THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6. 1974
Page 3
iis ti m ,4
■was y
Students select course grades
By CLIFTON LEWIS
Staff Writer
^ he
Mos ll a ^ rea< ^ y ^ new would get a B
-wvi. tiMfoT the semester. He had signed
•ttalioj
a contract for it. He didn’t like
fp it, though. He could have made
B the grade much more easily un
der conventional grading system.
Another student felt it was a
champion. “I like it because
whatever you work for if you get
it you make it, if you know what
I mean.”
The contract grading system
allows the student to select his
grade in a course, and in doing
wmEt
Embargo continues
despite U. S. hopes
a guyw
L
aioN
v
.CATION
BEIRUT, Lebanon (j®*)—Syria
appears to have dashed Ameri
can hopes for an early end to the
Arab oil embargo.
Newspapers reported Monday
that Syrian President Hafez As
sad won firm pledges from Saudi
Arabia and Kuwait to continue
the embargo until the Syrians
sign a disengagement pact with
Israel on Syrian terms.
And Syrian Foreign Minister
Abdel Halim Khaddam said Sy
ria will settle for nothing less
than an Israeli commitment to
“total withdrawal from Arab ter
ritories conquered both in the
1973 and 1967 wars.”
Arab oil ministers are sched
uled to discuss the oil embargo
against the United States at a
PARADIS
REGISTERED DIAMOND RINGS
Embrey’s Jewelry
9 - 5:30
North Gate 846-5816
meeting in Tripoli, Libya, on
Feb. 14. The reports on Syria
hinted at what conditions may
be set for lifting the embargo.
Lebanon’s pro-Egyptian news
paper A1 Anwar said Saudi Ara
bia’s King Faisal assured Assad
he “will continue to support Sy
ria whether by the presence of
Saudi troops on the Syrian front
or through the continuation of
the oil embargo against the Unit
ed States.”
Faisal is the acknowledged
leader of the embargo. A1 Anwar
said he agreed to make the relax
ation of oil pressure “dependent
on Israeli commitment, either di
rect or through the United
States, to accept Syrian terms
for military disengagement.”
The Lebanese newspaper A1
Bayrak said Kuwaiti ruler
Sheikh Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah
made a similar pledge to As
sad.
Assad met with both Persian
Gulf leaders over the weekend.
Saudi Foreign Minister Omar
Sakkaf announced Monday the
embargo would only be lifted
“when the United States stops
taking a pro-Israeli stance” and
guarantees Israeli withdrawal
from all occupied Arab territo
ries, including the eastern sector
of Jerusalem.
this he selects the amount of
work he will do. He signs a print
ed contract, and upon completing
its requirements is guaranteed
the grade.
The revolutionary grading sys
tem, introduced last semester at
TAMU, is being used in a few
classes this spring. If it works
well, it may spread throughout
the system.
For a C, students may only
have to take exams and go to
lecture. For higher grade con
tracts, extra work like papers or
group projects may be assigned.
In addition, tests for the A group
are harder than those for Bs
which are harder than test for
C students. But everyone must
score a high percentage, perhaps
as high as 90 per cent, on their
test.
Dr. Warren Dixon and Dr. Rob
ert McKelvian of the Department
of Political Science are very en
thusiastic about the new system.
v “Often it is unclear what a stu-
SPEED READING
Classes Are Now Forming At The
Reading Improvement Center
For Additional Information Call
Mrs. Avery Goodgame
846-3812
Teague gripes
about ignoring
splashdown
Congressman Olin E. Teague
complained to the presidents of
NBC, CBS and ABC about the
failure of the three major net
works to schedule live coverage
of the Skylab Astronauts’ splash
down. Teague, who is chairman
of the House’s Science and Astro
nautics Committee, wrote the
three network presidents today.
In his letter Teague drew a
parallel between the “P. T.
