 

The Grinnell
Scarlet and Black

Requirements Set For
Independent Muior

Friday

October 15, 1971

Volume 80 Number 8

 

(by Dan Henry)

Chemistry Prof. Gene Wubbels strums his melancholy guitar during the bluegrass concert
last weekend, while David Montgomery plucks his own specially designed washtub bass.

Interviews with:

Tom Thomas and Terry
Clifford on “alternative
media"-*Page 4

Grant Gale on Grinnell's
illustrious pastﬁpage 5

Mark Sokosky as the “ins
corporated" Student"
page S

J. B. Grinnell on the va~
lues of the past/page BS
Analysis on:
Independent study be Greg
Vranicars-page ZS
Special Report on:

Grinnell’s architecture,
with illustrations-“page 1
the magazine Suppl?

 

Major decisions concerning
faculty size and distribution
and the regulations for inde'
pendent Majors were released
in minutes of Executive Coun-
cil meetings of October 6 and
October 13.

Faculty appointments for
the 1972-1973 academic year
will be as follows: 1 joint
appointment in American SIU’
diesrAnthoropology, and 1
each in Biology, Classics,Edt
ucation, andReligiousStudies.
Dean Wall emphasized that
this Was net a complete list;
there are stillsomeunresolv-
ed issues on faculty staffing.

One of these exists in the
Russian Department. Mr. Mar
gee and Mr. Whelan of that
department appeared before
the council during its Octo-
ber 6 meeting to explain the
need of the Russian Depart
ment for an additional staff
member. To date, no final

Clarify Policy On Recruiting

In recent weeks some contro-
versy has arisen overthe cola
lege recruitment policy. This
is due to the fact that the
American Council on Educar
tion Newsletter reported on
July 9, l971,vthat Grinnell
was one of eight colleges
barred from Defense Depart
ment grants due to the Des
fense Department’s allegation
that the college banned mili—
tary recruiters.

The school pretestedthepol-
icy, and wrote a letter to the
Assistant Secretary of Mans
power requesting that the col-
lege‘s name be removed from
the list. The Assistant Secret
tory of Manpower replied by
stating that Grinnell recruit‘
ment policy was being given
serious consideration.

Even though the school cur-
rently receives no Defense
Department grants, it is im-
portant that its name be m,
moved from the list since the
college does nor in fact bar
any recruiters and the school
might apply for a grant under
the applicable legislation in
future years.

in response to an inquiry by
the 5&3, the college Placer
ment office outlined the
school's position on recruit-
ment. This year norecruiters
will be allowed to man a re
cruitment table.

SAT Scores Still Required

SAT scores will be required
as part of the credentials of
students who apply for ads
mission to Grinnell next fall.

The Committee on Admis‘
sions and Student Financial
Aid voted earlier this week to
still require the test, this
year though a subcommittee
has been formed to investi'
gate the matter.

The major issue is whether
Grinnell wouldattractmorc or
fewer qualified students by
making the test optional. It
was pointed out that a few

students who have not heard
of Grinnell, mightbeattracted
by its high standards for board
scores.

Sue Cavanaugh, a member of
the committee, said that she
felt there is a spectrum of
people who might be attract-
ed by making the scores ops
tional.

The three student members
of the committee votedagainst
the delay, while those faculty
members who voted favored
waiting til] at least next year
to make the test optional.

Last year, Vista and the
Peace Corps were the only
recruiters who had manned
tables in the Forum. Dean of
Student Affairs Conney Kimbo
told the 5&8 that the decision
to not allow manned tables
this year was made to insure
that arrangements were uni»
form for all recruiters.

The rationale behind thispolr
icy is that it enables the col-
lege not only to determine the
time and place for interviews
on campus but italsoprovides
a reasonable measure of cone
trol over the promotional ac-
tivity of recruiters, some of
whom quite naturally would
want to approach students en
masse regardless of any exe

News Analysis

pressed interest on campus.
As in the past, Vista or any
other group wishing to show
a film may do so.

