New Grading Scale in Effect By Jan Travers A new plus/minus grading system for undergraduate students is in effect at Penn State University, effective this semester. The system, according to Robert Graham, associate provost and associate dean, was adopted after student groups, particularly at University Park, campaigned for it over the past few years. According to Carol Cartwright, dean for undergraduate programs and vice provost of the university, students initated further interest in the plus/minus system after it was voted down by the University Senate. The University Senate has representatives from all the Commonwealth Campuses, as well as University Park, according to their populations. Intercom, an internal university publication, said in its September 24, 1987 issue the grading change was adopted in April, 1985 along with a plan to implement it in 1987. Graham, who said he is personally opposed to the system, sees no substantial changes. "The system is a guideline. How an instructor uses them [guidelines] is up to him or her." Funds for Club Activities Allocated by Finance Committee By Bernie Mixon So far this semester there have been many fun club-sponsored activities such as the pajama party sponsored by SUBOG. Has it occurred to you where the money has come from to fund these activities? Ronda Graby, SGA treasurer and chairperson for the finance committee provided some insight recently on where the money originates. The SGA has in its possession a general FAA (Funds Available for Allocation) account. Within this account lies the University Park approriations to be disbursed among all the various clubs on campus. These funds are sent in two separate disbursements. Also, throughout the year the SGA receives monies from parking tickets and vending machines. The FAA account also includes carried over monies from the previous year. The finance committee, which is made up of Graby, Mike McClure, Nick Roslevege and Luke Hess determines how much of an allocation is to be made to the various clubs. The guidelines which go into consideration when making such a decision are: 1) How many people in the student population will be affected, 2)How many people are in the club, and 3) Has this club been willing in the past to generate its own monetary resources by utilizing fund raisers. In the beginning of the school year a club is designated with two different accounts. The first account is called the restricted account. In this account lies the portion of money Under the new system, the letter grades and the numeric equiv alency is as follows: A 4.0, A- 3.67, B+ 3.33, B 3.0, B- 2.67, C+ 2.33, C 2.0, D 1.0, FO. The grading percentages are at the discretion of each instructor. Upon adoption, the Graduate Council was given the chance to adopt the same system but chose to continue using single letter grades. Therefore, in classes with both graduates and undergraduates, two grading systems will be used. According to Graham, the grading system is intended to allow finer distinctions of individual proficiency. Capital Times Meeting 12:00 Thursday, Oct. 29 in Room W-129 designated to the club by SGA. The other account is called the unrestricted account. In this account self-generated income of the club is kept. In order for any club to receive money out of its accounts for club usage, a purchase order must be acquired. A club officer must see Cyndi Morris in the Student Activities Office in room 212 , Olmsted. The club then can pay its bills either by having a member pay for the activity out of pocket and obtaining a receipt for reimbursement or by having the company bill the university upon receipt of the purchase order. Presently there are additional funds available for the student clubs on campus. If you or your club has any questions or concerns, please contact Ronda Graby in the SGA office. Graby insists that the "finance committee is eager to address club concerns." zY • j Thinking of Selling your Home? Contact Gene Albano of The Real Estate Market Place. 21 years of experience will work for you in bringing fast results. 737-9337 or 233-1199, or see Gene on campus. r -ffM , efM How the New Grading System Affects You By Rose Kline The new plus/minus grading system has made it almost impossible to get a 4.00. The new system hurts people who get As. If you ever got an A in a course, you usually got what, 90 or 92%? Now, under the new system, you're not going to get 4.00 for all your Analysis As--you .are going to get 3.67. So, in order to get a cumulative 4.00, you would have to get over a 97% in all your courses. Very few students have been able to get over 97% qualifying them for an A. How does the plus/minus sys tem hurt you the most? It hurts when you're competing for jobs against graduates from other schools using our old A B C D F system. When you apply for a job, even though you may have had a 4.00 had you been on the old scale, now you could have a 3.67, even with all As. Even though the employer knows Penn State is on the plus/minus grading system, it's not going to matter, because the bottom line is that a big corporation that receives thousands of To: Students of Penn State Harrisburg From: Keystone Service Systems, Inc. Keystone Service Systems is currently recruiting people to work weekends and/or early morning and evening hours in the Greater Harrisburg Area. Keystone provides homes and support services to individuals who are experiencing handicapping conditions. Due to their disabili ties, the individuals are not able to live independently. The role of the support worker is to provide guidance, assistance, training and supervi sion in all aspects of the individual's life. This is an excellent opportunity for students to acquire practical experience in implementation of learning objectives and behavioral management plans; to plan and offer basic instruction in recreation and leisure time activities; to acquire experience working in human service field providing supportive living environments. Keystone Service Systems, Inc. operates 24 hours a day, and the hours of work available are varied. Work schedules currently available are: Monday-Friday early morning and afternoons Saturday and Sunday various hours. Hourly rate is $5.50. People interested in regular part-time employment qualify for part-time benefits. People interested in pursuing employment opportu nities should contact Arthur Sullivan, at Keystone Service Systems, Inc. at 907 North Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102, or call (717) 232-7509. Please refer to this announcement when calling. See our ad in the CPC Annual at the Career Placement Center. applications a year, won't even give you a shot if you don't have a 3.50. Even then, they still have a lot of people to choose from. Students like myself who are graduating this year will not benefit from the new plus/minus system. What happened to all my 77s and 87s for which I received 2.00 or 3.00 instead of 2.33 or 3.33? The new plus/minus grading system can benefit lower-level students. The new system is A A- B+ B B- C+ C D F. There is no C- or D+ or D-. If your grades tend to be in the high 80s, low 90s, you are hurt because you are losing .33 points for each low A and low B under the new system. If you get a B-, you receive a 2.67 instead of a 3.00. If you get a solid C OR a C-, you receive a 2.00. Melissa Lutzko, President of the Academic Assembly at University Park, said the new grading system is not mandatory. The new system applies only to undergraduates, Lutzko said. Lutzko explained this makes it difficult for teachers to grade their classes in which both graduate and undergraduate students are enrolled. Lutzko said some teachers were asking individual classes which grading system they waanted, with the majority ruling. AA/EOE