Barnum, circus-like” coverage of
the recent Ali-Frazier weigh-in
and the lack of coverage on some
thing that is of “lasting impor
tance and affects posterity.” The
Texas Democrat told the network
bosses that it took minutes to
analyze the fight; but will take
decades to analyze S k y 1 a b’s
wealth of information.
Teague said, “I believe the up
coming splashdown deserves live
coverage by at least one network.”
The Congressman added that he
was dismayed that the splash
down is not going to be covered.
dent has to do for a course, and
this generates anxiety. We are
trying to eliminate this by agree
ing with the student on what’s
required. The student is at ease
when he knows what to expect,”
Dixon said.
“The student realizes his own
learning capacity,” Dixon contin
ued. Even if he signs the mini
mal (C) contract he learns his
material well. The higher the
grade contracted for, the clearer
the subject matter becomes. We
are not concerned with the speed
of learning, but rather with its
thoroughness.”
“The instructor has plenty to
do, too,” interrupted McKelvian.
“He’s always there for help, and
he sees that the student stays
within the reasonable limits of
the course.” The student is large
ly on his own, he said.
Both talked of how the class
room time is valuably used for
discussion and interaction, not
lecture. The student gets most
primary information outside of
class. Reading, which is done at
the student’s own rate, is at least
as effective as listening, they
said.
The student takes tests and
does projects, according to con
tract, to demonstrate his learning
to the teacher. The idea of dem
onstration is also used for the
conventional method of testing.
However, under the contract pro
gram there is no curve to “dis
tribute grade points like a limit
ed amount of pie.” Down with
statistical garbage!
The contract program has
many administrative kinks to be
worked out. Also, a problem
would seem to be student coop
eration. Though the system is
past being experimental, students
are often unwilling to try some
thing new and be perhaps more
on their own.
Sometimes, it seems, students
are more resistant to change
than is the administration.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
National
younger son Mark, 4, has shown
no signs of the disease.
JOHNSTON, Pa. W — Resi
dents of the 12th Congressional
District vote Tuesday in a spe
cial election which has drawn at
tention as a barometer of Water
gate’s impact on the voter mood.
In the first federal election of
the year, Republican Harry M.
Fox, 49, will square off against
Democratic state legislator John
M. Murtha, 41, for the congres
sional seat left vacant following
the death of Rep. John Saylor,
a Republican who had been elect
ed to 13 terms. Fox was Say
lor’s executive assistant for 24
years.
WASHINGTON —Negotiations
intensified to end the spreading
independent truckers’ shutdown.
The drivers still were at odds over
the government’s objection to
their key demand—a roll back of
diesel fuel prices.
But the Nixon administration
moved to give the truckers some
financial relief by asking Con
gress to allow the Interstate
Commerce Commission to speed
approval of new regulations to al
low a pass through of increased
fuel costs.
International
BATLEY, England—Terrorists
blew up a busload of British ser
vicemen with a 50-pound bomb
hidden in the luggage compart
ment. The blast ripped the bus
apart like a can opener, killing
11 persons and wounding 14.
Police said they suspected the
Irish Republican Army, which is
battling British authorities in
Northern Ireland. It was the
worst terrorist atrocity in Brit
ain since guerrillas blew up a
paratroopers’ mess hall in Aider-
shot two years ago, killing seven
persons.
MEMORIAL STUDENT CENTER TRAVEL C. ^
PRESENTS ... /
COLORADO FOR $70
SKI! SKI!
Make reservations now for the Colorado Ski Trip for March 8 - 13, 1974, with this form
at the Student Program Office — MSC. (Limited tickets available)
NAME CLASSIFICATION .
HOME ADDRESS CAMPUS ADDRESS
CITY STATE CITY
ZIP PHONE ZIP PHONE
For $70, this trip offers:
Bus trip from College Station to South Fork, Colorado and back.
Lodging and breakfast at The Spruce Ski Lodge for 4 nights and 5 days.
