The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 14, 1974, Image 10
GAMECOCK
.at Is a Newspaper's duty teprint the news and raise hell.'
WIL13UR F. STOREY
The Chicago Times
BILL GRANT. Editor
BSILI OUTLAW, ART FRANK,
Editorial Page Editor Advertising Manager
November 14, 1974
USC needs change
m grading system
The A,B,C, NC grading system used by this University
makes a complete farce out of the reasons for com
puting a GPR. A student's GPR should be an accurate
index of how that student is doing and how his grades
compare with other students at this institution..
Under the present system, this is not being ac
complished. Why have a GPR if it is not a true in-'
dication of how the student is doing? For that matter,
why have grades if they do not reflect how a student is
doing? A student making 3 B's and 2 C's is given a 2.6
GPR under the present system (15 hours), but a student
making 3 B's and 2 NC's is given a 3.0; which at first
glance indicates he is the better student. If F's were
computed instesd of NC's, the student making 3 B's and
2 F's would have a 1.8 GPR. Quite a difference from a
3.0, but a more accurate indication of how that student is
really doing.
In a recent in-depth study by The Gamecock, com
ments have been made by numerous administration
officials at different graduate schools, both at this
University and at other major universities, indicating
they are either counting NC's as F's in computing an
applicant's "real" GPR or they at least re-examine the
students GPR if he has some NC's on his record. Am
biguity also exists in handling C's. because many
students are given C's here that might have been given
D's under a different grading system.
USC's reputation as an educational institution seems
to be on the line here. Administration officials,
teachers, professors and department heads have all
expressed concern over the reputation of a school using
the system we now have. The difference is comparable
to buying a suit at K-Mart or at J.B. White's. . The K
Mart suit may look as sharp as the one at White's, but
not many people want to admit they bought that suit at
K-Mart.
The student's feelings have not been accurately
measured and it would probably be a worthwhile
Student Government Association project to do so this
since students are the ones who are affected the most.
This writer went to a USC extension branch in 1967-68
when the old system was used. A student flunking out.
under the old system would have a hard time raising his
GPR to the required 2.0 to graduate if all of his previous
F's and D's were held against him. A student should not
be overly penalized for flunking a course, but his GPR
should accurately reflect his grade standing.
Frances Marion College in Florence uses a system
that appears to be the best remedy for this situation. D's
and F s are computed in a student's GPR but the student
is allowed to retake the coures and if he makes a better
grade, the old grade is completely erased from his
record.
The use of this system would mean that the student
with 3 B's and 2 NC's of F's would have a 1.8 GPR but It
would give that same student the chance to raise it to a
3.0 by retaking the course and making a B. This system
places the initiative for raising the GPR on the student
who ismakinghad grades. That is where it should be.
WmN
LETTERS
Gar net and Black ad
called chauvinistic
TO THE EDITOR:
I was leafing through The
Gamecock and suddenly, glaring
at me, are. the words, 'We're
looking for the sexiest girl at
USC," from the Garnet and Black
ad on page six. The main body of
the ad was an explanation of how
some "lucky" girlcould enter this
contest, and after receiving the
dubious honor of winning, have her
body displayed in the yearbook and
receive what amounts to monetary
payment in the form of a gift
certificate. How offensive to the
women of thib campus!
This is 1974. In the recent years,
so much time, energy and emotion
has been spent ti'ylng to give two
women an awareness of them
selves as more than just a face, two
breasts, two thighs, "a piece of
ass," some man's sexual object of
delight or disgust.
Women have been trying to get in
touch with themselves as whole
human beings who are valuable not
just as bodies, but also as in
tellectual and spiritual beings.
Yet, we are still faced with the type
of mentality exemplified by the
Garnet and Black ad; asking
women to disjoin their minds from
their bodies. ("But we'll pay you a
gift certificate,girls, if you'll let us
ogle you.")
This contest is no more than a
covert form of prostitution. It
makes me sick and it makes me
angry. It makes me wonder if the
quality of the yearbook is so low
that they need to resort to
demeaning gimmickry to get sales.
I am outraged by this contest and
I can only hope that other U.S.C.
women have enough respect for
themselves to boycott it out of
existence. Sisters--don't sell
yourselves!
RUTH D. NURNBERG
Fotre' said to have
own racial bias
TO THE EDITOR
The letter by "Brother Forte"'
disturbes nie and I was wondering
if I might make some comparisons
to attempt to clear up a few foggy
facts.
Forte' seems to be awfully
concerned about racial bias on the
part of The Gamecock staff.
However, the author states, "The
media always illustrate white folks
in a positive manner, no matter
what they do, pro or con. Black
folks catch hell by being illustrated
negatively and unjustly in the
news." It seems to me that our
fortress of fairness has his own
racial biases.
