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Pa^f 4
The Red And Black. Thursday. October 5. I97M
‘Perceptions
.
Grade inflation
V
A proposal in front of
University President Fred Davi
son will do more to promote
grade inflation than any rule now
governing academic standards.
The proposal, submitted by
Arts and Sciences Dean Jack
Payne calls for the establish
ment of a General Studies
Division which students in A&S
would be placed. After doing 90
hours of satisfactory work,
students would be allowed to
enter the upper-division courses.
The catch comes in defining
what “satisfactory” means. If
the proposal passes a student
must attain a minimum GPA of
2.3 to ever be able to make it into
his junior year. And if a student
doesn't have a 2,3 then he is
given an Associate of Arts
degree, similar to a degree from
a junior college, and told not to
come back.
Arts and Sciences is the last
college at the University to allow
students to enter with a 2.0 GPA.
Take away this by raising the
standards and the University is
saying, in effect, that a “C” is
no longer average but below
average.
The effect on grade awarding
will be swift and clear.
Instructors who still hold to the
idea that a “C” grade is an
indication that a student has
done average work will find new
pressure on them to award
higher marks. After all, an
average student isn't going to be
able to make it at the University
unless he manages to wrangle at
least one“B” a quarter and what
instructor wants to see a student
flunk out because he awarded
him a “C”.
We can understand the think
ing behind the proposal—the
University wants to raise the
quality of students—but we don’t
agree.
The University is not a private
self-supporting college such as
Emory but a state-supported
institution. As such, it has a
responsibility to the taxpayers
who support it. And that
it has a responsibility to provide
everyone qualified the best
possible education.
For students more devoted to
their studies, the University
offers an honor program which
we would rate as superior. The
University needs to concentrate
on maintaining the quality of this
program while still operating an
academic program geared
toward an average student.
We don’t think the idea for this
proposal came entirely from the
College of Arts and Sciences but
was prompted by Chancellor
Simpson’s push to improve the
quality in the University system
no matter what the cost.
Someone needs to tell the
Chancellor that this school
system as well as his salary is
paid by the taxpayers and
excluding some of them from an
education will not be tolerated.
Voting here
an experience
Matt Prichard
Voting in a rural district in a
predominantly rural county in Georgia
can be quite a harrowing experience. If
you feel more akin to the city.
But if the butterflies in your stomach
are aroused simply by thinking of waiting
in line with a bunch of good ol’ boys to
cast your ballot, let’s not even think
about committing the unforgivable sin of
voting Republican.
Yes. I said it — Republican Most of us
•rookie” voters have only heard about
Southerners' traditional contempt for
Republicans, and few, outside of those
taking American history this quarter,
know the reasons for that contempt.
Yet. it still exists. Not among the
' adopted' Southerners that have moved
into Atlanta from the "Nawth" to seek
the good jobs offered by the metro area's
boom But it can be seen in that vast
area of Georgia that is not Atlanta.
Matt Prichard is a former executive
editor of The Red and Black
In fact, just 25 or so miles south of
Atlanta I cast my 1976 presidental
primary ballot. As I drove through the
cornfields to get to the small cement
block building that served as the polling
place in Henry County’s Loves District. I
thought about what would happen when I
asked for something other than a
Democratic ballot.
And when I came face-to-face with the
tobacco-chewing gentlemen milling
around and the motherly looking
middle-aged lady sitting behind a fold-up
lunchroom table in the building, my
anticipation grew
I stepped up to the table, signed some
forms with the help of the middle-aged
lady, and she handed me a ballot.
And I didn’t even notice the
‘‘Democratic Primary” heading on the
top of the page until I was well on my
way to the voting booth I gulped hard,
turned around and blurted out, "I want to
vote Republican.”
A dead stare. And silence, except for
the suddent animation of a little old black
lady who had been bent over the far end
of the lunchroom table She was
obviously the Republican representative
at the Loves District polling place.
She nervously helped me with my blue
ballot; as it turned out I was the first —
and the last, pray tell? — Republican to
vote in the district
This is not an uncommon experience
However, we have had a more serious
and recent example of the one-party
syndrome right in Clarke County.
The treasurer of the Clarke County
Republican Committee, George Williams,
apparently had to ask for a Republican
ballot three times when voting in the
Aug 8 primary before he could get one.
That was after he had been automatically
handed a Democratic ballot.
To add insult to injury, Williams says
the poll worker told him not to waste his
vote by voting Republican, since no one
was running in that primary.
The idea of a supposedly impartial poll
worker instructing a voter not to vote
Republican is repugnant to Americans
who believe they have a fair election
process.
The manager of the district in which
Williams voted says the worker has no
recollection of making any such
comment. And Williams says he has
received apologies from the Registrar's
Office on down
But in a primary in which 9000 voted
Democratic and a mere 200 voted
Republican, the comment doesn't seem
totally implausable. After all, as Dot
Barrett, the vice-president of the county
Board of Elections, said. “All the local
people are on the Democratic ballot.”
