• Vol. XX, No. 3
CABRINI COLLEGE, RADNOR, PA.
November 13, 1973
A New Role For Students byMaryLynn Carone A mixture of worried-looking administrators, frustrated-looking students, and curious-looking faculty, several hundred in all, filled Cabrini's gym on October 24th. The students, faculty and administration gathered together to discuss a major problem that has been causing much controversy in the past weeks . Within an hour and fifteen minutes, all three expressions had vanished from the three factions, and a spark of hope seemed to light the eyes of many. The problem? The seeming inability of SGA to operate effectively and to determine exactly how its power should be defined. As one student commented, SGA seems to be an "appeasement board" or a "punishment body," good only for taking polls or dishing out punishments to unruly members of the campus community. What the students were requesting, or at least attempting to examine, was the possibility of SGA enjoying a greater role in determining whatever pertains to "student life ." Previously, SGA seemed merely to be a body for gathering student opinion or feedback on matters in question, but when it came time to vote on anything, SGA suddenly contracted a case of legislative laryngitis - no voice. Students at the meeting appeared to be united on this one main issue, although other complaints were also raised . These other comments, however, were actually offshoots of the major problem of SGA not having a
determining role in matters of board or a clock for the dayhop lounge have gotten lost,- until student life. Some complaints recently, in all of the red tape . were 1) that the gym is almost What is the solution? constantly rented out to outsiders An encouraging amount of without student consent, leaving Cabrini's own students without a healthy discussion prevailed at the general meeting, and it became court for a basketball game 2) that commuting students have to pay evident that the students actually for a parking space, but will un- have a lot of support from faculty and most of the administration. doubtedly be forced to park The answer lies then in the elsewhere when the Kirk F. White pooling of ideas from these three ¡ car auction comes in April, 3) that a rule forcing resident students to segments of the Cabrini Compay for overnight guests in their munity and a united restructuring of the way in which student life is own rooms was imposed without governed . student consultation. A great deal of time was spent The major outcry of Cabrini students then is to be given the op- at the meeting discussing the Board of Trustees. The role that it portunity not only to voice their opinions, but also to be part of plays in governing Cabrini was some body that would make policy questioned and also its right to do decisions. The general feeling so. Students could not understand seems to be that one person such why matters of student life, in which the board does not paras the Vice-President for Student ticipate, and from which the Affairs or even one particular board is far removed , have to be group should not be solely responreferred to the board. On the other sible for making decisions, but hand academic affairs, which one that some other means of chanwould think the board would be neling student concerns could and more involved in, do not. This is should be devised to eliminate the apparent bottleneck that now one paradox that needs to be looked into. exists. This should also eliminate Sister Mary Louise explained the possibility of "buck-passing" that the Board of Trustees is a on the part of the administration. "self-perpetuating body," that Any questions or proposals on Cabrini is a corporation, and that student life now have to be shuttled back and forth from SGA to the Board of Trustees is "the the students, and Ix.ck to SGA, governing board of the corporation." In response to student then to Sister Mona, often to complaints of the gap existing betSister Bernadette , and then to ween board and students, Sister Sister Mary Louise. Sometimes they even go to the Board of Mary Louise described at length the changes that are being made Trustees. Even simple items such on the board. She stated that efas the acquisition of a bulletin
Special Ed. Changes To Pass/Fail
Competency-Based
Program
by Connie Cesare Special Ed. changes to pass/fail The fact that the Special Education Department's program has developed into a pass/fail system is no secret to anyone on the campus. In a recent interview, Ms. Kerr, Coordinator of the Special Education Department, contributed the following insight into the recent change in the department. The program will be competency-based, said Ms. Kerr . But what does competency-based mean? The program begins by looking at the final product, namely the future Special Education teacher and what this teacher should be qualified to do. Consequently, certain goals and standards must be set up. Once these objectives are determined, specific courses dealing with the goals are developed and eventually fulfilled by t he student. An
example of a competency is the following: Behavioral Competencies To identify and interpret the educational implications associated with a variety of physical handicapping conditions. Experiences Lecture; assigned readings, Finnie, N. Handling the Young Cerebral Palsy Child at Home; Fiorentino, M.R., Reflex Testing, Methods for Evaluating Central Nervous System Development; structured classroom and therapy observations.
