Page 12 -- Capital Times, Nov. 18, 1987
But Pal... Ease Up!
Dear Editor,
As a graduate student, I can feel
for Phil (ed. note: refers to a letter to
the editor in Capital Times, October 30,
by Philip Clark concerning a library
carrel). But pal...ease up! It's the
undergrads sacred rite to make our life
living Hell around here, isn't it? It
seems that at Penn State Harrisburg no
distinction is made between us. There is
no Kern Grad Building, graduate mail
boxes, study carrels, or special
treatment. It is too bad they can't see fit
to treat us like real grad students at a real
university.
But anyhow...Phil...make the
best of it. Life is too short to worry.
Short of massive retaliation there isn't
much to counter guerilla tactics. Learn
from our experiences in Vietnam and
ease up.
Alfred E. Newman
This Month's Survey
By Jan Travers
The Penn State University Commission for Women was created in
1981 to support women in various roles and activities in the college
community. The Capital College Liason Committee is continually looking
into issues which affect the quality of life for women. One suggestion has
been to form a Returning Women Students Organization where informal
socializing and networking could occur. We'd like to hear your comments on
this subject no matter what your age, sex, or student status.
1. Would you be interested in joining a returning women's
:rou►?
2. Do you feel that there is a need for such a group? Why or why
not.
3. What day/time for open house/coffee meetings would suit your schedule?
(MWF or T TH, lunch or morning)
4.Would you prefer the group to be made up of just students, or would you
like to see faculty and staff
included?
5. What is the best way to get information to you about this group, bulletin
boaards, the newspaper, WNDR, or This
Week?
6. Are there any specific issues you would like to see this group
address?
[Don't forget to deposit surveys in the
Capital Times box in the stairwell off
the main lobby.
Lars Talk
11 RIMY'
Pat on the Back
Dear Capital Times Staff,
Congratulations on your fine
October 18 issue of the Capital Times!
Your hard work and dedication
are obvious and the finished product
looks like a good college student
newspaper. Three cheers for the student
press at a time when it needs them, both
locally and nationally!
As for the open letter on page
6--you don't need to speak to the campus
anymore on this matter. Just do your
job as best you can, occasionally
reminding others that you are students
first and student journalists second. The
nation's top newspapers get the same
criticism you do, anyway.
Keep up the coverage of
student-oriented issues like grading, and
be careful not to give PR to people like
John Vartan and Jeanette Brinker (fine
citizens though they are.) News is one
thing and PR is another!
Yours,
Trum Simmons
Adviser, The Fourth Estate
Harrisburg Area Community College
Grades, Teachers and Attitudes
by Michele Hart
Last month's survey on grades,
teachers, and attitudes produced nine
informative and entertaining responses,
unfortunatly I realized after the paper was
printed that I should have asked people
to give their major as well as their
opinion. With that in mind, on to the
results
Of the nine responses received
we had eight undergraduate students, one
graduate student, and one instructor take
the time to answer our questions and we
thank you sincerely for your time.
Only two of the respondants
thought that their classes had too many
people in them, the rest said that their
classes had 20 to 30 students in them
and that they could live with that. The
instructor who answered said his or her
classes were okay in size, but generally
education classes always were too large.
If there was a minor concensus
on class size, it went out the window
when it came to satisfaction or
disatisfaction with instructors and
whether or not instructors are accessible
and responsive to students' needs. Three
people are absolutely not happy with
their instrucotrs, three are completely
satisfied with all of their instructors, and
two like some of their professors and
dislike others. Only two people,
however, think that their instructors are
accessible to them and care about a
student's needs. Three respondants said
that only some teachers make any effort
to help their students, and two others
feel that no teachers are accessible.
In the words of one of those people
"they (instructors) couldn't care less."
Our instructor that filled out the
survey said that he or she is happy with
his or her students because they are
mature, but he or she wished that
students would be more concerned with
ideals rather than cold facts. Our
instructor also said that he or she is very
interested in the students and tries to be
very accessible, but he or she said it
would be easier if there wasn't so much
pressure on professors to publish
articles.
Most of our answers concerning
class work loads were positive with only
two people citing any problems. Both
of them feel that they are not given
enough notice about the due dates of
assignments.
One respondant, however, says there is
way too much work at this school and
way too many tests given, but this is
the respondant who, when asked what he
or she thought could be done to improve
this campus, replied "better partys (sic).
As to the new plus/minus
grading policy, our instructor supports it
for the reasons that it was implemented,
one, person is undecided, one person is
for it, and six people are very strongly
opposed to it. Reasons for being
against it included: " It penalizes A
students and damages employment
opportunities," "It's unfair and
inconsistent," "helps poor students,
while hurting the good. ones,"
"does not reflect effort."
Only one of the respondents
claims to have submitted unoriginal
material for a grade, the rest of you said
it was too dishonest and that you did fine
with your own work.
Our final question dealt with
what issues you thought should be
addressed to make this a better campus.
Most of you mentioned the resolution or
the abolishment of the new grading
system as the highest priority, and larger
course selections as the second. Our
professor would like to see less
emphasis on publishing and more
emphasis on teaching excellence in
matters of tenure and promotions. And
of course, our pastier wants more parties.
Thanks to all of you who took the time
to fill out our little survey, and if you
don't mind, take a minute to do this
month's.