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ANAlYSlS iron ragei

The EPC sees the D grade as a
punitive measure to be discarded
with the same rationale as that used
in discarding the F, Credit towards
a degree should not be received it
the student has made unsatisfactory
progress in the course. if a D is
received in a course in the student's
major field, for example, then by
rights the course should be taken
over so that the material is learned.
lithe course is not in the major (or
a related) field, then the weight of
a 1.0 on the transcript carries a
negative connotation, rather than
being an indication that a certain
course was taken and almost Slit?
cessfully completed.

Those who suggest that the stane
dards of the college will drop if the
new grading system is adopted are
plagued by the possibility that a C
grade may now be assigned for work
which would previously receive only
a D, so that the student may receive
credit. The present frequency of the
D grade, however, does not suggest
that this possibility is large. Out
of 5,262 separate registrations for
the second semester 1370771, 1,546
were credit registrations and 3,800
were graded. Uutofthe 3,800 graded,
52 were 1”: and 68 were D’s. These
68 D’s would, under the new system,
receive no credit,

There is certainly no procedure
which would force a professor to
give “no credit” when he/she pre—
viously would have assigned a D,
A joint effort on the part of students
and faculty will be necessary in
order to maintain the standards ex-
pected. Conceivably a student could
receive a ”no—credit” inatWOrhour
course and still have ample opporr
tunity to fulfill the hours require
ment for graduation. It is rather the
maintenance of the D grade which
lowers the standards of education.
Considering the large number or
Withdrawn while Passing (WP) ell»
tries, it seems that students
presently are electing a “no credit”
option rather than risking a D grade,

The All-Campus EPC also recomr
mended to the Executive Council that
the new grading system include “an
option to include one course a see
mester credit»erase with the limir
tations on this option that were on the
original creditefail options of two
years ago." The C grade, the EPC
reasoned, could also be punitive in
lowering the GPA of some students.
Furthermore the possibility cl 3
“credit" grade allows the explora-
tion of new areas of interest.

The Executive Council, however,
deleted this clause from the pro-
posal. Although one can only specu-
late as to the reasoning, it appears
that with the dropping of the B grade
and the switching lrom a grade»
point to an hours requirement for
graduation, a credit—erase option
might no longer be necessary. Under
the new system a grade of “credit"
on the transcript would probably
represent the lowest grade in the
grading system: in this case, a C.
Graduate schools in computing the
GPA would therefore probably count
the credit as a c anyway. Further,
more, if graduate schools do not care
what a grade in an unrelated field
is--i.e,, if they care only if the stu-
dent is liberally educated--then the
credit option is not needed anyway.
in these circumstances the credit
option would seem to be superliuous
and would merely cause the regis»
trar a headache with all the secret
files!

For those students who have moral
objections to being graded at all, a

terms "rims-z ~ ,.

The Scarlet and Black

word of consolation: this system
does not meet your needs directly
but it does attempt to respond to
some of the characteristics of a
graded system to which you object.
The system will de-emphasize grade
grubbing and the GPA, hopefully
lessening the dogreat-dog competi-
tion and fostering a system ofco-
operation between the Students
Without the D or F, the total grad-
ing system should become less ot
a threat to the creative and imagir
native student.

Perhaps a word of Caution to faor
ulty members who will vote on this
proposal as in order- Even if the
credit option is redundant and
superfluous, there are students here
who have been under a very liberal
creditrfail option [or three years.
Their habituation to its implications
must be taken into account. It would
be nothing short of guerilla tactics
to Seemingly pull the rug out from
under their feet, For harmony's
sake, let the majority of the student
body realize the uselessness of a
credit—erase option under the new
system before it is taken from the
books
The system will need your cooper.
ation to work, as all systems do A
request trom one who spent long
hours, with others, in its develop
ment. Give it a chance,

Offers Criticism Of Education, Attitudes

by Jim Skarzynski

Mr. John Keeble, Grinnell Cole
lege’s writer-inrresidelicc, hus tier
cider! to leave the college at the end
of this semester. Mr Keeiile has
based his decision on several rea-
sons. He finds that some of the
elements of the Grinnell experience
are disagreeable,

Keeble Considers the Gl'inliell stil-
dent body too homogeneous; he feels
that upper-middle class values per
meate the college For cxauiple, he
noted that the college will not [017
ei'ate opinion from either exilcinc
John Crossett, a conservative pi'UA
lessor, decided to leave two years
ago. Mr. Nasser, representing opinr
ion of the other extreme, finds hilnr
self in the same predicament this
semester. He thinks the college must
begin to expand its no *‘zons in order
to remain a viable institution “The
administration is treating Mr Nas»
ser as if he is a pimple on their
Cheeks, and he is But the pimple is
beautiful, and it is the cheek which
is festered."

Keeble does not feel that the diSv
integration of the college‘s homor
geneity should lie limited to faculty

Explain Expansion Plans

by Steve Nunn

Dean Walker acknowledged this
week that the College was “flying
by the seat of its pants" in its cur-
rent plan to increase enrollment
without a corresponding increase in
the faculty, By that, he indicated that
the College would feel its way in
decision-making associated with
implementing the prbiected plan to
increase the student body over the
next 4 to 6 years,

“The college cannot operate at a
deficit“, he said, “We are trying
to provide a quality liberal arts edu—
cation within the existing financial
limitations and the only two means
we have of keeping financial con,
straints at a minimal level are to
increase the Student-faculty ratio
or to allow a significant annual in—
crease intuition".

According to the plan, enrollment
will increase each year by about 50
students and level off when it reaches
the 1500 level. The number of lac-
uity will be maintained near the pre
sent level of 100, perhaps a little
higher.

