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"The Pacesetter of the Seventies"
JOHNNY TURNER
Editor
TYLER HAMMETT
Managing Editor
CHUCK JACKSON, Assistant Editor
DON NOl T INGHAM, Business Manager
Executive Editors: Gary Johnson. Tom Cauthorn, Bobby Phillips
(Unsigned eduonelt era the opinion of the Clutter end should not be confuted with
news ttpries Signed columns end cartoons ere the opinions of the authors end not the
Clutter )
New S. G. A.
The members of the new S.G.A. are faced with a tremendous task for the next
year. One of their first orders of business should be to clear the air of any misunder
standings which might have arisen from the campaign week. The last minute endorse
ment of Tommy Maddox by ten newly elected senators and officers did not do great
things for the unity of the S.G.A. The Cluster hopes that the Senate can unite itself
and begin to attack some of the problems on this campus which have been tolerated
or simply ignored for too long.
The great faculty crisis which threatens this university must be met with a firm
demand for improved departments and better quality professors. Buildings can wait —
the faculty can not It should be the responsibility of the S.G.A. to communicate this
to the administration.
Another perennial trouble spot which the Senate must work on is student apathy —
this year 807 students voted in the April 10th election and 737 voted in the run-off.
No student government is going to solve a problem of apathy overnight. But the new
S.G.A. must renew the student’s faith in the Senate. If the students are to present a
single, united voice to the administration thiB is essential.
Open Dorms Delay
Just about any student will tell you that open dorms are great! The arguements for
open dorm policy are too lengthy to even go into and most students agree that the
experimental weekend last quarter during Homecoming was a big success. Basically,
the student body is in support of the idea. Why then has the open dorm policy been
held up? There are a number of reasons for the delay but the main one stems from
the fact that each hall has submitted a different proposal for working out the details.
What it boils down to is that the students can not get together and present a unified,
sound proposal. As a result the office of Student Personnel has taken no action and
the dorms are not open.
It has been a classic example of ineptitude on the part of the S.G.A. and the
student body. If the proposal has been handled properly, the students could be
enjoying open dorms right now, instead of merely waiting for them. The Cluster
hopes that the S.G.A. can untangle the mess which the open dorm policy has gotten
itself into, and make a comprehensible proposal to the Administration.
Spring Break
It really seems strange that the Administration, or whoever was responsible, should
decide that the Mercer University Spring break should not include Easter. This is a
'truly amazing phenomenon in view of the constant reminders of Mercer’s ties with
the Christian faith and the Baptists in particular. That the students were asked to
return to class two days before such an important religious holiday seems to be a bit
incongruous with the basic University policy. It might lead a stranger to this campus
to believe that Mercer does not recognize Easter, which can not be correct — can it?
A Great Year
Any body who remembers the state of the Guster before Gary Johnson took over
this time last year must realize that he has worked miracles in over-coming some
pretty big obstacles. It has been his initiative which has brought about many innova
tions in the organization, content and style of the paper. No one could possibly
accuse Gary Johnson’s administration of producing dull papers. The Vietnam War
Moratorium, the sex survey and the subsequent publication of Dawn magazine, plus
several controversial editorials kept the campus interested and involved, in one way or
another, with the Guster. And the award sitting in the trophy case in the Student
Center attests to the quality of his papers.
The new staff of the Guster congratulates Gary on a great year and a fine record of
journalistic excellence.
The Cluster Stuff.
Advertising Manager
Feature Editor . .
Feature Staff . . .
Naves Editor ....
News Staff
Co! Sports Editors
Copy Editors ...
Layout Consultant
Photographers....
Advisor
Editorials .......
Marion Murray
Nermi wwmews
Judy Writfit, Brian Murray, Gene Childs
Elijah Utfitfoot
Charles Carter
.. Greg 9tknp*on, Charles gpgaar
Ed Fisher . Joey Seguin, Joe Pecker
Lynda Mayas
", Joe Cook, Bob Johnson
Mr. M. Cess
Tod Kartell or, Larry F ink oi stain. Cel Gou#i
Grading Policies
Are Inadequate
■ ks> rvi r.
