was first built," he said. In addition a new social room will be built on the rear of the house. Additional drains, an intercom system, and fire walls in the attic are also planned. Total damages to the house and furnishings were $103,000. Insurance money will pay the full amount. The house was insured for $150,000, while the furnishings were covered for $15,000. The third floor and roof were completely destroyed. The first and second floors suffered extensive damage from water and smoke. The cause of the blaze has not been determined. However, fire department officials said it could have been caused by a faulty electrical switch or a burning cigarette or candle. Freshman by Marshall Evans - Staff Writer Freshman English is probably the most controversial course offered at UNC. Because it is taken by an overwhelming majority of incoming students (only 450 freshmen exempted from both English 1 and 2 this year), almost everyone will offer an opinion about the course often a strong opinion. The freshman English program at UNC was the subject of a study conducted by P rinceton Educational Testing Service comparing the freshman English programs of six universities and colleges across the nation. According to Doris Betts, director of the program, the six programs studied were selected to give a representative cross-section of programs across the country. A preliminary report based on the study found the writing of UNC students most improved of the schools in the survey. And freshman English grades at UNC were found to be the lowest of the schools, Betts said. Betts, who became director in 1971, admitted that the program here is demanding of the student. If a student is not saying anything in a paper, he gets an F," she said. But she attributes the need for a demanding curriculum to students' poor preparation. "One reason that it has become a more stringent and basic course is because most students have a very poor background when they come to us," she said. "High schools are being creative at the expense of grammar," she said. "We don't blame students for not knowing grammar. They're as bright as ever; they've just been gypped." mm 4. x 1 1 .... -v 9 , : ' - - ' - 5 5 ' ' ' 4 X 'J J - , I a i Appalachian crafts were displayed during the weekend as part of the International Handicrafts Bazaar. More than 50 craftsmen took part in the annual event. tenure, Stewart said he will carry the case to the Faculty Hearing Council. The appeal can go as high as the UNC Board of Governors. Stewart said he is learning more about the process. I might find out that the system works and get my reversal," he said. If not, he will propose revisions of University tenure regulations. They have not considered the rest of my record," Stewart said, just my research and publications, which are a lot better than what they are saying. "Here and at other schools, good professors are let go every year, especially those who excell in teaching. Why are these perfectly competent teachers getting fired? English: bust, boondoggle or beneficial program? But Betts added, "I don't think that's what writing is about. Grammar is a tool; writing has much more subtle and interesting levels." Many freshman English teachers agreed with Betts that poor high school grammar preparation is the major problem. "I don't think you'll see any great improvement until the high schools and grammar schools go back to basic grammar," said Linda Rubel, a graduate student and freshman English teacher. "I think a certain amount of bitterness sets in the first three weeks of English 1 because the students begin to see what they've missed," said Merrit Mosley, a member of the freshman English committee. Ron Hoag, another graduate student and teacher, said he believed that English 1 should be changed to include a grammar review in the first two weeks. "A lot of my students have never really been taught grammar," he said. Betts maintained that the basic thrust of the course should not be toward grammar. "Correctness is a good start, but plenty of writing is technically correct and awful," she said. "We're really trying to teach students choices of language, because language changes. "The idea is that we are performing some sort of service to the entire University in that writing is a necessary tool for all studies," she said. But there is widespread dissatisfaction with the writing skill of upperclassmen, most of whom have taken freshman English. Freshman English teachers interviewed were almost unanimous in their belief that the blame cannot rest solely with the English department. "The responsibility for the literacy of Serving the , students and the University community since 1893 Monday, Decmaber 6, 1976, Chapel Hill, North Carolina if I 5 i J ' I 1 ,'.WS;-: jj Prot Ste wart's appeal "The quality of education is being seriously affected," he said. Stewart's documented defense, as presented to Gaskin, was divided into three parts: reasons for nonreappointment as written by Ingram, a brief summary of his defense and five pages elaborating on the summary. In the elaborated defense, Stewart pointed out several nonresearch items, such as being elected "Best Teacher of the Year" in 1972-73 by geology students. "Teaching has always been a prime priority in my work here, and I have made no secret of it," Stewart wrote. "I have, through the years, made it clear to the faculty and to my Chairman that I do not intend to do "When a room (the second floor bedroom where the fire began) is really gutted like that, it's hard to tell what started it," Chapel Hill Fire Chief Everette Lloyd said. Lloyd said arson was thought to be a possible cause of the fire, but no. proof has been uncovered that could point to arson. "There is always a possibility of arson," Lloyd said. "But we see no reason to suspect arson." . " '-..' - Of the 35 fraternity brothers who lived in the house, 20 have found temporary living space in other fraternity houses or with friends.' The remaining 15 are staying in University housing. Almost all of the residents' notebooks, textbooks, clothes, and personal effects were lost in the fire. Most