The decision to begin this program
was made by the Executive Council
and the Trustees for reasons of
efficiency in ﬁnancing the operations
of the College. Walker said the Cole
lege’s endowment is not big enough
to allow for a continuing annual defi-

Seize Paper

Most copies of the Grinnell High
School newspaper’s most recent edi-
tion were “recalled” by the high
school administration, the Grinnell
HeraldrRegisler reported Monday,

An article described by high school
Principal Walter Rixen as “in poor
taste" was the cause of the seizure.
The HeraldrRegister quoted Rixen
as saying that the article, written
by a sophomore student, was on the
subject of what teenagers do on a
Saturday night.

Rixen told the H-R that ”We were
upset with some of the language in
the article.”

cit and he said a more efficient use
of faculty, by which he meant an
increase in the stiidentelaculty ratio,
was one viable alternative to higher
tuition rates at Grinnell.

However, Walker emphasized that
the prolected program is not a hard
and fast commitment by the College
1500 is not a definite goal, he said,
but rathera maximum target number
to shoot for. The increase will not
be effected automatically each year,
but will be rerevaluated at each
stage,

One of the criteria which will be
used in the annual rte-evaluation is
the concern over lower admissions
standards. Walker did not tllink this
would be a necessary result of the
program, but he said that if it ape
peared such an increase would be
detrimental to the quality ofthe stur
dent body, very serious analysis of
such effects will be Conducted ber
fore any decision to implement such
an increase.

The question of housing will be a
determining factor; the College will
not increase the existing lucilitics
for student housing. so most of the
increase will have to be absorbed in
the town. The College does it tknow
yet what the town’s copubil es in
this area are,

The shortage of time necessary to
assure the availability or adequate
housing for students that limited this
year’s increase in enrollment to so
instead of the planned so.

The continuing decisions on whe-
ther to proceed With the increase
will probably be made at the szlme
levels the most recent decisions orir
ginated However, Walker said care
will be taken to assess feelings of
other elements of the community in-
cluding students. He drew a distinct
line between expressing an opinion
and making a decision

members He believes strongly that
the college should initiate a much
more active effort to recruit a varied
student hotly, In fact, he thinks that
the quality of Grinnell College has
deteriorated over the last few years
as a result ot the homogeneity oi
the student body He believes that
before Kent State the school had
more exciting students and ideas
present within it,

In fact, Mr. Keeblc believes that
Grinnell‘s recent mediocrity may
almost be the administration’s inr
tcntion, He finds that there has been
less encouragement of experimenr
totion in recent semesters

Keehle is disappointed by the qualr
ity of visiting speakers this year,
In particular, he feels that the
speakers the English department
has sponsored have been far from
progressive, Grinnell's present
state of affairs seems almost to
represent a Kent State backlash.
The administration would rather
doze than be challenged by further
experimentation “I would rather
be surprised and excited than
asleep,”

Keeble is also discouraged by the
college’s structure. He finds the
separation ol students, faculty, ad
ministration, and trustees much too
rigid. Progress is severely
retarded. For example, Mr. Keebie
feels that increased student partici»
pation in the departmental EPC’s
desirable; yet, by supporting such
a move, the college’s framework is
only strengthened. He feels that the
student must work on the College's
terms, and this is a situation which
must be changed.

He finds that waste is a way of
orinnell life. For proof one has only
to look as far as the campus mail»
boxes. He considers the gym a
travesty, and he feels that the school
is surely lacking in practical
courses. In this regard, he sup-
ports Mr. Nasser's opinion that
8&6 workers should teach courses
such as electricity and carpentry.

In his Le Corps Exquisite course,
Mr. Keeble has attempted to break
away from the usual course empha~
sis On the purely intellectual. Stile
dents not only think; they will ac,
tually produce something. Mr. Keer
ble noted that While this idea was
not new to art students enrolled in
the course, some English students
found it difficult to adjust, In brief,
the art students and English students
work around two separate themes.
The graphic artists are centering
their work around a wire mesh, and
the writing students around a train
wreck and a tornado, When the work

ABORTION ,
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Referral Assistance Call

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is completed, the students will set
type by hand, and the printed work
will then be bound

Mr, Kecble considers the coursc
an innovation for two reasons. it is
the first Literary Studies course
within which there is a component of
applied work. Secondly, the course
serves as an experimenl lli lntel‘r
disciplinary work. Art nllljors and
English majors are for the lirst
time working actively together, and
it is a joint effort which Keetile flntls
absolutely necessary to the college
experience.

Nor does he feel that interdisci-
plinary work should be limited [0
only closely related fields, He bee
iieves that to understand poetry one
must also know something oibiology
and psychology. In the field of polir
tical science, he noted that Mr
Luther King's stand on the Vietnam
war, although not at firstwell under-
stood by the public at large was en—
tirely consistent with his vil rights
position,

To achieve an ideal situation, Keer
ble envisions a general faculty. This
program would bring about the alio—
lishment of the departmentand divir
sion The advantages of such a prey
gram would be that students would
be more encouraged to experiment
in their courses, and both students
and faculty would have a larger say
in course selection and content.

Keeble is currently working on two
novels and a play. The novels, Mine
and Snake Oil, will be published with
in the next several months, and the
play will be produced on Broadway
later this year After the close of
the school year, he plans to move
to Rhose Island where he will do
lurther writing.

He emphasized that his move was
not based‘solely upon his disen-
chantment with Grinnell life no
feels that Grinnell does in fact still
have many good profs and students,
and he finds the close contact be
tween profs and students enviable,
Also he tinds that ther sun ele-
ment of good in thc G‘rinneil‘ liberal
atmosphere,

GLASSES

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in Our Laboratory

Contact Lenses

Cases and
Solutions

Eyes Exo min ed
P hone 236‘3979

EJ. Jensen, 0.D.
OPTOM ETRIST

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