Evaluation Compilation of "Educational Implications and Adaptations Chart." First the competency is stated. The expe:::iences then instruct the student in the coII)petency. Finally, the student rs evaluated by his performance in the objective listed in the Evaluation column. Ms. Kerr says that this -
will allow the student to work at his own pace. The time element in learning a competency is not as important as the final mastery of it . When asked how this change came to be, Ms. Kerr replied that ¡the suggestion to change all Special Education courses to pass/fail has been "strongly recommended" by the Harrisburg evaluation team. Ms. Kerr then presented the recommendation to the Academic Council of Cabrini College. She said that she was prepared t.<' compromise but was pleased to find that there was no opposition to her proposal by the faculty members . Controversy has arisen out of the announcement of the pass/fail system. One question is how will the system affect the cumulative averages of the Special Education students themselves and in relation to the rest of the school. (Continued on page 3)
forts are being made to get younger members of the board, and that now for the first time there is an alumnae of the college on the board . Attempts are also being put forth to get more board members from the surrounding area. In reply to some student complaints that 51% of the board is comprised of Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the President told students that the sisters have invested several million dollars in Cabrini College and that each year they pick up Cabrini's deficit . The Board of Trustees, as Sister Mary Louise stated, is very open to suggestions . She felt that having students present their feelings and suggestions to them would be an excellent idea. At her suggestion, on October 29th the executive board of SGA met briefly with the Board of Trustees to aplain their position . They returned from the meeting very optimistic, stating that the board was extremely cooperative and understanding. SGA was asked to draw up by November 5th a proposal for possible restructure of itself or of the Council of College Affairs (CCA) and to submit it to CCA for
feedback. The proposal will then be studied by various members of the administration for further refinement, and SGA executives will then meet with four or five members of the Board of Trustees to finalize the proposal. At the end of January, all of the new executive board members and possibly some of the old members will present the proposal at the next meeting of the Board of Trustees . What will the proposal be? As this paper goes to press, the most obvious proposal will be not the restructur ing of SGA itself, but rather the use of the Council of College Affairs as a judiciary board on matters brought up by SGA . After a proposal is voted on in student government , the results would be forwarded to CCA, who would then discuss the proposal and vote on it. This eliminates fur. thei red tape. Council is made up of four administrators, four faculty members, and eight students, and all are elected by the groups that they represent. Since CCA, "an advisory committee to (Continued on page 4)
A New Tenure Policy Quality vs. Quantity by Beth Schweitzer Cabrini College is presently in the process of evaluating its tenure policy for faculty, and you, as a student, will be an influential factor . The term " tenure" refers to the permanent contract a teacher obtains in order to remain in a position without being dismissed for prejudicial reasons. The purpose of tenure is to insure academic freedom . It allows the teacher the responsibility of investigating and teaching all aspects of a subject. In thepast, a faculty member at Cabrini received tenure after seven years of full time teaching with the emphasis placed on the time spent in the position. A tenure committee has been appointed by the AAUP consisting of Dr. Bezdek, Dr . Feighan, Ms. Gavigan and Mr. Zurek. They have proposed to get stronger and more definite criteria for awarding of tenure and a clearer procedure. This has been unanimously approved by the faculty and on October 29th was submitted to the Board of Trustees. It was proposed that a committee of five people be elected by the faculty to be concerned with academic freedom, rank of faculty, which is presently in-
structor (lowest rank and salary), assistant professor, associate professor and professor , and to be also concerned with tenure. In turn, this committee of five will a_l-)point subcommittees to evaluate each tenure candidate individually . Three people will make up a subcommittee and there will be a different subcommittee for each individual candidate. Evaluation will be done every semester. Guidelines have been set up for the tenure subcommittees . Teaching ability , contributions to the college community and promise of continued growth and excellence must be considered in evaluating a candidate for tenure. Certain procedures have been recommended to carry out this evaluation. One of the procedures will be student evaluations of the candidate's teaching . In order to present a balanced picture, these evaluations will have to cover the work of several semesters. There will also be teaching ability evaluations by those alumnae who are most familiar with the teacher's ability. Candidates will also be reviewed concerning committee activity, work on academic and non-academic college programs, and work on student activities.
LOQUITUR
Page 2
CHANGES The last issue of Loquitur contained an editorial which brought ab?ut _a great dea_l of heated discussion. Indeed, the purpose of the ed1tonal was to brmg grades and grading systems to the attention of all so that a clearer understanding of Cabrini's position on grading might result. Last year, criticism of the Social Science and Theology departments brought about significant changes in both. The editors of Loquitur recog~ize that our function is not that of policy makers; however, we believe strongly that the role of a newspaper is to examine the state of things, and to foster awareness and discussion which will resul_t in conti~uous improvements in every area of the college commumty. There 1s no department, no club, no facility, which is so perfect that it could not improve. We were admittedly not in favor of the Special Education change to the pass/fail competency program. However, our purpose was not to embarrass or to incite riots, but to initiate examination of a new program to see how it coordinated with Cabrini's standing policy. There was no opportunity to examine the competency program before it was anno~nced. The entire student body - and this includes the Special Ed. m~Jors - was left :,vithout a meaningful voice as to the desirability of this change. As editors of the newspaper, we are concerned with the general trends in evidence at Cabrini. Every change is not for the better; every dictum from Harrisburg does not necessarily raise our standar_ds or impr _ove our reputation. The entire college community should be mterested m these major changes - the value of our education and the future of C_a~r_inimay be at stake. For instance, a student might ~onder 1~Cabnm 1s headed m the direction of a teacher's college. If it 1s, how will that affect the reputation of the other departments? Will we come to a point where a degree in English from Cabrini will be less respected because Cabrini's specialty is Education? With re~ard to the letter from Mr. Kuhns, we never said or implied that teachmg does not require a special talent. Our statement concerning the stringency of Education requirements was not a statement about Cabrini alone. We were stating an opinion that appears to exist o~ most campu_ses. There is no denying that student teaching is demandmg, and that 1t must be a tremendous learning experience in terms of discovering one's own talents and weaknesses. However, we maintain that ~ducation is not as intellectually rigorous as Philosophy, or Chemistry, or Psychology. A larger number of required courses does not mean that those courses are difficult.
