MARCH 14, 197-5.
New Ed
Takes
University Park, Pa.,---
Jerry Schwartz knows he
has some pretty big shoes to
fill as editor of The Daily
Collegian, student
newspaper at The Penn
sylvania State University.
And it makes little dif
ference that they happen to
be ladies' shoes.
Schwartz, you see, is the
first male editor of the
Collegian in three years.
"That really is in
consequential as far as I'm
concerned," he said in
discussing his approach to
the role of editor. "It really
doesn't matter one way or
the other. Of course, we've
been' joking a lot about it at
the paper."
A sophomore journalism
major, Schwartz, of Willow
Grove, has been a member
of the Collegian staff since
his first term at University
Park. He was a police and
administration reporter and
now, hopefully most Penn
Staters know what PennPIRG
is, how it operates and what it
-Questions Supplements SAT a can p d u o b . l But c i t n o t f e u r
e l I
s y t u n ß d e e s r e s a ta r
h d
Group, to realize just how
much potential it really has,
you must see it work—from a
problem to be researched to a
solumri that benefits
everyone. Too much of the
energies of PennPIRG would
be devoted to pubikizing and
selling itself to the students,
and not to important research.
You must let PennPIRG prove
itself with action, not words .
But the voluntary check-off
plan "forces students to decide
whether or not they want to
support the plan before they
have the information to make
an intelligent decision. It puts
incoming freshmen...in a
particularly bad position",
("Action for a Change, Ralph'
Nader and Donald Ross).
For these reasons, the
voluntary check-off plan has
not proved to be the best
funding mechanism for PIRGs
The refundable fee mechanism
has. The PIRGs on 135 college
campuses in 21 other states use
this method. It is the most
hassle-free for the ad
ministration. If a voluntary
check-off plan were used, each
tuition bill would have to be
computed separately, i.e.,
some should have $2 tacked on
and some would not. But with
the refundable fee system, the
$2 fee is tacked on to all bills.
The administrative burden
(connected with the refunding)
is placed on PennPIRG, where
it belongs. The refundable fee
mechanism of the PIRG, is
based on the democratic idea
of majority rule with protec
tion of the rights of the
minority. This country is based
on this same principle. If the
majority of students say that
they want PennPIRG to be
established, then it should be,
as long as the rights of those
who do not want it are
protected. And they are by the
fact that the fee is refundable.
Those who say that they
believe in a democracy but do
not believe in the PIRG
refundable fee mechanism are
being inconsistent.
The mechanics of a refun
dable fee are quite simple: $2
is tacked on to your tuition bill
each term. If you don't wish to
participate, you are entitled to
a full refUnd during the first
three weeks of the term. The
Minnesota PIRG uses three
different ways to obtain the
refund: a table in the student
union building, a table at
registration which every
Clemson, S.C.- (1.P.) - A
Clemson University
professor has devised a
game of "Twenty
Questions" with a serious
purpose. Bernard Caffrey,
the head of Clemson's
psychology department,
selected 20 questions from
the California Personality
Inventory (CPI) to form a
five-minute test that rivals
the four-hour Scholastic
Aptitude Test (SAT) in
predicting the grades
students will attain in
college.
Unlike the SAT, which
measures aptitude, the CPI
exam measures motivation.
Caffrey says that with
average SAT scores
declining and average grade
point ratios (GPRs) clim
bing, that SAT is no longer
as accurate in predicting
performance as it was 10 or
15 years ago.
He doesn't expect his test
to replace the SAT. He sees
it as a useful supplement to
the SAT in determining
which students have the best
chances of success in higher
education. Caffrey notes
that the SAT has come
under fire from some
educators who claim that it
VENDORVILLE
HOURS
Monday - Thursday
7:15 A.M. - 7:30 P.M.
Grill open until 7:30 P.M
7:15 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.
Grill open until 2:30 •
Nave
A
Night
Class?
STOP DOWN IN VEN
DORVILLE AND GET A
REAL CUP OF COFFEE
BEFORE CLASS. THESE
NEW EXTENDED HOURS
DEPEND ON YOUR CON
TINUED PATRONAGE.
Housing and Food Service
itor
Colleg
an Helm
served as copy editor and
news editor during the past
two terms. His one-year
tenure as editor begins with
the opening of the Spring
Term on Mar. 9.
"There's no question that
being editor of the Collegian
is a very, very tough job,"
he said. "The editor
supervises an organization
of about 100 persons who
work every day to put out a
paper. It's no small en
terprise."
Schwartz sees tuition as
the biggest issue concerning
students in the coming year.
"This is a hard time
financially for everyone,"
he noted, "and in the past
few years there have been
tuition increases. As tuition
goes up, fewer students can
afford, college. I hve the
Collegian can lead the way
in trying to find some an
swers to the problem."
has an ethnic-cultural bias
against some portions of the
population.