of the fraternity brothers have made arrangements with , their professors to postpone final exams or to take incompletes and turn in papers next semester. In some cases, midterm grades will count more than originally planned in determining the final grade. "Most professors have bent over backwatds for us," Pi Kappa Phi Treasurer Mark Prillaman said. "We've eaten at a lot of sorority houses and we've gotten boxes of clothes from fraternities, sororities, and campus organizations," . Prillaman said. Prillaman said the fraternity is negotiating discounts for its members at local clothing stores. r graduating seniors does not fall solely on the shoulders of the freshman English program," said Paul Witkowsky, a member of the freshman English committee. "A lot of students get out of English 1 and 2 and take courses where they don't have to write or professors don't make demands on writing skills. Why should they maintain these skills?" "I have an hypothesis that students write better at the end of English 2 than they ever do again," Witkowsky continued. "We've got to remember that they have three years after that to forget it." Assoc. Prof. William McQueen, a former director of the freshman program and the only full professor teaching English 1 this semester, said, "Ideally, composition should be taught in every course at the university," he said. . . Don LaCoste is a director of the Compositional Conditional Program of the English department, dealing with freshman English , students with writing problems as , well as upperclassmen who have received a grade with a "C.C.," or compositional conditional, attached to it. The C.C. grade can be given by any professor and means that the student must satisfactorily complete . LaCoste's program to receive credit for the course. LaCoste said that all students that come to the program with a C.C. grade have passed , freshman English. He attributes part of the problem to the fact that writing is not " stressed in higher level courses; " "Writing skills should not be relegated to one or two courses," he said.. LaCoste said that the C.C. Program should be used more extensively to deal with writing problems of upperclassmen. "I C7 Honor. Court to press u i 1 by Merton Vance Staff Writer The Student attorney general is investigating charges that at least four and possibly as many as 20 to 30 students cheated on a test last month in a French literature class. Student Atty. Gen. Chuck Lovelace said his staff began a preliminary investigation of the charges after three students reported seeing other students cheating on a test in a French 40 class taught by Prof. George Daniel. V After talking with research to the extent of neglecting my students in class." Stewart added that it was not realistic to require each faculty member to excell in both teaching and research. Some should excell in one, some in the other, with both being given credit, he said. "In my case, I have tried to strike a balance doing as much as I could in both, but with emphasis in teaching. In my opinion, a professor should be able to earn tenure on the basis of excellence in teaching alone." Stewart also wrote of grants he has obtained for equipment and creating job opportunities -for students.-- As for his research and publications, Stewart wrote that the quantity and quality is more than adequate for tenure as judged by the standards set by the examples of the full professors of the geology department. He called bis work on earthquake potential at Southport one of his best pieces of scientific research. It was the publication of that research, along with the prediction of psychic Clarisa Bernhardt, that caused Stewart to become a subject of controversy in January 1976. A list of the criteria used in making decisions on reappointments and awards of tenure, published by the Department of Geology, include: professional qualities, such as education, skills, experience, competence and scholarly accomplishments. reputation, recognition and potential. service to the department, University and profession. teaching performance. personal qualities, such as integrity, good judgment and honesty. "The Department is committed to the concept that faculty members are 'teacher scholars, " the list said. would like to see the program expanded," he said. "I don't think the system is taken advantage of," LaCoste continued. "More professors should give C.C.'s. I have voiced that proposal several times but with no result. I don't know if a lot of professors even know about the grade." LaCoste stressed grammar as well as clarity of thought in teaching writing. "The biggest problem is a lack of clear thinking," he said. "It is a very difficult problem, because actually what you're criticizing over and over is a person's thought processes. But that's what freshman English is supposed to be about, to give students some form of logic to use in other course work." Betts agreed with this idea. "The purpose of English 1 and 2 is to teach you to think in words. Part of what we're doing is making students think about every word and so teach them to think," she said. . Writing can help not only as expression but also to help clarify your thoughts," Witkowsky said. "I think of English 1 and 2 . as thinking courses." An opinion voiced by many teachers was that all students should be required to take some kind of composition course. "I wish they would change the exemption policy," Mosley said. "I think that every freshman should be required to take some kind of composition." "I'm not entirely convinced that we shouldn't have a freshman English course for everyone," Witkowsky said. Witkowsky said he does not put much weight on the tests now used to determine exemptions. "The A. P. (Advanced Placement) test is the only test I would put any weight on," he said. Betts shared this skepticism about .4 approximately 10 people in the class, I have reason to believe that between 20 and 30 students are involved in the cheating. It is too early to tell how many may be charged but at least four will be," Lovelace said Sunday. Lovelace said the investigation is continuing