Does It Have Value?
Liberal Arts Education In the past few years we at Cabrini have tended to lose sight of the value of the liberal arts and a liberal arts education. The administ~ation, for ~xample, has of necessity been primarily concerned of late with economies and budget balancing. In their efforts to ease the financial strain, they have added several specialized programs of a primarily technical nature to the curriculum. This has not necessarily been done at the expense of the liberal arts curriculum but at the same time it cannot help but direct energy and emphasis away from the more traditional arts and sciences. On the other hand, the liberal arts curriculum has been buffeted by student demands. In the late sixties (and especially at campuses other than Cabrini) the demand has been for courses which are more socially relevant. And now in the seventies, with the shrinking job market, the demand is that the curriculum be more vocationally oriented. "Why should anyone study Latin?" students ask. "A knowledge of Latin will not cure any social ills and it will certainly not get you a job!" The faculty finds itself, for the most part, caught in between, trying to meet administrative and student demands while at the same time each member defending the bastions of his own department and the discipline he finds so pleasurable. What we need - all of us - is to be reminded and hence reassured of the intrinsic merits of a liberal arts education and if perhaps failing that, to be reminded and reassured of the extrinsic merits of a liberal arts education, of the jobs and monetary rewards which fall uniquely to the liberal arts graduate. The following is intended to be such a reminder and hopefully some will find it reassuring as well. Let us start with the intrinsic merits since these are the hardest to put one's finger on. As a philosopher I am supposed to be good at describing abstractions and yet I find trying to describe the pleasures of learning and knowing to someone skeptical of such pleasures like trying to describe the scent of a rose to someone without a sense of smell. The intrinsic merits of a liberal arts education range from the personal satisfaction one gets from familiarity with one particular art or science, his major, to the satisfaction of understanding what one reads in the newspaper when it speaks of "balance of payments," "a constitutional crisis," "chemical additives in food," or "the aerodynamics of Volkswagens." It's the pleasant recall of familiarity when one finally comes face to face with a painting one has studied, identifies a bird in a tree, a fern on a garden path. It is understanding what a particular movie is saying about the times and places it portrays or what is innovative in a particular piece of literature or drama. No one surely will deny the self-satisfaction and anticipation he feels during a performance of Hamlet when he hears those familiar lines which he once
learned so laboriously at the hands of some high school English teacher ~horn he then considered a task-master. Learning is like that. The liberal arts are like that. We live in a world of specialiststhose who know more and more about less and less - but we stand in awe of those men in history known as Renaissance men. And now let us consider the more tangible rewards of a liberal arts e~uca_tion and answer the question, "All right, but what can you do with 1t?" And "let us be specific. Although it is true that one can do ~!most anything with a liberal arts degree (in fact the only occupations 1t seems to preclude are engineering and business administration and even t~ latter is a bo:~er-line case), this point is not at all reassuring. S_oI will ~ very spec1f1c and consider what has happened to my close c_ircle of fnends from college all of whom graduated with B.A.'s in liberal arts. We were five. (No, we were not "The Group".) Three are no:,v mar:ied. Two continu':) in female bachelorhood (spinsterhood bemg a dirty word). Of those of us who are married, one was a math major who taught junior high school math before marriage and is now completely involved in motherhood. One married several weeks after graduation and settled down to raise a family. Now that all her child_ren are in school she has turned her avocation into a vocation by startmg her own interior decorating business. And then there is yours tr~ly. One of th~ two "b~chelors" was a Spanish major who found a job with the Amencan Savmgs and Loan Association. Her unglamorous funct!on was to be a correspondence course teacher. Her glamorous funct10n was that she helped to set up the whole course for Latin America. The Association had her trained in the mathematics of saving~ and loans and_ in Portugese and then threw in several trips to Argentma, Peru, Brazil ... Need I say more? Last but not least is the one brilliant m~mber among us. It took her a while but she finally found her niche as a systems analyst. She and her computer are a per: feet match. It's the one thing I know that is as smart as she is and it doesn't give her any backtal~. (Incidentally, she was a French major.) And what of the others m our class? In a quick rundown so not to bore you: one just won the National Press Award for a series of articles in the New York Times, several have their own by-lines as reporters for the Bulletin, the Christian Science Monitor, etc., several are assistant c1;1rators in art museums across the country, one is a choral music director for a large college, one runs a tutorial program in Harlem, one works for the Fo~d Foundation making award decisions, one works on the budget planmng staff of a large university, many work in the federal bure~ucra_cy as aids to congressmen, research assistants for HEW, etc., one 1s an oceanographer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and then, of course, there are numerous Ph.D.'s, M.D.'s, and LL.B.'s. It 'is interestin~ to note_here that women with liberal arts degrees ignore many occupations which absorb a large percentage of male liberal arts graduates such as management training, banking, insurance. Just think how much life insurance an attractive female could probably sell in a year! These jobs have tended to be closed to women but are now being opened. We should be able to capitalize on the change. The problem with a liberal arts education is not