The consequences of grad
ing policies on a Mercer stu
dent’s orientation toward what
education is must be examined.
Now, good Intentions and
theoretical considerations
aside, grading in fact operates
as a device for maintaining
(through aversive control —
and this is important) both cur
riculum decisions made by the
fsculty (and only by the fa
culty) and the teaching styles
of individual professors. En
glish 51 is deemed germane to
the liberal arts notion. It it
therefore required for gradua
tion, and any student dirin-
tereat (as expressed in refusal
to do what English 51 profes
sors say to do) is punished with
a low grade. Cooperative (i.e.,
obedient) students are given
higher marks. Some form of
performance (theme-writing,
teat-taking) is measured and re
flected in these grades; learning
and policy are not. The causes
and the legitimacy of both co
operative and nonfunctional re
sponding are ignored as a
factor in the grades given. No
individual’s growth is evalu
ated, but rather his compara
tive status among other stu
dents in a certain type of per
formance Is measured.
It is often argued that per
formance is all that can be
evaluated. Why? Because per
formance is susceptible to
easily-quantified measuring
techniques? Too often, the
limitations of the current
system are forgotten, and this
technique is paraded as the
only “possible’’ (even ‘legiti
mate”; means of evaluation.
Sometimes efficiency masque
rades not only as Necessity but
as Sufficiency as well.
From my point of view as a
student, I offer these sugges
tions for discussion among
those at Mercer discussing the
grading situation.
1. “Performance at ‘good
student’ has little to do with
being a good learner.” (Read
about the “Totalitarian Ctoas-
room" In “la That Right Mr.
Yea?” in Change in Hitter Ed
ucation Jan./Fab. 1970.)
2. Students are able to
contribute toward their own
evaluation from a standpoint
(experience) inaccessible to the
(behavior-oriented) teacher.
Nowhere is this fact reflected
in the present grading scheme.
3. Subjecting all students
to any single system of evalua
tion it a simplistic approach to
education. (Why this nagging
lack of options in a “liberal”-
arta college?) Why not let the
student choose, first, whether
or not he is to be evaluated at
all, and, second, how he will be
evaluated?
4. What relevant psycholo
gical effects does grade-giving
power have on most profes
sors? (Don’t they realise that
students see grades as (potent
ial) rewards and/or punish
ments which can be (in some
cases, definitely w« be) used
for or against them? Students
expect that any axp—rion of
their (possibly legitimate) dis-
guat, outrage, boredom (and
sometimes merely consistent
dtmgreement) with the pro
fessor and/or the count wtB be
reflected in their gads. The
coocept of pradas as “Incen
tives” it ludicrous to tha stu
dent — ha is (oread to co
operate with tha las char (thus
coaprqtelalag his teateam
and/or Mi objections). Whit
I'm asking is this: Why can’t
aaa that (soma) kite
realization that a pads will be
given, the professor's reluc
tance to give it and the
student’s performance In areas
beyond the responses measured
notwithstanding. If professors
actually feel the “carrot-end-
stick” approach is integral to
education, why Im’t this re
flected in their rhetoric about
“liberation?”
5. Hut (some) students
cry out to be graded along the
A-B-C-D-F scheme is not suffi
cient grounds for using such a
device. (It’s just as logical to
place the burden of proof on
advocates of grades as it is to
place It on opponents of the
system...).
6. “We must give grades
because, pragmatically quak
ing, it is necessary that others
(graduate schools, a.g.) know
how this student performs in a
graded situation.” (Notice the
circularity of this argument.)
Presupposing for argument’s
sake ‘.he necessity of some
farm of evaluation, it neverthe
less seems evident that any
significant learning situation
deserves significant evaluation.
A grading scheme is simply not
a technique adequate for the
purpose it supposedly serves.
(If the learning is insignificant,
why evaluate it? If it is, why
mock this rigniflcance with
evaluations so ambiguous and
devoid of information as
A-B-C-D-F?)
