Oregon daily emerald., May 26, 1981, Image 1

Emerald
Vol. 82, No. 162
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Tuesday, May 26, 1981
wmmmmm mm mwm smmmmiMmmmmmmmmm
‘Fowl’ or fair,
gulls don’t care
Photo by Bruce Berg
Rain may have dampened some Memorial Day picnics
this weekend, but the forecast calls for some sunshine
today and fair weather for Wednesday. Highs should be
in the 70s both days.
Activists favor
peaceful protest
By KATHERINE MERRILL
Ol the Emerald
Only civil disobedience will
right the wrongs in the Amer
ican military, a Creswell dentist
told a University audience
Friday.
John Burkhardt, a member of
Physicians for Social Respon
sibility, told about his exper
iences protesting nuclear
weapons during the year-long
nuclear protest at the Pentagon
last year.
Physicians for Social
Responsibility favors non
violent civil disobedience as a
way to end the arms race. The
group protests nuclear
weapons because there is no
way the world’s medical facili
ties could deal with the casual
ties of a nuclear holocaust,
Burkhardt told the group
A one-megaton nuclear ex
plosion would contaminate
1,000 square miles, Burkhardt
said.
"Anyone supposing you can
crawl into a^fallout shelter and
avoid it (contamination) is full of
it. And even if you could, once
you got out you would go crazy
Who the hell would want to sur
vive something like that?”
Burkhardt made two trips to
the war department during
1980, one in August and the
second in December. Although
he never was jailed, some of
Burkhardt's companions were
not as lucky.
Civil disobedience involves
doing something wrong, going
to jail for it, and then doing it
again, Burkhardt explained He
estimated that two Eugeneans
who took part in the protest
have spent 10 of the past 20
years in jail for civil dis
obedience.
"Police who have duty at the
Pentagon are wise. They have a
lot of experience in this kind of
thing," he said
One protest tactic included
sneaking off during guided
tours of the Pentagon to pour
blood on the desks of high
ranking officials As a result,
Pentagon officials canceled all
tours of the building, Burkhardt
said.
Other protestors went naked
or shaved their heads. One nun
even performed the rites of ex
orcism in front of Secretary of
State Alexander Haig's office
and threw blood and ashes on
his door before being arrested,
Burkhardt told the audience.
Although Burkhardt wasn't
arrested, police in Washington
told him he was a "security
threat" and asked him to leave a
Pentagon lunchroom where he
was dining with a friend. Burk
hardt said. Uniformed officers
constantly were taking his pic
ture, he added, and he re
sponded by taking theirs.
"I want to stay in America. I
believe in it and support it, but I
want to see its direction change
just a little bit. Do I sound like a
dissident?" he asked
University, students blamed for bad grades
By GABRIEL BOEHMER
Of the Emerald
Bad grades may be a symptom of the
University’s performance as well as
learning problems on the part of
students, say University administrators.
More than 2,000 University students
are on academic probation this term,
according to registrar's statistics. Most
of these students — 579 — are new to
probationary status, but many others
may face academic disqualification after
this term.
Academic Adviser George Wasson’s
guess is that many students who’exper
ience grade trouble have too many irons
in the fire.
Those who flunk out "possibly have
too many interests and abilities," Was
son says. "Their priorities are very high
in other areas."
The University’s liberal environment
also can throw students off course,
Wasson says. A new academic and
social atmosphere for high school
graduates and transfer students
"demands so much they almost run
wild," he adds.
Poor grades also can be an indication
of the poor performance of the Universi
ty, Wasson says. If classes fail to meet
their needs, students will look for other
areas to put energy into, he says.
Poor grades often are misinterpreted
by educators and students alike, Wasson
says.
Giving grades is like taking "a screen
and shaking it, and saying those who fell
through are bad or wrong."
Attention and direction can remedy
students who are performing poorly in
the classroom, Wasson says. •
"A teacher who shows interest can
make a student blossom. Giving respon
sibility can make a student feel
worthwhile."
Students who have academic majors
also are more likely to be successful in
school, Wasson says.
But Wasson cautions that many
students have unreasonable expecta
tions about completing the requirements
for a bachelor's degree ip a traditional
four-year calendar.
“Those who seem to make it .have a
major, go right through and get a degree
— but maybe they are too naive in life to
do otherwise.”
Business students experience the
highest incidence of academic dis
qualification, according to University
registrar Wanda Johnson.
Johnson says the business school’s
mathematics requirement gets many
students into academic trouble.
Johnson also attributes poor
academic performance to inadequate
high school preparation.
If students enter the University without
communication and critical thinking
skills, “it's hard for them to play catch
up," Johnson says. "The bottom line is
communication skills."
And some students find it difficult to
move from lower- to upper-division
University courses, Johnson says.
Students often haven't developed the
analytical abilities crucial for studying
upper-division material.
Another determinant of academic per
formance can be a student's ability to
plan an academic schedule and daily
course work, Johnson says.
"I sense a lack of self-management
Students must care enough about their
academic programs to be responsible for
them.” The University Scholastic
Review Committee, made up of faculty
and students, will meet at the end of this
term to consider students who are sub
ject to disqualification.
This term 132 students were added to
a list of more than 100 students already
on deferred disqualification
Other statistics from the registrar’s
office show almost 900 students have a
cumulative grade index below a 2.0 or C
average. The majority of students' GPIs
‘register above the 2.0 mark.
The Scholastic Review Committee
places on probation a student who has
failed about 20 percent of his or her
cumulative course work. A student who
fails six or more course hours or passes
less than 65 percent of course work is
placed on probation.
Also, juniors or seniors who pass less
than 80 percent of their course work will
come under the committee’s fire
Disqualified students can re-establish
their academic credibility at a community
college or, if they can gain admission, at
another college or university, and then
petition for reinstatement here, Johnson
says
But as a general rule, other state sys
tem colleges and universities will not
accept academically disqualified
students