Professors Also Have Opinions on Grading
Bv MARGOT BAKER
Page 3
It may come as a surprise to some people to learn that those who do the grade-giving are as concerned with and give as much thought to the subject of our grading system as those who receive the grades.
When asked the question, "What do you think of grades?" John Ise, professor of economics, answered without hesitation, "I hate them."
Dr. Ise went on to say that in an educational Utopia he would advocate no grades and no quizzes until the end of a four year period of study at which time the student would undergo a week or two of intensive examinations which would determine whether he would receive a degree or fail entirely.
of the school.
Dr. Ise concluded by saying, "All through life we are graded, not as obviously as in school perhaps, but graded just the same. We may as well start in school."
This system, according to Dr. Ise, would encourage the independent acquisition of knowledge on the part of the student.
E. Thayer Gaston, professor of music education, took quite a different stand on the matter. He said, "This controversy comes up every year under the anxiety of examination time. I believe professors are people of integrity who try to do a good job."
good job.
Dr. Gaston went on to explain that exams are the only way a teacher has of determining whether
or not a student is ready for more advanced work. He said that a system under which students receive only a rating of satisfactory and unsatisfactory is not fair to those students who do better than average work for under such a system such students receive no recognition.
Nino LoBello, sociology instructor, was very outspoken in his opposition to the letter grade system. "My experience shows that grades don't mean anything in the business world. What does count is knowledge and the ability to get along with the people with whom you work.
"As far as grades are concerned I don't think there is a man alive who can give another person an accurate, scientific evaluation of his work, because there is no way of knowing, without a large margin of personal error how much a student has learned and no way of determining the amount of influence a class may have on a student's later life."
The sun sheds enough energy on the earth in a single hour to supply the total needs of the United States for 12 years.
Band Presents Winter Concert
Rv GRETCHEN GUINN
The University band, directed by Russell L. Wiley, professor of band and orchestra, gave an excellent performance at its annual winter concert yesterday in Hoch auditorium.
The program played by the band was varied and well-balanced. The selections ran from "Royal Fireworks Music," by Handel to "Brigadoon, Selections for Band," by Frederick Lowew and "Amparito Roca, Spanish March," by Jaime Texidor.
Standouts in the performance were "Les Preludes, Symphonic Poem," by Franz Liszt, played with good interpretation and fine control of dynamics by the band, and the trumpet trio of Mary McMahon and Donald Shaffer, education juniors, and William Littell, fine arts sophomore, and DeRoy Rogge, education junior, soloist.
The selections for band from "Brigadoon" were played with lightness and gaiety by the band.
"Amparito Roca, Spanish March," typical of Spanish festival marches for concert band, and "Northwards March" from "Four Way Suite," by Eric Coates, provided the snappy music of the concert.
An "irrigation district" is a private or state water development project which is administered under state laws; also, the lands embraced within such a project.
University Daily Kansan
Monday. January 17, 1955
Abandoned Baby Doing Well
Kansas City, Mo. —(U.P.)—A baby boy, abandoned by its mother in a rest room wastebasket in a Lee's Summit service station, was "doing very nicely and in excellent health" at the Mercy hospital here.
The baby was discovered by two women who had gone to the filling station to visit the attendant. The station attendant said he had been "very busy with customers" Saturday night and did not notice any woman in the vicinity.
it was shortly after 10 p.m. when the baby was found. It was rushed to the Jackson County Emergency hospital where physicians cared for it and made a thorough examination. Doctors believed the baby was about one hour old when found.
State troopers took the baby to Mercy hospital early Sunday to stay for the time being, hospital authorities said.
On Campus with Max Shulman
(Author of "Barefoot Boy With Cheek," etc.)
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE: No.1
Though this column is intended to be a source of innocent meritorium for all and not to concern itself with weighty matters, I have asked the makers of Philip Morris whether I might not from time to time use this space for a short lesson in science. "Makers," I said to them, "might I not from time to time use this space for a short lesson in science?"
In this day and age, as I like to call it, everybody should know something about science. Unfortunately, however, the great majority of us are majoring in elocution, and we do not get a chance to take any science. But we can at least learn the fundamentals.
"Bless you, lad!" cried the makers, chuckling. "You may certainly use this space from time to time for a short lesson in science."
