The Vista October 12, 1982

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91r1FICIE "Niir IS T1411. October 12, 1982

Vol. 81,

No. 13

Central State University, Edmond, Oklahoma

Democratic candidate campaigns on campus By Charles Gaylor Capitol Bureau Reporter

Saying that his Republican opponent represents special interest groups and the political far right, Dan Lane, Democratic challanger for Mickey Edwards' Fifth Disctrict congressional seat, passed out campaign literature and talked with students Thursday in front of the University Center. In an interview with The Vista, Lane said that Edwards, has failed to represent the needs of the Fifth District. "He just doesn't seem to work for the people of the district, he seems most interested in promoting the ideas of the far right," Lane said Thursday afternoon. Edwards is the chairman of the American Political Union, a group that supports the abolition of federal aid to the country's colleges and universities, according to Lane. "I think that investing in the future of the kids is very important," Lane said, adding "I was talking to some people at Langston (University) the other day and they said that almost 90 percent of the students there receive some type of aid for going to school. They also said that if this money was cut, they could probably keep the university opened but didn't think that there would be many students attending." Lane also said that the incumbent Edwards has received honorariums from the group while serving as its chairman. This claim he says, is backed by Edwards' own financial disclosures. An Oklahoma City area physcian, Lane said that he also has many business experiences that will help him in Congress. He has been involved in ranching and real estate and the oil and gas industries as well. According to Lane, these business dealings give him insight to the needs of the Fifth District constituents. He disagrees sharply with Reaganomics, saying that the current Administration's policies have left many confused. "They (President Ronald Reagan and his advisors) came into office saying that they were knowledgable of business matters, but their policies have confused the people," Lane stated. Lane said that instead of help-

ing to revitalize the economy, the policies have not helped. "We need to recognize that some of industries can't be rebuilt," he said, "and that is the main philosophy of Reagonomics." Lane said that he feels one of the ways to turn the economy around is to peg interest rates. That is, to set a fixed rate of interest charges on money loaned to banks. "It was done that way (the fixed rate) until 1979, when the Federal Reserve Board allowed the interest rate be determined by the amount of available money," he said, noting that since that time the interest rate has climbed. Many knowledgable people feel that the amount of available money can not be accurately determined he added. Lane also said that some type of fixed foreign exchange rate is necessary, noting that the world money market is tight also. "We also need to recognize that we are becoming a service based economy and that the need for capitalization is not there any more," he said, commenting on Reagan's big business philosophies. Lane faces Edwards in the Nov. 2 general election.

Vista photo by Craig Clark

Getting limbered up—

Participants in the Forum on Youth Fitness workshop held Thursday, warm up before taking part in the day's activities. The workshop which was presented by the American College of Sports Medicine, the national YMCA and Post Cereals, was held in Broncho Field House and Wantland Hall. Educators, students and others state-wide attended the workshop, in addition to Bob Griese, former Miami Dolphin quarterback, who gave a presentation.

Individual grading philosophies

GPA's may inflate with different policies By Mike Sherman Staff Writer

The inflation of students' grades, a nation-wide dilemma, has hit CSU, according to Faculty Senate President Anne Lynch. A study published in the September issue of the Faculty Senate Report, shows a significant rise in undergraduate grades from 1967 to the end of the 1981 fall semester. The study, which Lynch cornpiled, showed a rise in grades given in the fall semester from a 2.38 grade point average in 1967 to 2.74 in 1981, while spring marks rose from 2.43 to 2.72. Although the findings for the 1981 spring semester showed a significant drop in grades, Lynch

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explained that it was impossible to determine that the trend had leveled off with just one semester of data. "The university releases information concerning grades each semester," said Lynch, "but no one ever linked them together to see if there was a trend. I would have to say that the fall grades are generally lower than the spring due to the incoming freshman. But the real inflation action is the drop in the use of the "C" as a grade and the over-use of the "A". One spring, the "A" was the most used grade." This transpired while there have been small declines in the frequency of assigning the "D" and "F" grades and during a nation-wide trend toward less well-prepared high school graduates. Although there have been many explanations for the dilemma, Lynch pointed to the individual grading policies of professors and universities which have trouble keeping grades up as the main sources of the problem. "We (the faculty) aren't showing them what they have really accomplished by inflating the grades," said Lynch. "There have been disagreements among the

faculty members and the university concerning grading philosophies, but the faculty has always felt that they should their own grading system." Lynch suggested that the alteration of testing procedures and questions might remedy rising grades. "Instructors are going to have to change exams," she said. "They can still ask multiplechoice questions, but maybe some harder multiple-choice questions are needed." As far as enrollment's effect on grades, Lynch insists that teachers are victims of a "numbers game." "Again the faculty makes their own grading policies, but when enrollment goes down," Lynch said, "there is pressure on the faculty to retain students. They can do this by giving good grades.

that they are given the false im-

pression that they are prepared for the job market. "If a teaching student who has been earning A's and B's through college takes the test for his or her teaching certificate a fails, there is going to be a backlash," explained Lynch. "It is going to put us (the instructors) on the spot and then we will have to be honest with ourselves about our grading philosophies."

"We are funded by the `numbers game'. It boils down to the fact that the university has a vested interest in the grades students get because the higher grades we give, the more successful we can look. This will interest more students in the university." By giving the students grades they have not earned, Lynch said,

Anne Lynch


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