to see if charges should be filed with the Honor Court. He has asked students in the class for information pertaining to the investigation. The case could not be brought before the Honor Court until next semester, since the court and the attorney general's staff will not meet during the final examination period. Lovelace said that one student has agreed to testify in Honor Court. Daniel said he has announced to the class that an investigation is being conducted. There are approximately 250 students in the class. Daniel said the test in question was given during the first week of November and that he has turned over the test papers to Lovelace. Future college graduates have good job prospects NEW YORK (UPI) Job prospects ibr the college class of 1977 could be the brightest in the last four or five years, the College Placement Council said today. The prediction is based on reports from more than 600 employers who participated in a Council survey. As in past years, the . Council, in Bethlehem, Pa., will touch base with the job recruiters again in the spring to see how the December prediction holds up. A dip in the economy could turn a bright outlook to a poor one. Generally, the employers expect to hire 12 per cent more new college graduates than they did last year. Continuing a trend set last year, private sector employers are the most optimistic. They expect to have 16 per cent more jobs. By contrast, federal government agencies foresee an increase of less than one per cent. Local and state agencies, based on a limited response, expect a nine per cent decrease. The - Council reported federal agencies anticipate little or no change in their plans for 1976-77 when the Carter administration takes office. Other highlights: A 24 per cent increase will come in the hiring of engineers. exemptions. "I somewhat agree that students shouldn't exempt," she said. "They should be required to take at least one composition course." Betts said she would like to see an English course that would offer more literature and instruction in the subtleties of writing than introductory courses. Betts proposed such a course but had it voted down by the English faculty on the grounds that students who score high enough on exemption tests will improve their writing skills in later courses. An oft-voiced criticism of the English department is the practice of allowing graduate stsdents to teach the initial courses. Betts admits that there is a problem. . "Once in a while they don't know how to Prerequisite to English 1 planned A new English course stressing grammar and sentence structure might become a required course for incoming freshmen with SAT verbal scores of less than 400 in September 1977. 4 Doris Betts, director of the freshman English program, said that if the proposed course is approved by several department committees, it would be initiated in the next fall semester. The course was approved by the Department of English faculty in their meeting in November. The course would provide three-hours of course credit but would not count toward completion of the current English requirement. Betts said that if this academic year was a reliable sample, from 150 to 200 students will be required to take the new course in the fall. Betts said students would be required to take English 1 and 2 after completing the prerequisite course. Marshall Evans Carter's man Jody Powell the man who keeps the Jimmy Carter machine rolling. Sure he's efficient, but what's he really like. See page 8. Please call us: 933-0245 Lovelace said it will take approximately two weeks for his staff to check the papers to see if there is any evidence of cheating. He said that since the staff will not be meeting during exams, the check of the tests will probably not be completed until next semester. Several students said that during the test they saw other students passing test papers back and forth between one another. Library hours The hours for the Undergraduate library during exams are: Tuesday, Dec. 7 Wednesday, Dec. 8 Thursday, Dep. 9 Friday, Dec. 10 Saturday, Dec. 1 1 Sunday, Dec. 12 Monday, Dec. 13 Tuesday, Dec. 14 Wednesday, Dec. 15 Thursday, Dec. 16 Friday, Dec. 17 Saturday, Dec. 18 8 a.m. 8 a.m. ' to 2 a.m.' all night 24 hours 24 hours to 2 a.m. - all night 24 hours to 2 a.m. to 2 a.m. to 2 a.m. to 2 a.m. to 5 p.m. continuous 10 a.m. continuous 7:30 a.m. 7:30 a.m. 7:30 a.m. 7:30 a.m. AT3 percent gain isseen for jobs in the sciences, math and other technical categories. Those with doctorate degrees in these fields will find the number of jobs up 19 per cent. An eight per cent greater number of jobs are expected in the liberal arts field. Business majors at the bachelor's level will find a seven per cent increase in jobs. A 17 per cent gain is anticipated for candidates with a master's in business administration. Employers cautioned that hiring will remain selective: "Top quality candidates will get the most offers; less-qualified, the fewest" Minorities and women will continue to find job hunting good, especially in technical areas. The recruiters noted, however, that persons in these categories may find the job search more competitive as the supply of such graduates increases. In industry, the biggest improvement in hiring is anticipated by the glass, paper and packaging employers, up 54 per cent. Next are automotive and mechanical equipment, tire and rubber, and aerospace, electronics, instruments employers. They project increases of 41 to 47 per cent. teach," she said. "But it is not often a problem of laziness. They usually want to learn to teach well since this is their chosen profession." Betts attributes some of the problem ot the fact that most graduate English students exempted composition courses as undergraduates themselves. As a result, she said, they know how to write, but they are unable to communicate that knowledge to their students. "It is possible to get a B.A., Masters, and Ph.D. in English without ever taking a course in composition," Witkowsky said. "There's a big difference between being able to do something and being able to teach it." Please turn to page 4