Average student derives little benefit
Selection of credit-no credit option down
A preliminary hand count revealed a sharp drop in the number of students enrolled in courses on the credit-no credit option this semester.
Nearly 1,460 students, less than 10 per cent of the student body on the Lawrence campus, have elected the option, compared to nearly 2,320 students during the fall semester 1968 and 2,100 students during spring semester 1969.
The revised credit-no credit system is open to students from all but the Schools of Business and Education. The old pass-no credit system was open to students in the College of Liberal
Oct. 27
1969 KANSAN 3
Arts and Sciences in the fall of 1938 and to College and William Allen White School of Journalism students in the spring of 1969.
William L. Kelly, registrar, said he would not make any guesses as to what the drop in the number of credit-no credit enrollees might indicate.
Kelly said he assumed a study of the final tabulation would be made by the same faculty-student committee that recommended the revised system.
Some students speculated the decrease was due to the fact that a grade of D under the new system does not rate credit.
"A grade of C or better gives you credit for grade points as well as hours, so why take a course on the credit-no credit system?"
said one College student.
Another student said she took a course under the option last year, but passed it up this semester because she needed the credit for hours she would get if she got a D in the course.
One student, who is taking a course on the option, had a different opinion. "My average is above a 2.00," he said, "so if I got a B in the course, it would pull my average down"
Several students said the option was good for the above average student. "For the average student, a C is a perfectly acceptable grade," said one.
Some faculty members appeared to agree with their students. "The student who really needs the credit-no credit option
is the student between a D and an F," said one instructor. "The others are using the option merely to juggle their grade point averages."
CALLS CUT SHORT
TOKYO (UPI)—Calls from pay telephones will be limited to three minutes in Japan starting Oct. 1. The Diet parliament approved a bill placing a limit on the nation's 350,000 public telephones. At the end of three minutes, a chime will sound and the circuit will disconnect automatically. Of course, the caller can dial again for 10 yen 2.7 cents.
One student said the need for a credit-no credit system would be eliminated if the University adopted a four-point grading system.
"Students need the option now because they are being penalized for a failing grade," she said. "If students received no credit for a failing grade, but had no credit removed, the credit-no credit system would be unnecessary."
Plehal wins grant
Robert James Plehal, Hanover junior, has been awarded the third annual Naismith Hall Scholarship of $1,000 at the University of Kansas for the 1969-70 academic year.