that there is nothing one can do with it. Rather one feels at a loss because there are so many alternatives to choose from and the commitment to one seems so final, so limiting and confining , after the freedom of studying so ?roadlr I should add that few of these glamorous jobs were attained immediately. One does not just walk out of college into the waiting arms of the New York Times. Such positions, however, do await those who are willing to make the commitment in the Ion~ run. "But," you say, "that's all well and good, but I'm not Ph.D. material nor am I interested. I'm not willing to make such a comn_iit~ent. I wan~ to_be ~n elementary school teacher (most likely, cons1~enng the d1stnbut10n of majors at Cabrini). Why do I need philosophy or chemistry or Spanish?" Or, "I don't want a career. I want to be a housewife. What do I want with a liberal arts education?" These legitimate and very real questions deserve more response than they are usually accorded. First, let us consider the example of the el~mentary school teacher. Let me first say, as a mother, that I hope my ch1~dren never have the misfortune to have as a teacher someone who senously entertains the question of why learn anything beyond an immediate skill. I would hate to have this negative attitude filter across to them and cause them to lose their love of learning. Secondly, how can any?ne ~ul_e~ut as irrelevant in elementary school the whole of any aca~em1c d1sc1plme? One just never knows what he might need in a particular classroom. For example, consider how welcome you could m~ke a Sp~nish-speaking child feel if you could converse with her in her pnmary tongue, or how are you going to keep up with the bright youngster who has i special interest in dinosaurs or his chemistry set? In elementary school ~ore than any other level of schooling, it seems to me, one has to be a Jack-of-all-trades, not a specialist. And now suppose you are that rather typical, but unsung, Cabrini student who talks about careers but really hopes that it won't last too long. Your education is just as vital as that of the most career-minded student. (We sho~ld note, however, that the trend is toward combining career and m~nage.) Although I have been kno-..ynto joke about the rewa~ds ,of a h~e~al education for the housewife (Samples: Being able to wnte monad ma crossword puzzle, knowing how to insert the 'transcendental unity of apperception' into cocktail party chatter) the importance of your education cannot be too greatly emphasized and it goes far beyond being able to have an intelligent conversation with your husband's boss. One of the most important findings of recent research in educational effectiveness is that the factor which most influences a child's educational achievement is the attitude toward learning in the home and the educational level attained by the parents. Dennis J. Dugan of the U. S. Office of Education estimates that if we compute in dollars the amount of education a child receives from his mother the mother with eight years of education herself supplies her child ~ith $6:200 wort~ of ~ducation. The mother with a college education supplies her child with $17,100 worth of education! What more tangible reward could one possibly ask? . It is easy to ignore these tangible and intangible rewards of our liberal arts educati?n while pursuing the more mundane but necessary aspects ?f campus l_if~s1;1chas exams, papers, and balancing the budget and p~netals. But 1t 1s important, and I think refreshing, to stop for a f~w.mmutes to ponder why we are here as a college and why we as individuals choose to be here. There are reasons - good reasons. We should not lose sight of them. Sharon Schwarze
November 13, 1973
Campus Comments From the Dean. . .
Dr. Brown is in the process of coordinating a greater exchange program with the area colleges concerning the use of their libraries. T}lere is a possibility of having a single library card among the various colleges. About next semester's schedule ... There is a possibility of at least a half-hour break next semester. Course evaluations are important according to Middle States and also in regard to the Committee on Faculty Tenure. CCA voted to give the issue to SAC for further action. The possibility of a student lounge in the library is being looked into ... History Club. . The History Club has engaged Jessica Savitch to speak at Cabrini. Ms. Savitch is KYWTV's news reporter and anchorwoman. Ms. Savitch will speak on November 14, at 10:00 a.m. Language Carlos Baladron, a composer, will visit Cabrini College in Nov. 28, at 10 a.m. Mr . Baladron will interpret his own musical compositions in French Italian Spanish, and English. The recitai is sponsored by the Modern Language Department. Religion Sr. Marina Herrera of the Dominican Republic will be at Cabrini on Nov. 26. She will speak on he Church in Latin America. Sr. Walter Cizkac, author of God in Ru.ssia, will be here at Cabrini to lecture . The date has not yet been determined.
'Love and The Tennis Match' by MarybethSenkewicz Cabrini's version of the battle of the sexes was scheduled for October 25th at 3:30 p.m. at the tennis courts. It came off, but the battle appeared to be between a little twerp of an umpire and various members of the gallery, your humble reporter included. Dr. Romano and Laura Lee W esh staged a tennis match for the benefit of the Lawrence Sedler Memorial Scholarship Fund. This fund, named after a Philosophy teacher at Cabrini who died two years ago, awards a scholarship in the Spring to an incoming Junior or Senior who is a Philosophy major. It started out as a regular tennis match, but as I mentioned before, Mr. Satlow, posing as an umpire, began to diffuse the air with lucid comments on various unrelated subjects. One of the ballboys (or men, I should say), who shall remain nameless, persisted in polluting the air by puffing on a pipe throughout the match. But after a while the foghorn didn't bother anybody, and neither did the smoke, so everyone watched the tennis. The match was the best three-offive, with Ms. Wesh taking the first set more easily than the 6-4 score indicates. But the second set was rougher, going to a tiebreaker. Dr. Romano finally pulled it out, 7-6. By this time, it was getting dark, as well as fairly cold, so the deciding set was postponed to a later date.
