GRE ... Ughhl
It's pointless
By Bess Franzosa
■ The New Hampshire
U. of New Hampshire
While most of you were either
sleeping off a mean hangover or
stumbling into a cafe for a break
fast special. 1 was engaging in an
exciting, enriching experience one
Saturday last fall semester — the
almighty Graduate Record
Examination.
That 8 a m 1 was sitting at a
desk, furiously filling in dots with
a #2 pencil. As 1 sat there, trying to
figure out trivialities, 1 began to
question the point of the exam
There isn't one.
Educators and administrators
alike admit that the GRE and SAT
are not good measures of intelli
gence, and are biased against
women and minorities Here’s a
hypothetical:
Study the words that precede the
word "clothes.”
1 )We sell summer clothes.
2)We sell baby clothes.
3iWe sell running clothes.
Which sentence can be substitut
ed for number 1?
a i We sell women's clothes.
b) We sell work clothes.
c> We sell hiking clothes.
d1 We sell men's clothes
Where did thus question come
from? What does it mean? What is
the answer? What is the point'.’ I'm
not sure 1 want to know.
The verbal section of the exam
was a joke. When was the last time
a professor asked you to take out a
palimpsest? When something
breaks in your house do you say “I’ll
go call the factotum?"
I plan to study broadcast journal
ism, so my English skills are impor
tant, but when w ill I ever use words
like lexicographer? If Connie
Chung used those words no one
would understand
Why does a school care about my
math ability As long as 1 can pay
my tuition without bouncing the
check, why should they care that
I've forgotten how to multiply
fractions?
1 think you get the point Now if
you'll excuse me, 1 need to go study
my GRE book so that 1 won't blow
the exam next time
1 hop** I’ll be able to ameliorate
my vocabulary by then
REVIEW
Getting in as a grad
'Beyond the lv\ Wall' whips up a recipe for admission to
grad school for students who may have spent a hit too much
of their college career partying.
Page 15
ENTREPRENEUR
College — The game
Student at Rutgers U. have created and manufactured a
game that features attributes from their campus.
Page 15
Students applaud semester at sea
By Dana DiFillippo
■ The Daily Coileqian
Pennsylvania State U.
In China, there is a saying that people
are not truly Chinese until they climb
the Great Wall
Thanks to the U of Pittsburgh's
Semester at Sea program, which allows
accredited universities across the coun
try to participate, l' of Pennsylvania
senior Wai-I.i Wong became the first in
six generations of his family to return to
his homeland to he "truly (’hinese
The program has been sponsored by
I F for 25 years, and now students from
more than 600 universities and colleges
study for one semester aboard a “floating
campus " They receive hands-on experi
ence in the 13 countries at which the ship
docks, said Yvonne 1 tinker, a Penn State
representative of the program
“It's the most amazing thingyou'l! ever
do," said Penn student Angela
Sorrentino. who went on the trip last
semester Sorrentino said the program
taught her a lot about life and herself.
Although the ports sometimes vary
because of political problems, Dukier
said the program’s itinerary seldom
changes signiticantiy. some countries at
which the S.S. Universe has anchored in
past semesters include Japan, India,
Turkey, the Soviet Union, Spain and
Hong Kong
C V Tung, a Hong Kong ship magnate,
donated the ship in 1971 to establish a
program to promote world peace through
international education, she said.
Students spend about half the trip on
land and half at sea and all students are
required to take a daily core course called
International Studies where they learn
things such as the customs and currency
See SEA, Page 17
Phone makes study
of languages reality
By Kelly Cane
■ Michigan Tech Lode
Michigan Technological U.
A telephone-assisted foreign language program started at
Michigan Technological U last winter quarter to teach lan
guages important to technology students
The program was designed to provide cost-effective foreign
language instruction in languages critical to science, technol
ogy and commerce
Developed in the early 1980s at < *hio State l the program
may he ideal for institutions that cannot afford to hire a large
number of new faculty
"This program seems very well suited for Michigan Tech."
said Steven Loughnn Sacco, assistant professor of humanities
at MTl' “Not only because it is cost effective, but also because
of the need to broaden the education of science and technology
students."
According to Ixiughrin-Sacco, MIT' students have suffered
because only literary languages are taught He said a base in
other languages would better prepare students lor interna
tional internship programs, as well as work in industries with
ties in Asia, the Middle Hast, and the Soviet Union.
Under the program, OSU provides students with language
expertise via telephone, w hile an MTl' professor provides reg
ular supervision.
Students proceed through a manual, listen to tapes and
spend time speaking with their professor at OSU using a toll
free telephone number The OSU professor grades and tests
students work, answers questions and provides conversation
practice.
Class clown
IIS* DEJONG STATE NEWS MICHIGAN STATE U
Our first goal is to have tun. said a student in A.J. Fast's class on
clowning at Michigan State U. Fast teaches students to juggle, spin
plates, ride unicycles, walk on stilts and create animal balloons.
Student finds condom, shorts sales just ducky
By Gary Houchens
■ College Heights Herald
Western Kentucky U.
If you look under the beds of most col
lege students, you may find dirty socks,
tennis shoes or candy wrappers Hut
underneath Brian Nash’s bed you'll find
dozens of unopened condoms
rhat doesn't mean Nash, a sophomore
at Western Kentucky l . is promiscuous
He is a licensed salesman of Rubber
Ducky and Sneaky Pete brand condoms
When I came down here to WKl' last,
vear, nobody sold condoms on campus
and that didn't make sense to me,
because there are plenty of tunes when
they're needed.” said Nash
Both brands of condoms are distribut
ed by the Finley Company of Tuscon,
Aru Nash pays all postage and sells all
items at least $2 cheaper than the com
Be safe boxers... If you want to both
look cool and promote safe sex, West
Virginia U. student Jim Denny has
the shorts for you Denny has been
selling the “Be Safe Boxers” from the
Kiwi Surf line. The boxers feature
wild patterns, a condom pocket and
a condom Females have bought more
than males, especially around the
Christmas season, Denny said The
100 percent cotton boxers sell for $8;
the rayon $10. ■ Shannon Wells, The
Daily Atheneaurn, West Virginia U.
pany recommends
Nash said he got the idea from a friend
who was selling them at Indiana State
l' Nash said he started his business this
semester selling mostly to friends and
makes about one sale a week, but hopes
he can gain new customers through
advertising.
He said he plans to increase the nunv
her of fliers distributed and buy news
paper advertisements soon.
All of the condoms Nash sells come
with instructions "A lot of people laugh
at that," Nash said "But in many cases,
instructions are needed
He stressed that he isn’t trying to
offend anyone “There are a lot of reli
gious groups out there that think this
kind of stuff is absolutely deplorable," he
said, “but they have to realize that peo
ple are going to have sex.”
Nash sells a variety of items besides
condoms, including five varieties of T
shirts, which cost $12 each, depicting
Rubber Ducky, the cartoon t rademark of
the condom He also sells Rubber Ducky
sweatshirts, night-shirts, mugs, sun
visors and keychains
See DUCKY. Page 15