Page 8B THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 23. 1978
Students facing grade inflation
United Press International
ARLINGTON — Students at
tending eollege this year may well
find themselves getting higher
marks, not necessarily because they
deserve them. Grades, like just
about anything else, are being af
fected by inflation.
"It's to the point that the old
'Gentlemen s C is more like a
li-plus," said Dr. David Bromley, of
the University of Texas at Ar
lington s sociology faculty.
Bromley, Dr. Mary Lynn Crow of
UTA's Faculty Development Re
source Center and Martha Gibson,
student in UTA’s Graduate School
of Social Work, wrote an article for a
recent issue of Phi Delta Kappan
entitled “Grade Inflation: Trends,
Causes and Implications.”
Simply stated, they say the grade
point average for college students
these days is far higher than in years
past.
Statistically, they found:
—Far fewer students are going to
Hunk out;
—Far more are going to graduate
with honors;
—Far fewer are going to make
less than a B in their eoursework.
Bromley said the reason for grade
inflation is not so much a matter of
faculty members getting easier as a
basic structural change in American
higher education.
He said he noticed grade inflation
while studying grade differences in
normative subjects such as English,
liberal arts and humanities, and
utilitarian subjects like math, sci
ence and engineering. He found
that grades were rising steadily in
both categories. In a survey of 33
Texas colleges and universities, he
found that the number of honor
graduates had gone from 10.8 per
cent in 1960 to 18.8 percent in 1975.
on the institution for his job,
budgetary pressures to keep more
students in school, reaction to stu
dent evaluation of teaching per
formances and reduced expectations
of student performance.
The second most frequently listed
cause was changing student. Some
registrars said students were getting
better and so there were more A s
and B’s. But the rest said students
were of a lower quality now and so
schools lowered their standards.
Listed third were various types of
rules changes, such as later with
drawal dates, pass-fail courses and
rules eliminating low grades for a
course when that course is re
in a questionaire to the schools,
Bromley said most registrars
blamed faculty permissiveness as
the major reason for higher grades.
They blamed that permissiveness on
the faculty members’ dependence
peated.
Bromley said the concept of
higher education has changed radi
cally since a few decades ago when
college was open to only an elite
few. The concept now, he said, is
that everyone ought to have a
chance to attend college, and that
factor contributes to grade inflation
at the high school level. The same
attitude affects higher grades in col
lege, he said.
“The only potential problem,” he
said, “is that if everybody gets A s,
the principle of selectivity will be
affected. How would graduate
schools know who to admit?
“And the students get restless.
They lose their reference. They
begin to wonder. If I’m getting all
A s and the guy next to me is getting
all A s, how am I going to distin
guish myself'?’ And the grades begin
to lose their motivating power.”
Bromley said he discovered in his
surveys some schools already are
taking corrective actions.
It appears that the reaction to
grade inflation is a grade depres
sion,” he said.
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Campus Names
Maxson acting head
Dr. Carlton J. Maxson has
been named acting department
head of mathematics at Texas
A&M University.
Maxson came to Texas A&M in
1969 and will replace Dr. George
R. Blakley who is returning to
fulltime teaching and research.
Maxson achieved rank of profes
sor in 1977 and was assistant dean
in the College of Science.
Maxson earned his B.S. degree
in 1958 from State University of
New York-Albany and his M.A.
three years later from the Univer
sity of Illinois. He received his
Ph.D. in 1967 from SUNY-
Buffalo.
of berms, a fence, fountains and
university signs,” he said. “New
open air malls were built, walk
ways and lighting were added.”
Washington State University^
-’urdue University, eann .
Faculty praised
Landscape awarded
Texas A&M University’s mas
ter landscape development plan
has been awarded the highest
honor presented by the American
Society of Landscape Architects
(AS LA).
The ASLA “Special Award,”
the highest the society extends to
professional projects, was pres
ented to Myrick-Newman-
Dahlberglnc. of Dallas, the prin
cipal landscape architecture firm.
The two-year, $5 million
project, involving four landscap
ing firms, the Texas A&M
Facilities Planning Department
and six areas of the university
campus, was completed in 1976
for the centennial celebration.
"The goal of the plan was to
develop a landscape design which
would look well and unify the
overall campus through consis
tent landscape detailing,” said
Paul Stephens, manager of Texas
A&M’s Facilities Planning Divi-
Texas A&M University’s Col
lege of Business Administration
has named its outstanding
teacher and researcher for the
academic year.
Dr. Robert Anderson of the
Business Analysis and Research
department was named the col
lege’s outstanding teacher. Dr.
Donald Fraser of the Finance
Department received the award
for outstanding research.
"Dr. Fraser’s work has primar
ily involved research problems
ranging from bank structure to
the management of banks and
holding companies,” said Dean
John E. Pearson who made the
presentations. "His award is for
five years of excellent and out
standing research.”