November 13, 1973
LOQUITUR
························ Realizing that an editorial is an article in a newspaper written by the editors or under their direction, giving the opinion or attitude of the paper regarding some subject, I shall concern myself with the areas of education referred to in the editorial, "Are Grades Important?", which appeared in the October 23, 1973 edition of Loquitur. Readers of such an article are quick to assume that the editors have extensively researched the background information and are reacting with this research in mind. Expounding on an area about which one has limited background information can be dangerous . The possible results of such an article could have farreaching effects on the future of a program as well as the college, e.g., prospective students looking at Cabrini; possible employers considering education majors for teaching positions; teachers considering certification programs in evening school; present students considering education as a major; attitudes toward education by the total college community. A quote from the article read: "it is widely acknowledged that the requirements for a B.S. in Education are less stringent than any other major ." It was quite a shock to discover that so little value is placed on a B.S. in Education. Our education majors have more required courses than any other major. They are required to spend two full days per week in laboratory settings as teacheraides for three semesters previous to their student teaching experience. They are required to attain a 90% proficiency in a competency-based program in order to pass - ninety percent just to pass. Our education programs are constantly evaluated by teams from Harrisburg. These teams have accredited our programs year after year. During their last visit, they interviewed our Special Education majors and were favorably impressed . The team's comments were: "The majors were very well prepared, had excellent attitudes and gave constructive criticisms which showed forethought." Our "low" standards impressed Harrisburg. Maybe they aren't low , Inferences from the editorial seem to be aimed at the ideas of competencies and methods courses. Pennsylvania's teacher education programs are changing their formats to "competencybased" course work. Any change, in its infancy, will provide new problems and certainly the idea of cumulative averages will pose a difficulty. A program of this nature means that the student will be able to develop skills along with his/her factual knowledge . Functioning in a classroom filled with children will require a great deal more than just factual information . The majors will be able to function in different types of schools, e.g., open-spaced, nongraded, team teaching, as well as graded, structured settings. Education is constantly changing and we must prepare our teachers so they can function in the many settings offered. A competencybased program seems to offer us a vehicle by which we can accomplish this goal. Methods courses have been criticized for years, so the editors' inferences were not a surprise. My personal experiences have demonstrated that some negative comments are justified. Logic would require that individual to 0
Page
Letters To The Editors
judge each course on its own student be graded an A, B, C, D, or merits and not to say that "all" F for completing a skill? It's not are poor. fair for students outside of the May I refer the editors to the major to decide "how much following research findings: pressure" is being placed on (1) Tuner and Fattu (1961), Special Education majors. It's not "Skills in Teaching, Assessed on a question of which major places the Criterion of Problems Solving" more pressure on the student or a. teachers who have had a which major is made stringent in methods course perform better their requirements. The question than those who have had none; b. is which major is producing bachelor's degree graduates from students who are competent in teacher education programs per- their field? And Special Education is definitely a part of form significantly better than graduates in other areas, in- the answer. Beverly Dooley cluding liberal arts; c. teachers Deborah Martenz who have had teaching experience Mary Murphy perform significantly better than those without such experiences. (2) Chandler in Education and * * * the Teacher (1961) stresses the Letter to the editor: fallacy of the belief that an efIn the October 23, 1973 issue of fective teacher needs only a the Loquitor, some one person thorough knowledge of subject writing an editorial completely matter . destroyed the faces of many An article written as an Special Education majors. To say editorial and using the word "we" that Special Education majors signifies that all editors are have less pressure on them than equally responsible. Why , then, any other major, is by no means was Terry Cavanaugh given all the truth. But, I don't think anyone grief? should question whether this major is easier than another, but, Your editorial challenge was accepted by, rather are the people in their William B. Kuhns, major completely interested in B.S. Ed., M.Ed. that field? In other words, are the Assistant Professor of Education students in the major because of grades, or cums, or for what they * * * will do for the rest of their lives? Many people are very gradeTo the Editor: minded as is the person who wrote This is a rebuttal to the this editorial, but, isn't it about editorial entitled "Are Grades Imtime we get away from this screwy portant?" Not once throughout competition and start learning for the article were the words "Comour own benefit? To say that a petency Based Teacher Trainings" B.S . in Education is "less ever mentioned. Without the stringent" is only personal knowledge about this program an opinion. To many others, it is editorial sueµ as the one written more of a person who can go out in October 23rd's issue is in the world and teach. If you al'.e_ irrelevant. The opinions that were stressed in that article were ob- going to be a darn good teacher, it takes work. Anything does if you viously based on mere observation hope to achieve to your highest and heresay , not on fact. ability. Competency Based Teacher As for graduate school, I am Training (CBTT) is a relatively confident that if I achieve in my new method that makes it possible for an educational system to be courses, I will have just as much chance as any person with a 4.0 more open and more attentive to cum, maybe even more . When my the needs of both teachers and transcript goes out, they will see in students. This new program is the answer to many requests by front of them not grades, P's, or F's but, what I have learned and teachers for an adaptive, achieved through competencies. materials-based system for enhancing the professional skills of new As a matter of fact, if the person teachers in critical areas of had looked into the department, she would have heard about comcurriculum, instruction