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■eras oniacsaa QmpgmiDQ "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)