However, before any group
can come to the campus to re
cruit, the Career Services
office must be notified by the
interested party so that the
college can determine iftherc
is sufficient interest. The
Career Services office does
this by announcing through the
campus newsletter that a par-
ticular business or agency
wishes to come to the campus.

All interested students are
then asked to contact the office
to arrange for an interview.
Thus the college insures that
the recruitment policy does
not turn away any group.

Grad Schools View Credit -Fai|

by John Wylie

Grinliel 1

students considering graduate school after they

leave Grinnell have been becoming increasingly concerned
as to how work they have taken under Grinnell’s Pass/Fail
grading system will affect their chances of Graduate School

admissions.

in his remarks at the opening convocation, Mr. Clotfelter
indicated that a review of the Pass/Fail system was needed,

and Registrar Charles Seller has indicated that a definite.

change is needed.

The 5&8 has spent the past month writing Deans of Law,
Medical, and general graduate schools throughout the nation
in order to learn exactly how Pass/Fail grades on a potential

student's transcript will

affect his chances of admission.

Several points were almost universally noted by the Deans.
First, although many rumors have been heard about Graduate
Schools counting Pass marks as D's, all the Deans emphati-
oally denied that this was the case (although Dr. Ronald H.
Fishbein of Johns Hopkins Medical School did indicate that
they consider such grades as grades of C.)

The Deans were also universal in their belief that Pass/
Fail grading would adversely affect a student's chances of
admissions...especially if the work done under this system
is in the student’s major, or in courses required for ad-
mission to a particular discipline.

Beyond this, however, the Deans indicated many differences
of opinion as to the value and utilization of the Credit/Fail
system and its affect on the graduate schools. Many indi‘
cated that the number of undergraduate schools moving towards
this system has necessitated a new look at existing policies.

see ANA LYSIS page?

action has been taken in resr
pect to this request.

Suggestions for Regulations
for Independent Majors were
prepared by the Educational
Policy Committee and were
presented to the Council for
approval on October 13. With

.two additions, these regular
tions were approved, and will
apply to all applications for
independent majors submitted
to the Dean after October 13.
The new regulations are:

!. An independent major
must include credits taken in
not less than two nor more
than four departments oraca-
demic programs established
by the college.

2, A minimum number of
credits foran independentma-
jor will he forty credits (in-
cluding the senior thesis), 32
credits must be taken on a
letter graded basis.

3, An independent major
must have a minimum of
thirty two credits in course
work, exclusive of indepenr
dent projects (297, 298, 397,
398), and no independent ma-
jor may count more than
twelve credits of independent
work (exclusive of the the-
sis) towards the major.

4. There must be two fa-
culty cessponsors for all in-
dependent majors, one of
whom must be a full-time
member of the Faculty, and
both must approve of the se-
nior thesis.

5. All butfourcredits count-
ing towards the independent
major must be at the 200 le-
vel or above, and at least
eight credits of course work,
not including the senior the-
sis, must be at the 300 level
or above.

6. The independent major
will be listed on the student's
transcript, stating the def
partments and/or programs
that make up the major, fol-
lowed by a specific title for
the major, if that is apprtr
priate, e. g.,

Indepent Major:
Political Science.
Dynamics.

7. No specified GPA will
be required as a prerequis
site for undertaking an in—
dependent major, but both
individual faculty members
and the Committee on Am-
demic Standing will consider
the student’s amdemicrecord
to ascertain the appropria—
teness of an independent mar
jor. The quality of a stu-
dent’s underclass academic
record, including the eva-
luation of the Freshman Tu-
torial, may be considered as
a sufficient reason for turn-
ing down the application by
the faculty sponsor, the Com—
mitte, or the Dean.

The Council also heard and
unanimously approved the
Committee on Teacher Edu-
cation’s “Policy Regarding
Faculty Recruitment in the
Department of Education,
1971-72."

The Council didnothave time
to discuss the paper submitted
by some faculty wives last

week.

Sociology/
Collective

 