and petencies. And, if she would have evaluation . learned about competencies, she Cabrini College has been called could have realized that it is to a "pioneer" in the field of Special the benefit of the students. Education. Presently, three state schools are competency based in As for the comment about Special Education Clarion, dean's list, can you think of any other way to give merit to the kids Slippery Rock and Millersville. Cabrini is the only private school who have excelled? If they would in Pennsylvania to have a com- put it as all those who got P's petency based program in Special would make the dean's list, don't Education. Within the next five you think you'd be perturbed? If years most schools will be forced you have any suggestions take to change to competency based them to the dean, for she is always willing to listen to our opinions. programs in all majors, including Math, Biology and Elementary And, if you say the dean's list If anything, the Education. honors well-rounded students, Special Education program has then wouldn't you say that those raised the standards of Cabrini in specialized majors shouldn 't be College. eligible? No, you wouldn't, I'm As far as graduate work is con- sure. And, you can't say that a percerned, Cabrini Special Education son in History, Math , English, majors are at an advantage. An in- Sociology, or in any other major, creasing number of graduate is more rounded than a person programs are also based on majoring in Education. acquired skills rather than letter So, to the person who wrote this grades. They would more readily editorial, and all those put in the accept a student who can present dark by this article, I hope maybe them with a list of competencies before judging you would focus than having to assume just what a into things a little closer , and talk letter grade indicates. What is the to people who know what they are difference between an 89 or 90 ex- talking about. And, by the way, cept that one constitutes a B and don't we, the students of Cabrini the other an A? College, have better things to say Since the CBTT is made up of than this major is easier or harder than that one? Come on! competencies on skills, you either complete a skill or you don't. You Also, if anything, we should be either pass or fail. How can a praising Diane Kerr for making so
••••••••••••••••••••••••
many new adjustments that we can now say that at Cabrini College, the Special Education Department has been certified. Trish Corcoran
Editor's Notes: Regarding the comments on the Dean's List, yes, we would be "perturbed" if all those who got P's made the Dean's List. That was our point . With regard to who is well-rounded, we believe that a student who performs well outside his major as well as inside his major is wellrounded. The specialization of a major has nothing to do with how a student performs outside that major. Concerning education majors, they may be less wellrounded because their greater number of requirements gives them less of a chance to take courses in other fields.
* * * To the Editor: Amidst all the complaini ng, groaning, and dissatisfac tion that has come about latel y, there is one person that deserves a vote of confidence for the tremendous job she has been doing . At the first student meeting when the faculty and administration were not present, this person was commended and received a great hand of applause . She was not present to hear it, so I think she deserves to now . In one year, Dr. Dorothy Brown has done a superb job as Academic Dean. She has instituted programs with other schools that have complemented our Academic Program. She works very clo ely with the Academic Council in bringing about many favorable and needed changes. Besides all this, we often see her leave late at night, knowing that she has a family to care for when she goes home, and that she does an equally excellent job as a mother. Many students feel this way, and I think it is good to know that sometimes people say good things about each other. (unsigned)
* * *
To the Editor: After the last issue of the Loquitur came out, I suffered for a few days from a very bad case of indigestion. Needless to say, at every meal the editorial was discussed. The purpose of this comment is to do something different - support the editor. There is no reason why the editor had to be the topic of discussion every time she walked into the cafeteria. True, an editorial expresses the opinion of the editorial staff, but I think it is safe to say that in this case it is also the opinion of a part of the student body, which I might add is in the minority since the majority
are Education majors. Why wasn't this feeling brought out before? Quite possibly because an Education major might have been present, or because some may not want to be out of a roomate . But I have heard criticisms concerning the department, and often they ' have come from the mouths of Education majors. My intent is not to cut up anyone 's department, (I know the . feeling). And I do respect everyone else's opinion. But they gain that respect from the manner in whi~h · they voice their opinions. Cuttingdown a non-education major taking an Education course, or not giving an editor credit for her · other accomplishments because she wrote a controversial article does not, in my eyes, deem respect. Great changes have come from criticism and this is something everyone should acknowledge. The most damaging consequence that has come out of this is that it is causing conflict within our "community." Everyone could argue endlessly about which is the best department, but that would prove nothing . I think that maybe we are losing sight of this situation when it comes to letting personality judgments interfere . My compliments to the editors of Loquitur. At least they have the nerve to come out in the open and say what they think rather than whisper it among a few friends. I think they are doing a great job! Anna Tulli
SpecialEd (Continued from page I} Since Ms. Kerr said that it is possible that a student will be taking more than one Special Ed . course at a time, in a hypothetical situation where a student would take three Special Ed . courses and two "easy" ones, the possibility of
getting a 4.0 is great. Ms. Kerr contends that this will not occur. However, the possibility of segregating the Special Ed. students from the rest of the student body (in terms of cum) exists though nothing definite has been worked out yet. As far as advantages go - Ms. Kerr thinks that the competencybased work will force the teacher to be relevant. They will have to be able to relate extremely well to the students if the students are to develop their skills. In addition, more responsibility will be placed on the individual student. It will be up to him to take what he learns and complete the objectives satisfactorily. Finally, Ms. Kerr feels that the program, in general, has the potential to possibly influence other departments in the same direction.
