Pcge Four
Collegian Offers Mini-Research
Comparison of Young and
This column inaugurates an
attempt to make known to the
population at Behrend College
and Behrend Collegian readers
elsewhere, results of mini
research projects done primarily
by students in sociology courses.
In ' our role as sociology
professors we have encouraged
talented students whose interests
are in the social and behavioral
sciences to delve into the lesser
known frontiers of human
behavior - at least to the students
themselves. Student curiosity
sometimes leads to manifest
training in scientific inquiry while
students are in the process of
investigating common 'beliefs'
and tearsays' that remain to be
proven objectively.
The college professor who
assigns term papers may have
observed that the topics dealt
with in student research papers
are quite often monotonously
popular. But some of these
familiar topics sometimes .
emerge interestingly extra
ordinary, depending upon what
angle they are viewed by the
students. What might appear as
an accepted fact usually turns out
to be a fallacy when tested
through scientific methods of
social research.
The first student researches
that will be presented here are
those prepared for a course in
Methodology of Sociology (Soc. 7)
we taught (Soc. Dept) last fall
term. The object is not so much to
repeat what the students wrote in
their papers but to extract the
most interesting, and hopefully
relevant, findings that the
students discovered. The
statistical treatment here may
not even be recognized by the
student authors because we aim
to translate the findings into
journalistic language and com
municate those results to the
average newspaper reader.
One of the best papers in the
course was presented by Diane
Harris (4th term, Sociology),
R.D. 7, Depot Road, Erie, Pa.
Her research objective was to
measure attitudes of people
toward couples living together
without the benefit of a marriage
ceremony. She hypothesized that
the less mature individuals would
tend toward liberalism, that is,
they would approve of couples
living together without legal ties,
and that the more mature in
dividuals would tend to be con
servative, i.e. they would favor
the traditional legal marriage.
It may be quite upsetting to the
student reader that she equated
the less mature with full-time
students who are 'young and
inexperienced' and the more
mature with employed workers
who are 'self-supporting and
experienced'. She therefore in
terviewed a nonprobability
sample of 50 Behrend students
and 50 workers employed at a
hospital equipment manufac
turing corporation and at an in
surance company. Conservatism
and liberalism scores were
obtained from weighted
responses to fourteen questions
pertaining to such issues as the
purpose of marriage, marriage
ceremonies, abandonment, trial
marriage, coed dorms with open
visitations, unmarried college
students of the opposite sex living
together off-campus, unmarried
pregnant women, divor-women
living with their boyfriends,
political candidates with com
mon-law wives, illegitimacy, etc.
In general, 56 per cent of her
respondents approved of couples
living together. However, when
See an Osborne Play
The play that game the name
to the English "Angry Young
Man" movement.
G.S. Fraser says of "Look Back
in Anger" in his "The Modern
Writer and His World", the first
night...at the Royal Court...was
one of the great occasions in
contemporary English theatrical
history."
Chartered bus leaves the Reed
Parking Lot at 11 a.m. and
returns to the Reed lot at ap
students and workers were
separated and compared, 70 per
cent of the students approved of
couples living together and only
42 per cent of the workers ap
proved of the arrangement.
(Table 1).
Table 1
Per Cent Favoring Couples
Living Together Without Legal
Marriage by Sex
Students
Workers
70 per cent (50)
42 per cent (50)
68 per cent (25) 72 per cent (25)
36 per cent (25) 48 per cent (25)
Numbers in parentheses are
totals on which percentages were
based. Through chi-square
analysis, this difference between
the two groups turned out to be
statistically significant at the
probability level of .01. This
means that less than one time in a
hundred could she have drawn a
sample in a population of 100
cases and obtained a chi square
value derived from the difference
if there was no relationship
between maturity and attitude
towards couples living together
without legal marriage. In other
words, students tend to be liberal
with regards to this matter and
workers tend to be conservative.
Or, expressed in another way,
students tend to be more liberal
than workers who are already
regularly employed in the labor
market.
But perhaps other factors are
involved in the relationship
between maturity and attitude
towards couples living together.
Thus, sex was utilized as a
control variable, and when
stratified into male and female,
the relationship remained, that
is, more students than workers
approved of couples living
together without legal marriage.
While the differences between the
males and females in both groups
were not statistically significant,
it might be of interest to the
readers that female respondents
were generally more favorable to
the arrangement that the males,
indicating perhaps a slightly
more liberal attitude among
women than men, what with
women's liberation and all that ! !
There were three times as many
women workers than men
workers who were in favor of
unmarried couples living
together. These findings could
have been pursued further by
controlling for marital status,
because particularly among
workers, there is a possibility
that there were more single
women than single men in the
study sample.
However, saying that it is quite
all right for unmarried couples to
live together is different from
doing it for oneself. Table 2 in
dicates that while 70 per cent of
the students approved of couples
living together, only 40 per cent of
them would do it themselves.
Similarly, only 22 per cent of the
workers would do it themselves
when 42 per cent of them ap
proved of the arrangement.
Table 2
Per Cent Favoring Unmarried
Couples Living Together Com
pared with Per Cent Favoring
Actually Living Together with
Someone of the Opposite Sex
without Legal Marriage
For Others
70 per
42 per
For Self
Students
Workers
Students
Workers
40 per
22 per
proximately 8:30 p.m. There will
be time after the performance to
enjoy. dinner in Cleveland. A
ticket and round-trip tran
sportation costs $5.50 per person,
if we fill a bus with 41 people.
