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Page 9
Friday • April 25, 1997
I
lec ■
inal analysis
omprehensive exams offer lifesavers in sea of raging test rapids
I
espite the
beautiful and
bountiful air
[ingtime brings,
Ithefexus A&M students
MB plagued by an
jerhanging cloud of
Mlnjpstice commonly
■erred to as finals.
Ifhe mere idea of
lllt Bse approaching
Its imposes a
less on the crani-
similar to brain
ze but ten times worse,
ost professors have a
Choice between two types of
llures: the infamous com
prehensive final or the slightly
,Mre bearable fourth test final.
St may be difficult for un-
lentSding students to accept,
■t comprehensive finals are
|nr jiyfar the most beneficial.
laccsBStudents who are pro-
irth test (most of them),
juallyfind themselves
lomBjwning in an information
pverload as the professor at-
|npts to cram weeks worth
^information in two “rede
led” class days.
■Obviously, professors see the
lue in comprehensive finals.
[Some professors figure,
jthgood reason, compre-
Jnsive finals are in students’
lest interest. These finals in-
Ire total digestion of the se
tter's material and then a
imanded regurgitation of
tained information.
iiiUBDespite its undesirability,
tile comprehensive final proves
effective as a forced manipula-
|n of the building blocks of
Itainto a monument of high-
lleaming. Bonnie Kalich, a
pt/i 141 and 142 lecturer,
Columnist
Kate Shropshire
Freshman biomedical
science major
agrees with putting
the comprehensive fi
nal to good use.
“We are all required
to give comprehensive
finals,” she said.
“We all need to
cover the same
[information].”
Kalich
said the ne
cessity of
compre
hensive fi-
1
nals is the result of
two major factors.
“Comprehensive
finals for all Math
141 and Math 142
classes are impor
tant because we
need to make sure
[students] learn
everything they need
to in this course,”
she said.
“I’m for a compre
hensive final be
cause students need
to study all the stuff
together and I also
think the final
should count the
same as a test,”
Kalich said.
“Yet a fourth test
final would be easier,
and if I were a stu
dent I would proba
bly hope for that.”
In addition to the
advantages posed to
students, the appar
ent value of a com
prehensive final is
influenced by the
subject pursued.
Keith Lea, a
freshman English
major, recognizes different
kinds of courses call for
different kinds of finals.
“It really depends on the
subject,” he said. “Math
and science classes need a
comprehensive final be
cause everything builds on
everything else. In English,
each individual work that
[a student reads] does not
really have an effect on
each other and that is what
papers are for.”
Lea also is aware of the fa
cilitation of total under
standing which can be found
in comprehensive finals.
“I’d like to have a fourth
test final for everything,
but I know it is better to
have comprehensive ones
so I will retain the materi
al,” he said.
There are those stu
dents who believe finals
would be more effective if
applied in a much more
creative way.
Matt Smith, a freshman
business major, promotes
a unique solution to this
final dilemma.
“I think finals should be
optional and not cumula
tive,” Smith said. “If you
already have an (A) then
you shouldn’t have to take
the final.”
Even though compre
hensive finals are prone to
putting students on the
rack, in the long run they
manifest their worth.
In the wake of the brain
hemorrhages caused by fi
nals, students should try to
be patient in their pursuits
as they repeat the dogma,
“No pain, no gain.”
linton health-care plan proves worthy, needs re-evaluation
ealth-care reform. The
words conjure up
memories of the
ailed Clinton health-care
n that failed and the polit-
fistfights that occurred.
The real issue, however,
is lost in media sensation-
ism: 43 million Americans
| not have health-care cov-
Jage, and many more are
|e pink slip or job switch
ray from losing their
ialth care.
America has the finest medical tech-
jology and facilities in the world, but
me cost of insurance keeps skyrocketing
?or individuals and small businesses.
Medical bills from a serious illness
n bankrupt a family without coverage.
|surance companies continue to cover
ly the healthiest Americans, leaving
Columnist
Jon Apgar
Junior
journalism major
others to fend for themselves.
Everyone moans about how
terrible Clinton’s Health Secu
rity Act was and how it would
have socialized health care.
Once someone wades
through all the propaganda
and misinformation by conser
vative interest groups and ac
tually looks at his plan for re
form, it’s not so bad.
The solution to the health
care problem is found in four
areas: universal coverage, man
aged competition, employer
mandates and health alliances.
Universal coverage would give every
one coverage while spreading the risk
among as many people as possible, mak
ing insurance work more efficiently.