LOQUITUR Editorial
Board ...................
Photography Circulation
a
Joanne Barbano , Terry Cavanaugh Connie Cesare
Editors .. . Ray Crew , Bonnie Adlestein Manager ................
Julie Cicatello
Staff .... .. ....... ... ..... . ...... Bonnie Adlestein Mary Lynn Carone, Lorraine Ostrowski, Michell~ Perna, Beth Schweitzer, Mary Beth Senkewicz Louis Zaccagni , Ray Crew, Carol Mele '
Page 4
November 13, 1973
LOQUITUR
Give Peace A Chance
·Situation Wanted Job Opportunities Placement Service
by Michelle Perna
by Carol Mele "engineering, accounting, sales, Must deciding upon a career, and management training." "It and landing the right job be two of does not," continued Mr. Corthe most formidable tasks the uncoran, "help special interests," dergraduate faces nowadays? For whereas the CDC "must be responthe Cabrini student, affiliation sive to the kid who wants to work with Villanova University's career in a museum, and the kid who counseling service Illay well wants to be a Maryknoll provide the answer to this missionary or a rabbi." question . In a letter to the editor of the The headquarters of Villanova's "Villanovan" (December 7, 1972) service, located in the basement of Mr . Corcoran states, "We acSheehan Hall, already houses incumulate information on specific formation pertaining to countless jobs, on different employers, on additional questions about career related opportunities. The answers various- - occupational fields, on how to select a field, on how to range from 'how to compose a organize one's own job finding cover letter' to "Career ideas for liberal artists." A sampling of campaign . We gather material on employment trends, on salaries, on other categories of available ingraduate education, even on how formation include "History of work and 'the work - ethic'," --to -run -a family budget, because all related to the question of how to "Salary statistics," "Employment sustain and fulfill oneself . And we statistics and prospects," "Peradminister the on-campus insonal and family budget tips," terviewing program, which "Information on career consometimes leads to jobs but more ferences," in addition to "Direcoften is an educational extories of graduate schools, by perience." The next paragraph major, Directories of employers, states, "We do these things to Directories of employment agenfacilitate the student's careercies ... and Directories of directories." Thus, in the words of choosing and his job-finding but Joseph P. Corcoran, director of we do not 'get him a position'." In addition to the above stated the Career Development Center, services, the Career Development "We're a resource center," characCenter also issues a monthly teristically concerned with newsletter, publishing current "anything vocational." According to Mr . Corcoran, ser- trends and the latest developments and events in the world of careers vices such as Villanova's CDC are and career opportunity programs. commonly typed as campusThe Career Development Center affiliated employment agencies. at Villanova was a topic of "We're more than that," relates discussion at the last deans Mr. Gorcoran about CDC meeting between Fr. Breslin, operations . The services rendered to lower-classmen as well as upper-classmen are for the most part "information and advice," "much empathy," and "good coffee." Yet , a prime attraction for undergraduates remains to be the campus interviewing program with prospective employers. According to Mr. Corcoran, the employers who participate in the program are "typically large firms "What do you want to be when who need a lot of the same kind of you grow up?" Uncle George and person," usually in the areas of, Aunt Tulli always asked that question, and most kids answered with the dream they had dreamed the night before . As time passes, the question comes up more often and answers are more concrete. Finally, the college senior is faced with the harsh reality that jobhunting is not "the stuff that dreams are made of." Participants in a recent "Career Forum," sponsored by the Social Science Department, brought some dreams down to earth in answering the question, "Where do I go from here?" R. J . Carroll, President of R. J . Carroll Associates, Frank Bernhardt, of Bernhardt and Haughy Employment Service, and Ken Ohlenger of the Philadelphia Bulletin all agreed that the basic requirement for job-hunters is the desire to get a job. If motivation is there, the difficult job of selling yourself may become a means toward a desired end rather than a jaunt through the halls of Pressure and Anxiety. After you are sure that you want a job , the next logical step is to look for one. One must attend to several basic details when jobsearching. The resume, which includes personal and educational data, is a standard part of any job application . Mr . Bernhardt ' recommends inclusion of a list of · hobbies in a resume, since your interest in hummingbirds or German tanks might pertain to an
Academic Dean of Villanova University, and Dr. Dorothy Brown, Cabrini College's Vicepresident for Academic Affairs. The outcome of the meeting is that Fr. Breslin has agreed that the services of the CDC be available to Cabrini students. A few particulars have yet to be determined: first, what percentage of Cabrini students the CDC would be able to accommodate (Dr . Brown feels that this percentage would probably be limited to seniors and juniors); second, which of the various services offered by the CDC would be available to Cabrini students (although according to Dr. Brown, Cabrini students will have access in some degree to the oncampus interviewing program); third, the fee per student that Cabrini College will exchange for CDC services has yet to. be stipulated. At the same meeting between Fr . Breslin and Dr. Brown was also discussed a proposal which had been submitted by Cabrini's head librarian, Mrs. Carolyn Gough. The proposal is that Cabrini students have freer access to Villanova's Library. Dr . . Brown mentioned, for example, that perhaps a letter would entitle a Cabrini senior or junior to a library card, good for one year. According to Dr. Brown, Fr. Breslin is in favor of the proposal, and it is presently being cleared through the proper channels at Villanova.