Pearson said that Anderson is a
new member to the college’s fac
ulty. Anderson joined the busi
ness administration faculty last
year after teaching computing
science in the Industrial Engi
neering Department at Texas
A&M.
Texas A&M with a strong
ground in teaching and reseat
Shelton said.
He has been recipient ofovt,,
half million dollars in grantsfru,
the National InstitutesofHealty 7 I
Department of Agriculture
other sources.
At Missouri-Columbia, 1^
was professor and chairman
N
aw ilty
loz<
veterinary microbiology ai)| , ave
served on several committees!) Bi
iavt
graduate level activities.,
began teaching at Purdue art he
joined the Missouri-Couliunty X
faculty in 1961
)f p
He has won the NordenO® hin,
standing Teaching Award, Dj)
Garnegie Award for Outstand® /ery
Leadership and served asadvij Tl
to the nationwide Student Chi uste
ter, American Veterinary Mhfleen
cal Association.
Loan is a member of PhiZm ere.
Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, AVV ros:
and the U.S. Animal Health4
sociation
Fletcherjoins staff
The former superintendent! S ra ^ 1
tc
Loan accepts post
elve
“I
f' abilit
s of
V!
"It encompassed many types or
landscape design, including the
nlantingof trees, the construction
Dr. Raymond VV. Loan, head
of veterinary microbiology at the
University of Missouri-
Columbia, will assume duties
Sept. 1 as associate dean for re
search at Texas A&M University ’s
College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dean George C. Shelton ofTexas
A&M announced Loan's ap
pointment to the post formerly
held by Dr. Neville P. Clarke,
now director of the Texas Agricul
tural Experiment Station.
Loan, who holds degrees from
the Montgomery, Ala., Parks
Recreation Department Inject
joined the faculty of Texas AM
University.
Dr. Leslie Reid, head
Recreation and Parks Depw > n( l
ment, announced the appcj®
ment of Dr. James E. Fletcher
assistant professor. Fletcher
be teaching and conducting® ^ un
search involving park man® ''ty s
ment, safety, v andalism, mainti c ‘
nance, law enforcement an ’ on (
visitor services.
Fletcher received a parkx
ministration degree from ktP ra PP
A&M in 1973, a master'sd(gr<
from Texas Tech University ani
doctorate from Michigan St*
University.
Rebuking ‘in the name of Jesus’
Faith helps woman resist robbe
United Press International
HOUSTON — A woman told
police her faith in God gave her the
strength to resist a robber who
threatened her life and stole $900
from her church.
T rebuke you in the name of
Jesus,” Mrs. Austin Boyett told the
robber, police said. “That’s what
they taught us in church.”
The man threatened to kill the
Mrs. Boyett, the church treasurer,
the
if she refused to turn over
money Monday in a bank parking
lot.
Instead of killing her, the young
robber hit her in the mouth, grab
bed the money bag and fled as an
off-duty police officer chased him.
The man got away, but three youths
were captured moments later.
Mrs. Boyett said she was about to
deposit the money for the Westfield
Full Gospel Church when the gun
man
her.
and
lom,
To
tench
Jours
•ompanion apprad )n f 0(
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her
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nd
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essoi
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grade
he a
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to dig
Bu
“We argued a little wf.
said. ”1 just told him he «i mere
have it and he told ine helMT 85 s
Then he told me he wouldt
and I told him. No you’rena™
buke you in the name of jest/1
The money was for a jwymeiitl
the congregation’s new cW
building.
THE A&M
UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH
SERVING TEXAS ASM UNIVERSITY
BOB E. WATERS
PARISH MINISTER
W. C. HALL, JR.
CAMPUS MINISTER
ROY B. SHILLING
EVANGELISM MINISTER
8:30 & 10:50 - MORNING WORSHIP
9:40 - CHURCH SCHOOL CLASSES
6:00 - WESLEY SUPPER 8:00 - RECREATION
7:00 - WESLEY VESPERS EACH SUNDAY
The A&M United Methodist Parish includes both A&M United Methodist Church and the student program —
Wesley Foundation at A&M.
The A&M Methodist Church is a great and warm church, fully ready to serve you and meet your needs. It
welcomes students to become a part of the total life of the church and would welcome your membership, either
full or affiliate.
The Wesley Foundation is the student program of the A&M United Methodist Church. Wesley is a community
of Christian concern where students may grow in faith, gain support and leadership ability, and build priorities
and principles for life.
Wesley programs include worship, study, service, outreach, recreation, and student aid.
A&M
WESLEY
FOUNDATION
At the M.S.C. Open House, Wesley will have a booth, so come by. Then on Sunday morning
August 27, meet us at the All Faiths Chapel at 9:30 for an introduction to our proqram & uoner
classmen.
Sunday evening at 7 p.m. we will host a pie supper at the church. Come meet us.
A&M UNITED METHODIST CHURCH — 417 UNIVERSITY • WESLEY FOUNDATION ~ TAUBER STREET