Managed competition would force an
employer to offer a choice of health care
plans to employees so that the employee
decides who will care for his or her fami
ly and can shop around for lower premi
ums. Moreover, employees under the
Clinton health care plan would have had
the option to stay with their own doctor if
they chose.
Employer mandates
would require employ
ers to pay a portion of
their employees’ insur
ance premiums. Small
businesses, who pay
more money for less
coverage, would get the
same deal as big busi
nesses would.
Finally, health al
liances are needed
where small businesses and individual
consumers band together to negotiate
for high-quality health care at lower
prices. This way the small businesses
and working citizens can have the same
The solution to the
health care problem is
found in four areas:
universal coverage,
managed competition,
employer mandates
and health alliances.
negotiating power of large corporations.
These areas were outlined in Clinton’s
health-care reform plan. However, con
servative interest groups launched a
campaign of misinformation, claiming
that the health-care plan
would be a giant socialist
government takeover.
The focus of the re
form plan shifted from
health care to politics.
Politicians, and eventu
ally the public, lost sight
of the fact that under
our present system, mil
lions of people are with
out coverage.
Instead, the issue be
came a grand political battleground
that divided Republicans and Democ
rats. As a result, very little was accom
plished (except millions still did not
have coverage).
Congress needs to work on health -
care reform again. This time, however, it
needs to remain non-partisan. The peo
ple without coverage should be the
main concern.
The health-care plan outlined by
Clinton should be re-evaluated. It has
many good points to it and would help
many lower-class individuals get the
coverage they desperately need.
And the interest groups should butt
out. They ruined health-care reform
the first time by calling it socialistic
and liberal.
Well, it is a liberal reform plan. It
would work to help those who are sick
but cannot go to a doctor because they
are not covered.
Those darn soft-hearted liberals are
at it again. Always worrying about help
ing the-less fortunate instead of things
like tax cuts for the rich and owning as
sault weapons. Shame on them.
r“T ]
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In
Students must listen to opinions
G ot a little story for ya Ags. Texas
A&M could be a utopia if a few
truths would be accepted by
the student body.
If everyone would accept and appre
ciate how all ways of thought can peace
fully coincide, much strife would be
eliminated. Sure, not everyone will
agree, but there is room for many paths
on a campus this large.
How dare students be egotistical
enough to think there might be some
things that can’t be reconciled, that
some things are diametrically opposed.
Should you disagree with someone,
hide behind high-minded thinking and false cour
tesy in your interactions with them. They are
probably trying to do the same thing to you, any
way, and you come out looking more stoic in the
end. If possible, see if you can twist their words to
mean something else, something you have a good
argument against, even if that’s not really what
they wanted to say.
Bigots deserve to be treated like this anyway.
Besides, if students are true to themselves, every
thing will turn out OK. If we are committed to truth
and justice, we all can achieve greatness. If you be
lieve in yourself then your dreams never die and life
can be glorious. In fact, life is what you make of it.
You must create your own reality, your own glory.
You can have it all. Never compromise anything, es
pecially not your dreams.
If students just take enough multicultural educa
tion classes, our understanding of others would in
crease and there would be less bigotry and misun
derstanding. Even though you may have friends of
Columnist
Courtney Phillips
Junior
psychology major
different ethnic and cultural backgrounds,
you are probably just a redneck and don’t
really know anything.
Multiculturalism classes are not forcing
beliefs on anyone — these things are of ut
most importance and everyone should
learn them. This is not a matter of choice.
If everyone would just submit to this, then
they’d understand and appreciate it. And
whatever you do, don’t ever say anything is
wrong — you might offend someone (un
less of course they are one of the afore
mentioned bigots, in which case you
should go to town and have fun with it).
At this world-class university, students
must live up to the Aggie T-shirt that says, “What do
you call an A&M graduate? — Boss.”
To compete on a national level, we must stay on
the cutting edge of science and technology. Every
thing must be based on empirical knowledge.
And should you happen to die in an empirical
scientific experiment gone awry, don’t worry.
Your spirit will live on forever in the hearts of Ag
gies. They’ll answer “here” for you when you’re
gone. Forget the fact they may have lied to you,
cheated you or stolen from you while you were
here. We’re all Aggies first.
And should you be fortunate enough to live to
graduate, cherish the bonds of friendship. The es
prit de Corps of Cadets, your fraternity or sorority
or organization will live on forever, uniting its
members in mutual respect and love. Those days
of drunken revelry and carefree college fun will
comfort you in your old age.
Gig ’em and God bless.
If ignorance is bliss, blindness must be ecstasy.