Senior Awarded
Scholarship by Connie Cesare In the hum-drum existence of every day living, once in a while something unexpected comes along to surprise us. Recently , something unexpected happened to Sue Mager. Sue has been awarded the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation scholarship for 1973-74. Each year a $1000 · scholarship is awarded to an upperclassman who is in financial need. Miss Roddy submitted her name to Mr . Satlow for consideration for the scholarship and a few weeks ago she was informed that she had received the annual award. Sue, who is a Senior majoring in Biology, was very surprised to hear that she had been awarded the scholarship. Needless to say she was also very pleased
Where There's A Will There's A Way
CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT OPENHOUSE Chemistry Dept. Office
TUESDAY, NOV.13 3:00 P.M. ALL
INVITED
by Lorraine Ostrowski open company position. It's also necessary to be prepared to fill out the allimportant job application . Make sure to have all required information, such as your name, your phone number, etc., on hand for reference in case you suffer a nervous "freeze." Before going for an actual job interview, do some research on the company . Know its basic function and be familiar with job titles. Talk to Jane and John Graduate, Class of '69. They might be doing work that interests you and it doesn't hurt to drop a few names during an interview. Dress as you might have dressed for Easter Sunday five years ago. As Mr. Bernhardt said, others in the office might be wearing casual clothes, but they already have the job! Be open-minded! Know what you would eventually like to do, but don't be title-conscious. Be willing to start at the bottom, but make sure there is a definite chance for promotion. According to Mr. Carroll, most companies take an overall view of employees at promotion time; therefore, a secretary who knows her boss's job may have it tomorrow. The objective is to get into a company, for once you're there, your chances for advancement improve. Now all this information makes sense if you know where your interests lie. But what if you don't? R. J . Carroll Associates, Inc. offers "a series of tests which are
used to determine your personality profile, intelligence and reasoning capacities, communicative skills and vocational preferences." Test results are reviewed with the individual and a report is available to give to potential employers. Also recommended is the Encyclopedia of Career and Vocational Guidance. This book could be renamed, Everything You. Always Wanted to Know About Careers but Didn't Know Who to Ask. The basic idea in searching for a career then, is to get to know yourself and believe in the future . Mr. Ohlenger, who writes the column "You and Your Job" for the Bulletin recommends "tempering idealism with judgment." He recommends watching the flexibility of the job market and remaining flexible with it. Take the Civil Service Test and the Federal Service Entrance Exam for training level positions in government . Don't be afraid to change your field if you find yourself in an undesirable rut. Keep on plugging! May and June are the worst times to apply for jobs; thousands of other college graduates are doing the same thing. But do apply! At least your name will be in the files. Mr. Carter Craigie followed up his initial application at Cabrini with a dozen phone calls. Mr. Carroll's final suggestion was to have a credited course in every college called, "Where Do I Go From Here?"
"The serious study of peace by the young people might give heart failure to the munition makers. There is no evidence that the political leaders of the world will be able to make peace. It might be worth seeing what youth might do, but first youth mu.st study." (Dr. Neille Shoemakee, Chainnan of Humanities Diuiswn and Director of Humanities Institute at Baldwin f]allace College) This spring semester Cabrini · College's Religion Department will be giving students the opportunity to study PEACE. "Imperatives for Peace in a Nuclear Age" is the title of the new, three credit course being offered. The · course will be offered on an interdisciplinary basis in which peace will be examined from six different vantage points. Political Science, Literature , Economi cs, Psychology , Anthro pology , and Religious Studies. A combination of interested Cabrini Faculty plus members of SANE (a people's organization for world peace) will be involved in demonstrating positive possibilities for peace. Faculty members involved from Cabrini College will be Mr . Jerome Zurek (Literature), Ms . Suzanne Toton Zurek (Religious Studies) , and Mr. James Hed tke (Political Science). The course will be scheduled for Thursday night from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Although the course will be coordinated by Ms. Zurek of Cabrini's Religion Department it cannot be used as a religion requirement . Why a Course in Peace? When asked why such a course should be offered at Cabrini or anywhere , Mr. Zurek explained that the world needs to have leaders with imagination; people who can believe there can be peace instead of believing that war is inevitable . Mr. Zurek feels that this course will be extremely beneficial to Cabrini's Education majors because they will be the future teachers. If they can see peace as a necessity then they will be able to instill in the children they instruct the idea to see peace as a positive and necessary factor. Mr . Zurek feels such ideas of peace should begin as early as kindergarten in order to ~ effective . Through "Imperatives for Pea ce in a Nuclear Age" Mr. Zurek hopes the student will grasp a better understanding of Peace and "a firm and intelligent conviction that peace is possible."
SGA (Continued from page 1) the president," already exists as a _ representative of all segments of the campus community, the logical solution to SGA's problem would be the opportunity to have its views not only expressed but also counted in any decisions . Some restructuring of CCA may have to occur in order to insure representation of all parts of the community, for as CCA stands now, no member of Council is designated as representing an exact group of people. This is a problem that would have to be worked out before such a proposal could be implemented. The final conclusion reached by all three gentlemen was that a college degree is a valuable thing and it's up to the individual to find out what to do with it. Happy hunting!