———— editorial —
The D grade’s here,
but problems remain
A lot of times it seems as if the only way you can be
sure you’re meeting the University requirements for
graduation is to get consistently good grades so you won’t
have to worry about it. But always in the course of an
academic program there are problems: the class that was
completely uninspiring, taught by a professor of the same
uninspiring character; the regulation you forgot about or
never heard of in the first place; the term you just couldn't
seem to get interested in anything.
When the “D" grade was reinstituted by the University
in September, a little more confusion was thrown into the
system. The “D” grade has been treated in two different
ways under the graded and pass-no-pass systems. Differ
ent departments view the “D” grade in different ways as
well. Some changes in the way the grading system works
are definitely in order.
The immediate problem is to eliminate the difference
between the graded and pass-no pass options. Currently,
if you get a “D” in a class you decided to take graded, you
can earn credit for the class. The University views the
grade as “satisfactory” in terms of earning credit. But if you
change that option to a psss-no pass early in ther term
when you’re not sure you can do well in a class, doing “D"
grade work may mean you’ll get a no-pass in the class. The
“D” should be viewed as a satisfactory grade in both
categories.
In addition, different departments and schools treat
the “D” grade in different ways. Just how the departments
view the “D” for the purposes of assigning credit for de
partment work is more or less up to the department. The
standards used to judge the “D” grade should be standard
ized for the entire University. As it now stands, the grade
is arbitrarily used.
The University seems headed toward a return to the
old system of calculating a grade point average. There
have been some rumblings in the administration and in
Oregon Hall for such a system. Under the present system
of the “D” grade, under which the administration seems
hell-bent on discouraging the pass-no pass option for stu
dents, a return of the GPA might not be a bad idea. The
current rules state 85 percent of the classes attempted
must be passed satisfactorily for the student to graduate. If
that requirement isn’t met, you have to take more classes
— and pass them all — until the 85 percent of the classes
you’re taken have been passed. For example, if you start
out your academic career with a hot streak and then slump
into low grades because of involvement in other activities
you might have a reasonable grade point average, but you
still can’t get out of school because of the 85 percent
requirement.
Moreover, you can’t graduate if you have more than
10 percent “D” grades, no matter what your other grades
are. This places a hardship on students who perform well in
some kinds of classes but not in others. The institution of a
GPA could solve that problem.
Also, there has been a considerable amount of confu
sion over what the requirements are and how you’re sup
posed to meet them. Some problems in the registrar's
office have emerged because students who have prob
lems with the requirements have run into differing interpre
tations of the rules.
Another problem often cited is a disadvantage to the
no-GPA system is that transfer students have difficulties
transfering their credits from one school to another. With
the University’s confusion over the “D” grade, the confu
sion among schools about whether or not to accept trans
fer grades is further muddled.
A GPA system, under which a ’’D” should be consi
dered a satisfactory grade for the purposes of receiving
credit for the class, would also give the student a clear,
precise analysis of where he stands. Currently, the grading
standards often don’t let a student know where he stands
until it is late in the academic program—just in time to get
caught by the 85 percent requirement.
We were a bit leery of the “D” grade when the Univer
sity passed the use of it for fan term. Now, we re not so sure.
It seems that the grading system is in limbo; somewhere
between having no "D” grade and having a standard GPA
system. The University should go one way or the other:
either drop the ’’D" grade or establish the GPA system.
V.
/
Off the Wally
Another bad parking plan
If at first you don't succeed, wait a year and
try, try again.
That appears to be the philosophy of the
South University Neighborhood Association
(SUNA) when it comes to the parking situation
in their neighborhood. It’s impossible, they say,
for them or thei r friends to find any parking spots
near their houses due to the number of students
gobbling up all the spaces. Last January, they
decided to do something about it.
At SUNA’s urging,
the Eugene Traffic
Engineering Depart
ment decided to con
duct a 90-day test in
the residential area
south of the Univer
sity. In this experi
ment, they put up
1-hour parking signs
in the area (even
though the SUNA had
asked for 3-hour limit).