But we’re facing a general election in
which a Republican — and a Yankee at
that — is actually challenging a
Democratic incumbent on the County
Commission. Indiana-born Ray Colglazier
is running for the Post II seat of Herbert
Logan
Colglazier is saying he'll win since
many Democrats want a two-party
system in Clarke County Logan is
citing his record, and the strength of the
Democratic Party in Clarke He has cited
the 9000-200 figure and predicted success
on Nov. 7.
How much of a chance does Colglazier
have? What’s that, sonny? Say you
wanna vote Republican?!?
Title IX law is necess
Robin Wyatt
The federal government has a
compelling interest in overcoming the
incidious discrimination which has
eroded the opportunities of 51.3 percent of
the population Women, who hold that
slim majority, have specifically been
discriminated against in the area of
education. In no other situation is the
prejudice more illustrative than that of
the female athlete.
Athletics is an integral part of the
educational processes of schools and
colleges But. it is a facet of education
which has been heretofore denied to
women. Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972 was promulgated to
rectify this situation
Robin Wyatt is a law student and
graduate assistant for Women's Sport
Information.
In assessing the situation of women’s
athletics one is confronted with a circular
argument which has today’s athlete in a
dilemma Money for scholarships,
coaches, facilities and competitive
scheduling is dependent on a successful
performance. It is a rare athlete capable
of perservering on her (or his) own,
relying on her (or his) own resources and
still achieving athletic prowess.
The benign discrimination of "perform
first then the funding will be available"
is deeply rooted in the traditional
arguments supporting the limitations on
opportunity for women in sport. The
Letters
Parking revision
is intolerable
TO THE EDITOR:
Since my return to the University this
fall. I have noted several changes that
have occurred since spring quarter. The
most notable change is the revision of a
poor parking zone assignment system to
a deplorable zone assignment system. In
a gallant effort to improve the on-campus
parking problems, the Public Safety
Department has absolutely destroyed any
remaining hope that the parking problem
could at last be solved In order to
destroy these hopes, did Public Safety
use conventional weapons 0 Wrong! They
had the arrogant gall to actually issue
H-zone stickers to freshmen living in
residence halls, who. just a few years
ago. were not even allowed to have
automobiles on campus.
Admittedly, the parking problems on
campus last year were bad. but they
were tolerable. Remember the good ole
days last year when freshmen had no
choice but to apply for X-zone stickers?
Those poor, unfortunate freshmen who
could not find an X-zone space near their
residence hall were forced to take their
cars to the Coliseum lot and brave the
perils of that jungle. Instead of making
the Coliseum jungle a little safer, the
blue knights at Public Safety have
conspired to turn every H-zone parking
lot into a veritable free-for-all
Granted, this problem may not be
solved this year. Hopefully, though, next
year, the Public Safety Department, in
their infinite wisdom, will once again
“improve” the parking situation by
re-revising the present assignment
system to its old, tolerable self.
Jerry A. Landens Jr.
Is employment
at UGA civilian?
TO THE EDITOR:
Your reporter failed to comment on one
very curious aspect of Dr. Press's
hearing on September 29, 1978 before a
committee of the Board of Regents in
Atlanta This item is the repeated use of
military analogies by the university’s
lawyer to describe the correct relation-
arguments tor maintaining the status quo
are that: 1) Athletics are bad for women;
21 Women do not play sports well enough
to deserve athletic equality and 3) Girls
are not really interested in sports.
The first argument has lost all
credibility in this era of jogging mania
and health food. Society has recognized
the values, both physical and spiritual, of
staying in shape and the role athletics
plays in doing that. The lessons of
competition and teamwork learned on the
playing fields carry over into everyday
life As women move into fuller, more
enriched roles in business and profes
sional life as well as in the home, aren't
these lessons as valuable for them as for
men?
There are two answers to the
contention that women are not good
enough In the area of performance, past
discrimination in women's athletics is
still being felt. Provided equal opportun
ities in terms of facilities and coaching as
well as encouragement would improve
female athletic performance dramatic
ally. But to make the provision of such
opportunity dependent on the quality of
the performance is merely to perpetuate
the archaic attitudes regarding women as
athletes
The second aspect of the argument that
females are not good enough is the
educational purpose of sport. At one time
or another almost every American coach
has been heard to declare that sport
ship of an employee here to higher
authority, particularly if he had any
management functions.
The university’s lawyer gave as the
appropriate standard for many employ
ees to follow in their work that when the
platoon commander gave an order it
must simply be carried out. From the
context of his comments he presumably
was advocating that it should be carried
out in the military tradition of unthinking
obedience and without any inconvenient
utilization of the critical faculties of the
employee in question.
