Oregon daily emerald., January 06, 1971, Page 3, Image 3

Fall grades
okay, but
who knows
what’s X, Y ?
So far, so good says Registrar
J. Spencer Carlson on the new
grading system.
Conversion to the new system
this past term went “fairly well”
and grades were out on time,
Carlson said Tuesday. However,
he added, there has been some
misunderstanding over the
various grade symbols.
“Some faculty are confused
over how to use them and some
students over what they mean,”
but, he continued, “that’s usually
a necessary part of a change of
this type.”
As of this past term, “D” and
“F” grades were eliminated and
an “N” grade substituted for all
work less than “satisfactory.” In
addition, grade point averages
are no longer computed.
But, the use of "X” and “Y”
grades has caused the greatest
confusion, said Carlson.
The new “Y” grade, meaning
“no basis for grade,” was in
tended to separate many students
out of the “I” (incomplete)
category, according to Carlson.
The “Y,” he explained, enables a
professor to distinguish a student
who has not shown up for class
and never done any work from a
student with legitimmate reasons
for not completing some portion
of class requirements.
Some professors had trouble
this past term in determining
whether students should be given
a “Y” or an “incomplete.” The
“Y” grade can be changed, said
Carlson, if the professor gave it
for incompleted work. However,
he added that if the student never
reported for class, and had ample
opportunity to do something
about the course, the grade would
probably remain on his record.
“X” grades, meaning “no
grade reported by the in
structor,” were given for two
reasons, said Carlson—either the
professor did not get grades in on
time or the professor gavp a
grade when the student had
designated he was taking the
class pass-no pass on vice versa,
or vice versa.
Carlson said that about 1,000
grades out of 7,500 grades were
not reported on time. Most of the
grade reports were in in time for
Continued on Page 10
University graduate programs
among most highly regarded
Twenty-three graduate programs at the
University are among the most highly regarded in
the nation, according to a study recently released
by Kenneth Roose and Charles Andersen for the
American Council on Education.
Ratings, which cover both the quality of
graduate faculty and effectiveness of the doctoral
program, were assigned to 130 institutions of higher
learning in 36 different disciplines.
Gains have been largely in the humanities, with
University departments of French, philosophy,
Spanish and economics making their initial ap
pearance among the listed schools. Geography and
zoology were also added to the list, with additional
gains being mwde in the biological sciences due to
an increase in the number of disciplines surveyed in
that area.
Five areas were chosen for evaluation—the
humanities, social sciences, biological sciences,
physical sciences and engineering.
University humanities departments considered
to have good graduate faculty and programs were
English, French, philosophy and Spanish.
Of the seven social sciences surveyed the
University showed up well in all those studies. They
were anthropology, economics, geography, history,
political science, psychology and sociology.
The University was also listed in several
disciplines of the biological sciences. These were
biochemistry, botany, developmental biology,
microbiology, molecular biology, physiology,
population biology and zoology.
Physical sciences named were chemistry,
geology, mathematics, and physics.
One of the fundamental purposes of the survey
was to furnish prospective graduate students with
information on faculties and programs.
It was also aimed at academic administrators
and others who must make decisions about
allocation of resources in support of graduate
programs.
Thirteen Western colleges and universities
were among the 130 institutions studied. Ratings
were based on the results of questionnaires com
pleted by more than 6,000 faculty members of the
130 institutions.
But don’t support it
State Board members talking
of deposit increase for damage
The State Board of Higher
Education has no intention of
increasing student breakage
deposits to help pay for damages
caused by riots, fires and bom
bings on state campuses, Roy
Lieuallen, Chancellor of the State
System of Higher Education said
Tuesday.
Lieuallen speaking to the
Eugene Kiwanis Club on Dec. 16
said the possibility of increasing
the deposit so students would pay
for damages had come up in
discussions with board members.
However, he said Tuesday, no
one has proposed such a plan.
The idea was to raise the yearly
$25 breakage deposit currently
charged all students in the state
system “to maybe $100.” If no
vandalism occurred the funds
would be returned to students at
the end of the year.
Such a plan was proposed in
Wisconsin as a form of “self
insurance” to avoid the high
premiums on insurance policies
for colleges and universities,
Lieuallen said.
Lieuallen said he was asked
at the Kiwanis meeting whether
such a plan had been considered
for Oregon’s colleges and
universities. He said Tuesday he
felt news reports had misin
terpreted his response by
suggesting that he and board
members favored the plan. “We
didn’t favor it at all,” he noted.
The proposal has never been
discussed at a formal board
meeting, said Lieuallen. who
added that to his knowledge, no
board members are sponsoring
any proposals related to the
possibility of raising breakage
fees for such a purpose.
“Until there is evidence that
students have been responsible
for fires a::d bombings, I simply
don’t make the assumption that
they have been responsible,”
Lieuallen told a Register-Guard
reporter following the meeting.
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INTRODUCES
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QUICKSILVER
I
Under-21 vote rulings
needed from official
Although the U.S. Supreme Court granted under 21-year-olds the
vote in national elections last month, procedures implementing the
vote in Oregon are virtually at a standstill pending an opinion by state
Attorney General Lee Johnson.
In Oregon, 18-year-olds have been permitted to register to vote
since last Nov. 9 following an earlier enfranchisement by Congress.
Yet Secretary of State Clay Myers has ordered all county clerks to
stop regular registration of 18 to 21-year-olds pending decision by the
attorney general as to whether or not those under 21 who have already
registered can be placed in the register of electors upon reaching age
21.
According to Jack Thompson of the state elections office, the
request for an opinion has been sent to Johnson’s office. Among
questions to be answered by the attorney general are:
Whether the roughly 6,000 under-21-year-olds in Oregon who
have registered to vote (890 of them in Lane County) will be required
to re-register on forms restricting their voting rights to national
elections.
Whether two separate ballots—one for national and the other for
state and local elections—will be required.
Whether those under 21 will be required to register again upon
reaching the age of 21.
Whether registered voters under 21—with restricted voting
rights—can be required to serve jury duty.
The secretary of state will “strongly recommend” to the
Legislature when it meets later this month that a constitutional
amendment lowering the voging age in Oregon to 18 for all elections be
prepared and legislation be created providing for a special certificate
of registration for 18 to 21-year-olds.
This certificate is similar to that currently in use for new residents
voting in Presidential elections.
8TUDENT UNION
BUILDING
&
USUAL DOWNTOWN
0UTLET8
SUIUDAU
JAM. 10.
8:00 PM