Everyone is welcome. If you
would like to see "Look Back in
Anger" on January 20, complete
the form below and place it in the
Studio mailbox. Please respond
soon so that definite
arrangements can be made.
Experienced
Numbers in parentheses are
totals on which percentages were
based.
Thus, while people are liberal
in a general way, Diane
Harris concluded, they are more
conservative in personal matters.
Translated in the words of a
layman, this may sound like
this: "If unmarried couples want
to live together-let them. It might
be good for them, but not for me."
Diane also deduced from her data
that people are not rigid in their
attitudes towards the actions of
others. Viewed in terms of
American society, this freedom
of action may parallel the
common expression, "Mind your
own business." However, for
those who still value marriage
and other traditional and well
accepted norms and morals,
results of this research will in
dicate that familial relationships
among individuals will continue
to be strong in their personal
decisions, regarldess of what
`most people' say. In other words,
the family will probably persist
as a social institution, in spite of
some authorities warnings that
the family might become extinct
due to the many alternatives to
marriage available in con
temporary society.
Female
Scholarship
Being Offered
The Erie Engineering Societies
Council will again, this year,
award a scholarship of ap
proximately $5OO to an out
standing student of one of the Erie
area colleges.
The following general criteria
will be considered in awarding
the scholarship:
1. Academic standing as well as
personal financial need;
2. Students studying
engineering, physics, math, or
chemistry preferred, although
those pursuing other scientific
curricular would be considered;
3. Candidates should
preferably be in the final two
years of their undergraduate
programs.
If you know of any student who
qualifies, will you please notify
the student and tell him or her to
obtain an application from the
Office of Student Affairs. Com
pleted applications must be
returned to the Office of Student
Affairs by December 17.
Name
Address
Phone
No. of People
t : ot
e‘‘e,izza v, tko ttrie twe l t ,
Bo Erinstw g
da
Lanes'. Frozen
Fresh Lunch Meats
Soft Beverages Ice 4110 Buffalo Road
Ice Cream Drugs .
Open Bowling
Open 9 a.m. to Mon. Thru Fri.
10 p.m. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
7 Days A Week . Tues. evening
900p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Station & Nagle Rd. Ph. 899-9855
Beh rend Collegian
Students Take Note
Each term, scores of
Behrend students experience
problems with their
academic record. These
problems could easily be
avoided by the students filing
the proper form before the
stated deadlines.
Some of the most usual
problems encountered by
Behrend students are
discussed below.
REQUESTING- A
COURSE TO REMOVE A
"D" OR "F" GRADE
From your cumulative
average (M-36 rule) this can
be done by completing a
course Repeat Request form
before the end of the 21 day
drop period. A $3 fee is
charged.
IF YOU CANNOT
COMPLETE THE TERM
Contact the Office of
Student Affairs in the Main
Building to process any
official withdrawal form.
Failure to do this will result
in your receiving 'F' grades
in all subjects and cause
problems with your later
re-admission or transfer to
another school. Also, up until
the Bth week of the term, you
are entitled to a REFUND of
a portion of your tuition if
you withdraw from classes.
IF YOU CANNOT
COMPLETE A COURSE.
You should process a
Change of Schedule (drop
add) form. You have 21
calendar days (not class
meetings) from the start of
the term to do this. Failure
to process the official form
will result in an 'F' grade for
the course and a loss of any
tuition refund.
After the deadline, the
revised J-2 rule applies. In
accordance with the rule,
drops will not be processed
after the deadline. Students
may petition in writing to the
Senate Committee on
academic standards to drop
a course after the deadline.
IF YOU SHOULD BE
TRANSFERRING TO
UNIVERSITY PARK NEXT
TERM
You should check with
your advisor to learn when
students in your particular
major may transfer (usually
after your 6th term). During
the first 10 days of the term
December 13, 1973
preceding the one in which
you wish to transfer, you
should process a Change of
Assignment Request Form.
If you will need housing in
the residence halls, secure
the housing application at
this time. A pre-registration
form should be completed
with your advisor's
assistance by the 21st day of
the term.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Anew procedure permits a
student to request a leave of
absence for 1-4 terms. At the
specified time, the student
may return to his program of
study without going through
re-admission procedure.
There is a special form for
requesting a leave of ab
sence. This may be
processed any time during
the last term being com
pleted before the leave of
absence commences.
IF YOU TAKE A COURSE
ON A PASS—FAIL BASIS
You should process a Pass-
Fail form by the end of the
21st day of the term. It is
important to be aware that
once the form is processed, it
cannot be cancelled or
changed to permit a letter
grade to be assigned.
Sometimes students take a
course on Pass-Fail basis
only to find they would be
earning an 'A' or S' grade, it
then must stand as Pass-
Fail.
IF YOU WANT TO
CHANGE YOUR MAJOR
You should see the Dean's
Representative for the
college of the new major you
desire. Take along a copy of
your academic record to
assist the Dean's
Representative in counseling
you. A copy of your record
may be obtained in the
Academic Affairs Office.
(Main Building).
DEADLINES
December 17—Monday.
Last day to register late.
Last day to add a course.
Last day to change campus
assignment.
January 11—Friday. Last
day to drop a course. Last
day to file courses repeat
form. Last day to file Pass-
Fail fi Last d, -,,, tc
JRC Sponsors
Dinner Dance
Saturday
$2.50 per person
Tickets at RUB
Desk
C.J.
DUSCKAS
FUNERAL. HOME
2607 Buffalo Rd.
899-2812
"...Se've•a9 ste'e
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