They are very benign men, the makers, fond of children, small animals, community singing, and simple country food. Their benevolence is due in no small measure to the cigarettes they smoke, for Philip Morris is a cigarette to soothe the most savage of breasts. I refer not only to the quality of the tobacco — which, as everyone knows, is amiable, humane, and gracious — but also to the quality of the package. Here is no fendishly contrived container to fray the fingernails and rasp the nerves. Here, instead, is the most simple of devices: you pull a tab, a snap is heard, and there, ready at hand, are your Philip Morris Cigarettes. Strike a match, take a puff, and heave a delicious little rippling sigh of pure content.
So, with the cordial concurrence of the makers, I will from time to time devote this column to a brief lesson in science.
Let us start today with chemistry. It is fitting that chemistry should be the first of our series, for chemistry is the oldest of sciences, having been discovered by Ben Franklin in 123 B.C. when an apple fell on his head while he was shooting the breeze with Pythagoras one day outside the Acropolis. (The reason they were outside the Acropolis and not inside was that Pythagoras had been thrown out for drawing right triangles all over the walls. They had several meetings outside the Acropolis, but finally Franklin said, "Look, Pythagoras, this is nothing against you, see, but I'm no kid any more and if I keep laying around on this wet grass with you, I'm liable to get the break-bone fever. I'm going inside." Pythagoras, friendless now, moped around Athens for a while, then drifted off to Brussels where he married a girl named Harriet Sigafoos and went into the linsed oil game. He would also certainly be forgotten today had not Shakespeare written "Othello."
not Shakespeare written. Cullen.
But I digress. We were beginning a discussion of chemistry, and the best way to begin is, of course, with fundamentals. Chemicals are divided into elements. There are four: air, earth, fire, and water. Any number of delightful combinations can be made from these elements, such as firewater, dacron, and chef's salad.
Chemicals can be further divided into the classes of explosive and non-explosive. A wise chemist always touches a match to his chemicals before he begins an experiment.
A great variety of containers of different sizes and shapes are used in a chemistry lab. There are tubes, vials, beakers, flasks, pipettes, and retorts. (A retort is also a snappy comeback, such as "Oh, yeah?" or "So's your old man!")
or "So's your old man."
(Permits the most famous retort ever made was delivered by none other than Noah Webster himself. It seems that one day Mr. Webster's wife walked unexpectedly into Mr. Webster's office and found Mr. Webster's secretary sitting on Mr. Webster's knee. "Why Mr. Webster?" cried Mr. Webster's wife. "I am surprised!"
ebster' cried mr. weester's wife. I am suspicious.
("No, my dear," he replied. "I am surprised. You are astonished."
(Well, sir, it must be admitted that old Mr. Webster got off a good one, but still one can not help wishing he had spent less time trifling with his secretary, and more time working on his dictionary. Many of his definitions show an appalling want of scholarship. Take, for instance, what happened to me not long ago. I went to the dictionary to look up "houghband" which is a band that you pass around the leg and neck of an animal. At the time I was planning to pass bands around the legs and necks of some animals, and I wanted to be sure I ordered the right thing.
(Well sir, thumbing through the H's in the dictionary, I happened to come across "horse." And this is how Mr. Webster defines "horse"—"a large, solid hoofed herbivorous mammal, used as a draft animal."
(Now I, submit, is just plain sloppiness. The most cursory investigation would have shown Mr. Webster that horses are not mammals. Mammals give milk. Horses do not give milk. It has to be taken from them under the most severe dures.)
taken from them under the host's hoo-
(Nor is the horse a draft animal, as Mr. Webster says. Man is a
draft animal. Mr. Webster obviously had the cavalry in mind, but
even in the cavalry it is men who are drafted. Horses volunteer.)
But I digress. We were discussing chemistry. I have told you the most important aspects, but there are many more—far too many to cover in the space remaining here. However, I am sure that there is a fine chemistry lab at your very own college. Why don't you go up some afternoon and poke around? Make a kind of fun day out of it. Bring ukeleles. Wear funny hats. Toast frankfurters on the Bunsen burners. Be gay, be merry, be loose, for chemistry is your friend!
$ \textcircled{C} \mathrm {M a x} $ Shulman,1954
This column is brought to you by the makers of PHILIP MORRIS who think you would enjoy their cigarette.