Forte' also states, "Earmarking
the Association of Afro-American
Students in a seemingly negative
manner.., could easily make one
condemn and reject Afro's
policies, practices, beliefs and
Ideals without examining the
evidence on'which the organization
is based." You might as well say
that the media created Watergate.
The Afro club created its own
condemning Frankenstein with no
help from The Gamecock.
May I refer to the quotation by
W.F. Storey in the upper left hand
corner of the Nov. 4 Gamecock
Editorial Page, "It is a
newsaper's duty to print the
... Afro respons
CarMpus
opinion
news, and raise hell." This is all
that was being done. The Afro Club
condemned itself by posting
racially discriminating posters,
misplacing (?) $1,400 In funds, and
attempting to misuse SGA funds.
Forte' rambles on in a racial
rampage, yet all it amounts -to is
the pot wishing the kettle were
black.
ROBERT A. JONES
Reames' response
called misinterpretation
TO THE EDITOR:
I would like to address myself to
the letter in your last issue in which
Alan Reames found it necessary to
make something of a fool out of
himself over what appears to be a
gross case of misinterpretation.
The object of Reames' faulty
perception was a review by Chuck
Cromer of Fleetwood Mac's
current album, Heroes Are Hard
To Find. Being a fan of the later
days of Fleetwood Mac (the
"mellow" rock band it had become
before its short-lived break-up); I
was bitterly disappointed with the
lackluster performances, slipshod
production, and substandard song
quality found on their latest at
tempt (the correct word in this
case). After a,series of beautiful
and brilliant 4lbums such as
Future Games, Bare Trees, and
Mystery To Me, the new album
was a severe let-down. As with
Cromer, the only reason that
comes to mind is haste. I won't be
corny enough to cite the devious
addage which naturally follows. I
trust Mr. Reames is clever enough
to figure that one out for himself;
that is, if he hasn't imbibed too
many "Blues".
I never got the impression from
the review that Cromer was ever a
staunch fan of the old blues-rock
Fleetwood, not that It even mat
ters. Furthermore, I don't un
derstand Reames' tangent on the
band's Omni performance. I
imagine it was marvelous, but I
fail to see what bearing that fact
has on the worth of a poor studio
effort. Mr. Cromer was weighing
the relative merits of an album, not
reviewing a concert. The
relevance of Mr. Reames side
track avoids me.
Perhaps Fleetwood Mac Is
slowly sinking into that category of
bands, like J. Geils and Humble
Pie, who are more respectable In.
concert than on vinyl. If true, this
is indeed unfortunate. Here is
hoping that Christine Mc Vies'
tunes and wonderful voice may yet
prove to be the band's saving
grace.
Don't misunderstand me, Mr.
Relmes. Rock music, I agre., Is
even at Its most complex a
relatively simple music form. it
should be taken lightly and I am
not totally down on your lett... I
...CGhauvilnsm
thought your onion analogy was
amusing. I only find fault with
your blinders (or earmtuffs).
The. defense rests.
ERIC ANDERSON
Gamecock
ignores violation
TO THE EDITOR
Conditioning is a factor of both
ends of the racial rainbow and to
observe this campus's relations is
to find a negative scene portraying
two destructive and obsolete at
titudes, Blackthink and White
bigotry.
Meanwhile, The Gamecock
ignores students' mental and social
health, and dully covers building
codes and S.C. politicians. The
first static to crackle in this
politically inactive campus
(besides 'yo-Ravenel), was the
Forte' article on the Afro Club.
What 'thinking' student could
accept the Homecoming Queen's
reception as anything above
disgusting and rude? Why wasn't
public reaction evident?
And why didn't The Gamecock
editorialize on the absurd manner
in which people rated beauty ac
cording to color? The Black
students can be commended for
their outstanding voter
organization, the sole positive
aspect.
Interrelation between people is a
dynamic process marked by:
argumentation, debate, speeches,
rath, friendliness, emotion. In the
present silent atmosphere,
students tensely ignore one
another in proportion to the skin
pigment scale. And while both
critically resent their parents and
establishment values, do they
seriously consider themselves as
different? The same fearful hate is
evident; the similar
separationalism or paternal
liberalism of their parents' old line
view is striking.
I claim the S.C. students reflect
their parents' propaganda and
dopily accept the old values, rather
than using their scholarly trained
minds, 6oth black and white, to
analyze their social position in a
new world. A shaky world, where
cultural heritages are historically
dusty and subordinate in value to
our need for each other in the
survival struge.
Perhaps Te Gamecock will
serve as a forum for the Black
Tan-Peach-White issue, and as a
vehicle to accelerate our campus
to the velocity of social changes in.
the world.
RUDINA VAN