7. When specifying “termi
nal behaviors” of performance,
it would be wise to avoid limit
ing the choice to only one
parameter of performance
(such as grades-on-tests-themes-
and-final). Learning involves
the laborious working through
of existential problems, not
merely an expertise for quick
cognitive recall neceamry for
high performance on paper.
(Reductionism Is the greatest
danger of any theory of evalua-
by Cal Gough
Quest Editorialist
live techniques.) (A “liberat
ed” individual strogglM with
problems - and the struggle
may extend beyond the 40-
minutes allotted for a quiz.)
8.1 propose that grsrhng
systems of any sort an incom
patible with the prof—id goals
of liberal education. Grades
serve a judgmental rather than
a feedback function. Grades
disclose absolutely no informa
tion as to why any given re
sponse was unacceptable.
9. Let students in on
policy decisions affecting them
and you won’t and up with so
much flagrant misunderstand
ing and Ingratitude toward the
(kculty’s good intentions and
the excellent theoretical
thinking of faculty commit
tees. Abu— wiH occur within
any system involving one par
son’s evaluation of someone
elm’s efforts: them can be re
duced If the actual (not the
hoped for) consequences of
evaluative deview can be con
tkkmd when a new system is
being — up.
10. Some general senti
ments: (a) Options should be
included on levels of evary
system whenever poeribie. (b)
Every system should be review
ed regularly, (c) Grading
systems perpetuate the com
petitive sspect of education to
the virtual exclusion of the
humanising aspects of the pro-
c— (sharing Indghts, working
with feedback, etc.).
I realize that in them sugges
tion* I have sometimes presup
posed some sort of evaluative
system while at the same time
indicating a preference for no
evaluation at aH. This reflects
my feeling that, although
grades should be eliminated
completely, this wtt not be the
cam at Mercer anytime soon,
and suggestions for Improving
the present system should be
entertained.
Letters To
The Editor
Dear Gary:
A basketball season devours
energy and time. The sacrifice
of the freedom of campus and
time is an unavoidable price for
the serious player. That* an
practice and study.
During this past season, in
particular, team and coaches
must also have experienced the
disappointment and frustration
of that lugubrious list of tomes.
For them reasons I would
express my appreciation to
players and coachm far this
past mason. Young and inex
perienced the play— may have
baan. But tha (ktv* and talent
wan tangible. And then was
no way of hiding under a
bushel tha fact that they could
ha and wan exciting. We en
joyed watching them - and
remain appreciative of tha
spirit that aurvtvad even whan
the lomes ran out of right of
the wins.
I am already anticipating
next year — and wtoh players
and mentors a good aaaaoo and
bound uni— I have all imuas;
and 1 cannot have all tosues un-
tom they era toft in the library,
uncut and unmarked.
Many
Martha M. Socumb
Dear Editor:
Of late, there has been con
siderable controversy over the
intrinsic value of Mercer’s liter
ary iBview, the Dulcimer. Un
fortunately, tha controversy
has tended to degenerate into
arguments ad hoasteem which
naturally accomplish nothing
and often tend to obacura ab
jective thought.
It teams evident to — that
a literary review has tetrtnric
value only when it reflects or
contains a fair cross aacttoa of
work obtained from —toga ter
in a
THE MERCER CLUSTER • April 21, 1970 • 2
F. Robert Otto
Dear Students,
I — the Librarian in ehurgs
of Mndteg periodicals la the
Stetson Ubsary. Untom the
periodicals an toft in the B-
hrary I wM soon be ont of a
Job. I
must bo adjudged ‘food’
literary mom by p—am quali
fied to do ao. la both of tb—
—mat, tha Dulcimer I— had
iatriaric value la the pate.
First, tha Dulcimer km reflect
ed a wide amort—at of cootri-
butors and has not limited It-
mlf to a Bte—p'eBqua. Grant
ed, the field o( contributors
I— not base as wide aa coaid
be derind, bat the (suit la this
a—emteialy dom aat Ba with
tha Dulcimer. The Dulcimer
(Oontteued op fig. S)