His theory is that the test
he devised avoids that
problem. "Another step
would be to have a colleague
at another institution try to
repeat the test results to add
more validity".
So far two groups of
students have been tested.
Results indicate the
sophisticated game of 20
questions is slightly less
accurate than the SAT in
predicting college grades.
The standard error of
estimate in predicting grade
point ratios by SAT alone
was .540. That is, 68 per cent
of the students was a
predicted GPR of 3.0 would
wind up with a GPR bet
ween 2.46 and 3.54.
The standard error of
estimate for the CPI items
alone was .563 for a sam
pling of 66 juniors and
seniors and .568 for 110
sophomores through
seniors. Caffrey is un
decided about politicking to
have the registrar require
applicants for enrollment to
take the test. "In the
scientific world you hate to
go out on a limb".
Capitol
'First'
Art
Display
A "first" in art exhibits
will be held at Penn State-
Capitol Campus featuring
works owned by faculty,
staff and students. The show
is on display from Monday,
March 10 through Friday,
March 21 in the Gallery-
Lounge at the University
Maxine Lewis, exhibit
coordinator, stated that the
art committee "hopes to
attract a display of the
highest quality, from the
2700 members of the Penn
State-Capitol Campus
communit ."
C. C. READER'
Cohabitation
Is Penn PIRG Marriage
Really A Rip-off? Are
student must pass, and aContradiction
postpaid card sent along with Salt Lake City, Utah-(1.P.)-
the tuition bill, which students Living together to see if two
who don't want to participate persons are suited -for
can send in and get a refund by marriage is "a con
mail. Several of these methods
tradiction of terms," ac
involve no hassle whatsoever
cording to a University of
to those who desire a refund. It
can't be said that you are being Utah social work professor.
penalized for being in the Veron G. Smith, director of
minority because you have to the Marriage and Family
go out of your way to get a Counseling Bureau, says
refund. "practicing marriage
There always will be the without a license" is
hard-core though, who will still relationship without corn
say that they like the PIRG mitment. "The substance of
idea but do not like the funding marriage", he says, "is the
mechanism. They should sign commitment that a husband
the petition. They can always and wife make to work out
get their money back if they problems together."
choose not to support it. If you The bureau is a training
are one of these and you like
arm of the Graduate School
the idea, you should not keep
others who do want Penn PIRG of Social Work which also
from having it. If PennPIRG provides counseling to
does get established, even students, staff and faculty.
those who do not fund it will Services cover individual,
benefit from its work. So you premarital, marital, family
are cheating yourself from and divorce counseling.
PennPlßG's benefits if you In the non-marital
don't sign. relationship, two persons
can simply part if problems
arise. "There is no test of
the individuals if there is no
commitment," say Smith, a
recognized national
authority in marriage
counseling.
"However, we do offer
counseling to unmarried
couples as well, but in
terestingly enough, their
most common complaints
are the same as those of
most married couples/ .
Smith says.
KYRA GOIDICH
Bth-general arts and sciences
Within the past several
weeks, in the library and in the
Lion's Den, in apartments and
in dorms, Penn State students
seem to have increased their
vocabulary by one word:
PennPIRG. There seems to be
very few who do not
wholeheartedly support the
concept: a group of students
and professionals working
together on many of today's
most pressing problems. But
the big hang-up seems to be the
funding mechanism. Some
have even gone so far as to call
PennPIRG a "rip-off". But can
that statement really be
justified?
Everyone who doesn't like
the proposed plan usually has
one of their own to offer. Of the
number of alternatives
suggested, the voluntary
checkoff seems to be the most
popular. But this plan has been
proven to be not feasible. By
Finally, there are the seniors
who say that they do not want
to sign because they will not be
here next year and they do not
want to determine how in
coming freshmen should spend
their money. If seniors do not
sign, and PennPIRG is not
established, .the freshmen who
do not want PennPIRG will be
satisfied, but what about the
freshmen who do? But if
seniors do sign, and PennPIRG
i-...,comes a reality, both groups
of freshmen will be satisfied.
Those who want PennPIRG
will have it, a.--' +hose who
don't can get a refund. So
again, if you seniors like the
PIRG idea, sign the petition.
If you've already signed,
you've already dgne your part
to help PennPIRG become a
reality. If not, consider what's
been said and think it over
again. Support PennPIRG. It's
the best $2 bargain around.
Reprinted from Feb. 22 issue
of the Daily Collegian.
TRIANGLE
PAGE
"Some people consider
marriage a threat to in
dividual freedom," says Dr.
Dean H. Hepworth,
professor of social work and
a member of the bureau
counseling staff. "Of course,
marriage needn't -- and
shouldn't -- reduce a per
son's individuality. The
basis of marriage is having
two persons learn to grow
together, and most in
dividuals work this out to
their own satisfaction:'
ee.J.s.