One wonders whether it is now the
standpoint of the university administra
tion that employment at the University of
Georgia has ceased to be civilian
employment, and on what date this
interesting change took place? As the
university's lawyer put it on another
occasion presumably representing his
employer, "I do not believe in this
academic freedom bilge."
Denli Kennedy
develops character. If support for men's
programs is premised on the idea that
sport develops good citizens then should
not females be accorded the same
opportunity to develop character and
attitude deemed so beneficial to men?
The final justification in denying sports
activities is that females are not
sufficiently interested. However, the fact
that women athletes have persisted
despite discouragements and humiliation
demonstrates a real and fundamental
interest. Always facing an uphill fight to
get qualified coaching, opportunities to
use whatever facilities that are available
and adequate equipment, it is amazing
that women still try to compete, not that
there is not more interest
Athletics teach that achievement and
success are desirable. By keeping
women out of sports, they have been
denied this educational experience.
Sports Illustrated quotes David Auxter, a
former collegiate football player and
coach. "Better athletic programs will
develop more aggressive females, women
with confidence who value personal
achievement and a strong sense of
identity.”
Congress has provided a federal
statutory remedy to accomplish that goal
by the passage of Title IX of the
Education Amendment of 1972. It is a
human rights law, designed to overcome
the effects of past discrimination. The
government has a compelling interest in
achieving this task, providing that, "No
Byrd’s lament
may be trivial
TO THE EDITOR:
Pobr Bobby Byrd, lamenting in a
column of October 3 his confinement all
summer to a car with AM radio only. He
was obliged to listen to nothing but foul
garbage, when what he really yearned
for, as his column makes clear, was
high-class garbage
Now let him consider the plight of those
of us who yearn for Bach and Schubert
and Stravinsky: it matters little in most
parts of the land whether we have FM or
not. It seems to us that true "alternative
radio" hardly exists in America, as it
does in most advanced nations, and we
are only offered a choice among
garbage of varying degrees or malodor
ousness.
Name Withheld
person shall on the basis of sex be
excluded from participations in, be
denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any educational
program or activity..." This compelling
interest can be defined as an obligation to
women, 51.3 percent of the citizens (and
taxpayers) of the United States,
Because of Title IX, equal opportunity
in athletics is a right. However, the law
does not require equal aggregate
expenditures It will not lead to a
dismantling of the structure that
produces NCAA football.
Factors to be considered in determin
ing equal opportunity include:
-provision of supplies and equipment
-game and practice schedules
-travel and perdiem allowances
-coaching and academic tutoring
opportunities and the assignment of pay
of the coaches and tutors
locker rooms, practice and competi-
t ive facilities
-medical and training services
-housing and dining facilities and
services
-publicity
Title IX, of which it should be noted
only four percent is devoted to athletics,
means simply that men must share. The
law prohibits overt discrimination but it
cannot expurgate the inhibiting effects of
CO vert bias. A woman does have the right
to equal opportunity but it's up to her to
gain access to it.
Byrd receives
rave review
TO THE EDITOR:
Whi? n I saw that Bobby Byrd had
written a review about the Bruce
Spring steen concert in Atlanta, the worst
possib le came to mind. I figured he
would rip it apart like he does most
concer Is he reviews.
But, surprise! Bobby Byrd was right.
Bobby Byrd wrote one of the best reviews
I have ever read about one of the Dest, if
not this best, concerts I have ever
attended. Springsteen put on a show that
was uni natched by any I have ever seen
and an) > that I will probably ever see.
Good jolb, Bobby Byrd.
Janice Stevens
In a le tter to the editor in yesterday’s
paper thi ? name of Jon P. Goodman was
left off ttiie letter concerning parking.
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Red and ‘Black
Staff
Editor Hope Plugooma
Kirrutivr editor Tom Cotney
(sacral Manager Ed Stamper
terming uuitr Chart** Kuaoeil
C*p» editor*: Tom Kelley Tammy Savage.
Mike Roberta. Tim Sweeney
Camp** editor Brian O'Shea
t it) editor Vinne Papaidero
feature* editor: Ru*i Greer
Entertainment editor Bobby Byrd
Spart* editor Sieve Burgeu
Phot* editor: Donna Mincey
Assistant camp** editor* Skip Hulett. Bill Krueger
Assistant ctt> editor* Kathy Stanford. Nita Birmingham
Assistant feature* editor Gary Pout*
Assistant sport* editor Warren Rary
Assistant photo editor: David Tula
Editorial assistant. Gerry Romano
MvmMat **l».per»on» Mil Pact. Donna Pcava,. Donna RalcMord. Doua Souur. Laalia WhlUow
Ctaaatfied advertising manager. Susan Turner
Production Manager Neal Kr*'**"*ky
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