Problems arose
immediately. One
hour isn’t enough time for students to even at
tend one class, not to mention two in a row. With
the amount of free near-campus parking al
ready minimal, effectively removing another
huge chunk was crippling to students. And even
the residents found themselves in a quandry, as
they couldn’t park in front of their own houses
for more than an hour. Needless to say, last
year’s plan was dropped.
They’re back with a new plan now, how
ever. This year they want a two-hour limit, which
SUNA Pres. Leslie Childress-Ullman says
would allow enough time for students to attend
two classes. Evidently she doesn’t figure in the
walking time necessary to get to and from class.
And thinking students only need to be on cam
WALLY BENSON
Emerald Editor
pus for their classes doesn't show much know
ledge of University life. Attending the University
is much more than taking classes, and much of
a student’s time on campus is spent socializing,
studying, eating lunch or participating in some
other such form of diversion — and all this eas
ily takes morethan two hours. It would be a drab
life just to attend classes and then head home (I
know, I did it for two years).
The other difference in this year's plan is
the proposal of parking permits for residents,
which they would have to purchase from the city
and which would allow them unlimited parking
in the area. Though this irons out the one major
problem of the first attempt, the idea whole of
limited parking in that area is unfair to students.
Outside of this area, there isn’t much free park
ing for students close to campus. And if this
neighborhood succeeds in their two-hour limit
venture, what will keep the other University
area neighborhoods from trying the same
thing? Soon students would all be parking in
Glenwood and hitchhiking in (until the Glen
wood residents complained).
I realize it may be silly to complain about
the lack of parking available for students when
the student parking lots aren’t even full, but
when students are trying to cut corners and
keep expenses at a minimum, they would rather
not pay $18 for a full-year parking permit. With
tuition, books, housing and all the other fun
incidentals adding up higher all the time,
another charge only makes it worse.
So I guess we should feel lucky that this
plan is just in the tentative" state and that the
city council will hold public hearings before any
thing is approved. If the idea is turned down,
SUNA members can always consider the
comment made by one of my co-workers here
at the Emerald:
“They don’t have to live there.”
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Letters
Divest
The State Board of Higher Edu
cation should stop stalling and
dump its S. Africa stock now. The
"legal" excuse that it has conven
iently discovered is nothing but a
transparent cover for their opposi
tion to disinvestment all along. All
of a sudden, the board is afraid it
doesn't have the authority to dis
invest even though it's been di
recting the investments for years!
The people of Southern Africa
are rising up more strongly every
day against the vicious system of
apartheid and white minority rule.
Their struggle to bring down the
apartheid system and gain real
control of their country has the
support of us in this country and of
people all around the world. De
spite its lip service to "change" in
South Africa, the U.S. government
has been and still is one of the
main supporters of a system that
is a source of superprofits for U.S.
corporations; these corporations
have invested nearly $2 billion in
South Africa. This investment has
also kept the South African
economy afloat in the face of
mounting opposition from the
people.
By retaining its stock in corpora
tions operating in South Africa, the
board is declaring its support for
the apartheid system and is taking
part in the wholesale robbery of
the South African people. It is try
ing to get out of the decision it
made last Nov. 18todisinvest,but
students have a commitment to
support the people of Southern Af
rica to gain liberation and we re
not going to allow the big
businessmen who run this univer
sity to use it to squeeze profits out
of the sweat and blood of the
South African people. Getting the
University out of Southern Africa
is part of a nationwide campaign
against U S. involvement there.
People all across the country
are realizing that the same rich
class that is profiting from the op
pression of South Africans stands
over us here and is responsible for
the rotten conditions that we face.
We have no interest in standing on
their side and every interest in
standing with the peoplee nof
Southern Africa.
Get the State Board to dump the
stock — demonstrate on Wed.,
Jan. 25 (beginning at 12:30 on the
EMU terrace) and attend the State
Board meeting on Fri., Jan. 27!!
Myra Delay
Revolutionary Communist
Youth Brigade