Additional expenses should be: (not included in package)
Lift tickets $5/day
Ski rentals $5/day
Lunch (approx.) $2.00
Dinner (approx.) $2.00
Other activities at the lodge besides skiing are bicycling, ice skating, snow-mobiling, hiking, and tube-
ogganing.
The trips will begin on Friday, March 8 at 8:00 p. m. and our time of arrival at the lodge will be 3:00
p. m. March 9. We will leave the lodge at 8:00 p. m. Wednesday, March 13, and should return to Col
lege Station at 3:00 p. m. the next day.
It is necessary to make a downpayment of $35 to hold your reservation. The whole price may be
payed if you wish. All reservations must be completed by February 23, 1974 and full payment must
be made by February 28, 1974
AMOUNT PAID:
AMOUNT DUE: Another MSC Activity
PISCES
Welcome Back Aggies
Specials Of The Week
ALGAK EATERS 2 for $ .50
FLATTIES 2 for S 50
bunch plants 2 f„ r $ m
SILVER RASBORA 2 for $ .50
NEW LOCATION
1057 S. Texas Ave. C.S.
Next To City Hall
846-8047
Store Hours: 1 to 9 p. m. Sun. thru Fri.
10 a. m. to 9 p. m. Saturday
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — U.S.
Circuit Court Judge Harvey M.
Johnson ruled Monday that Pres
ident Nixon had no authority to
order a permanent halt in con
struction of the controversial
Cross-Florida Barge Canal.
Johnson said only Congress
could decide the ultimate fate
of the waterway, which Nixon
halted in January 1971 on en
vironmental grounds. It was
one-third complete at the time.
ELLICOTT CITY, Md.— Mi
chael Doyle, a 6-year-old first
grader at Centennial Lane Ele
mentary School, is this year’s
posted child for the National
Cystic Fibrosis Research Foun
dation.
Cystic fibrosis is a disease
which affects the lungs and di
gestive system. “Mike cannot
get any better, he can only get
worse,” said his father, Anthony
Doyle. “But our hope isn’t for
a cure, just a control, like with
diabetes, because now all you
can do is treat the symptoms.”
But, says Michael, “Everybody
has their own problems. Mine
happens to be CF.” The Doyles’
JUNIORS and
SOPHOMORES
1974 AGGIELAND
CLASS PICTURE SCHEDULE
H-L Jan. 28-Feb 1
M-0 Feb. 4-Feb. 8
P-R Feb. 11-Feb. 15
S-V Feb. 18-Feb. 22
W-Z Feb. 25-Mar. 1
Pictures will be taken from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m.
At
UNIVERSITY STUDIO
115 N. Main 846-8019 North Gate
(Bring fee slips)
You don’t have to wait for
your commission to join the
5 out of 6 active duty officers
who carry US A A insurance.
••./'S'- • /
:.w '• '''•■'•'Y-y--' •
As an Advanced ROTC student, you are eligible
to apply for USAA insurance—for your car,
personal possessions, and personal liability. USAA
is an association of officers serving fellow officers
with the lowest possible premiums, quick and fair
claims settlements, and a sharing of dividends.
(Though not guaranteed, USAA has been paying
dividends every year since 1924.) You may save
as much as $20 to $60, depending on where you
live, on auto insurance alone.
And a special USAA feature, the Household
Goods Policy, is available to insure your personal
property at home, at school, or in your car, for
only $10 per year per $1,000 of insurance
protection. Small wonder more officers insure with
USAA than all other insurance companies
combined. Mail the coupon for details—at no
obligation.
Please Print or Type
4007
Full Name
| Street Address
| City, State, Zip ~ ~ |
| (Area Code) Phone No. Soc. Sec No. J
| Student Program □ Air Force □ Army !
I □ Navy C Marine Corps
1 □ Advanced ROTC Program
. □ Other (Title of Program)
I Name of College or University-
I am interested in information (At No Obliga
tion) on:
□ Automobile □ Household Goods DPersonal
Liability
For more information write:
USAA
USAA Building
San Antonio, Texas 782S4