The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 64, Ed. 1 Friday, August 9, 1968 Page: 1 of 4
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USNT Studies Pass-Fail System for North Texas
By SAKAll SCOTT
Chat Staff
The USNT Senate is studying the pos-
sibility of asking for a pass-fail grad-
in*c system for North Texas State.
Under this system students could
take some elective coura«s outside of
their major and minor fields and re-
ceive grades of either pass or fail.
Administrative adoption of the sys-
tem will not be requested until a
thorough study of it is made, and then
only if the senate judges the system
U> be beneficial.
Susie Tarrant, a senior senator, has
!>een studying the system this summer.
She has also run a survey anion# sum-
mer faculty members.
"The purpose of the pass-fail system
w to encourage students to take courses
in area* not related to their major field
of study," Miss Tarrant said. "With this
type of system students could take elec-
tive courses without the fear of lower-
ing their grade point average," she add-
ed.
MISS TARRANT SAID supporters of
the iMiss-fail system believe it will lead
to a broader and better education for
students.
Under this system, for example, an
English major would not have to be
afraid of taking a math course and pos-
sibly lowering his grade average. A
limited number of elective hours (to be
decided by the administration and fac-
ulty) would not figure into a student's
average. The student would receive
credit only for completing the course
hours. These hours would count toward
the total needed for graduation.
This system would involve no extrs
work for the teacher. The teacher would
turn in a regular grade; the Registrar's
Office would make the necessary pass-
fail notation.
This system has been in effect at the
University of California at Berkeley
tiince 1966. Other schools known to be
using some form of the system include
Princeton, Pomona College, Stanford,
San Francisco State, Purdue and the
University of Washington. This fall the
Church College of Hawaii is also initiat-
ing the pass-fail system for two years.
MISS TARRANT SAID several ques-
tions have arisen:
• How many hours of electives should
be allowed and how should these pass-
fail hours be divided on a per semester
basis ?
• Should it be left up to the individual
professor to decide whether he wishes to
use the system?
• Could students on academic proba-
tion use it?
s Should students be required to at-
tend NTSU for s certain period before
they can use the system? Or, should the
system be available only to students on
the sophomore level or above?
• Exactly how will grade averages be
derived ?
• Will this system involve installing
any new equipment, such as computers?
• Will this system increase the work
load of the Registrar's Office?
s How will this system sffeot a stu-
dent's admission to graduate school?
Them- questions and others are being
studied by USNT.
One hundred fourteen of the 314 ques-
tionaires sent to summer faculty mem-
bers were returned Of these, 87 fsvored
the program, 24 were against it and 3
were undecided.
NORTH TEXAS PROFESSORS dif-
fered considerably in their opinions of
the proposed system. Several comment-
ed favorably. They felt the system had
"merit," was an "excellent idea" and
were "heartily in favDr." Some warned
that "careful study of procedures should
precede adoption" of the system.
One professor said, "I am in favor
of introducing greater flexibility into
our programs This proposal has merit.
It will hsve to be studied." Another said,
"This program would make teaching
more difficult but also more interesting.
Negative reinforcement would cease to
be a use I (ns motivation."
Some commented that they like the
system if limited only to the elective
program bp 1 excluding general college
requirements as well as major courses.
One professor did not want to consider
the grade of D as passing. Otherwise,
he was in favor of the system.
A FACULTY MEMBER commented in
fsvor of the system but added that "lack
of a rating scale above passing would
provide a considerable temptation to
just do enough to get by." Other opin-
ions were that this system was "in the
same category as athletes taking only
crip courses to maintain an sverage need-
ed for eligibility."
Others opposing the system said that
good students usually are not afraid to
take difficult courses out of their major
fields. They believe the system would
encourage poor students to get by with
the bsre minimum and stifle incentive.
Auditing was suggested as a better way
for a student to get a broad education
and keep up his grade average.
In reply to the problem involving poor
students, Miss Tarrant said that even
under the pass-fail system a teacher is
given the opportunity of failing the
student. The poor student does not get
a free ride, because he can still be
failed.
DR JAMES BAIRD of the English
faculty, a USNT Senate sponsor, sat
he felt tlie system would be beneficial.
He said the system will be put into ef-
fect at the University of Washington
this fall.
The system wss carefully studied and
known problems regarding the system
were solved, he said,
Dr. Baird said that he doesn't think
this system should be forced on any
department. "1 do feel, however, that
the system would perhaps enliven class
discussions, particularly in the humani-
ties If more students from other fields
were enrolled in humanities claesea, I
feel we would have more diverse opin-
ions and Uius better and more interesting'
class discussions. With this system, there
should b* no fear of injuring your grade
average," he added.
Miss Tarrant said that another sur-
vey will probably be run in the fall.
She said that USNT has written to uni-
versities now using the system in order
to find out solutions to problems and
their application to this type of setup
at NTSU.
The Campus Chat
NORTH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY, DENTON, TEXAS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1968
NO. 64
Registration Set for UB
To Speed Fall Enrolling
No Chance for Sidewalk Engineers
Although work it progressing on the new library building, thii hole in the wall
left for viewing the construction provides lirtie evidence of what's happening.
A pile of dirt and the top of a crane are all that can be seen by people interest-
ed enough to peek in.
By MIKE EH RLE
Chat Staff Writer
The bulk of registration will be switch-
ed from the Main Library to the Union
Building this fall.
The move, made to expedite registra-
tion and to prevent unnecessary moving
of furniture, was decided at a meeting of
the Registration Committee.
Dr. J. J. Spurlock, vice-president for
academic affairs, naid that crowding was
the basic reason for the change. "We
feel this change in the registration ar-
Greek Row, Changes Planned
Wheeler To Head IFC
Jack Wheeler, director of housing and
student personnel, was named coordina-
tor of student activities Wednesday and
will head all fraternity and Interfrater-
nity Council (IFC) activities this fall.
Wheeler's predecessor, George S.
In The News
This Week
NTSU Student Killed
In Kentucky Accident
Cherryl Joy Bledsoe, 21, junior from
San Antonio, was killed in a head-on
collision near Paducah, Ky. July 31. She
was a Baptist summer missionary with
the Home Mission Board in Illinois and
Kentucky.
Grad Announcements
Available at UB Store
The University Store received gradua-
tion announcements this week. The store
manager asked that students go by and
pick them up. Extra announcements are
available for students who failed to order.
Receptions Set Aug .18
For President Mat+hews
North Texas State faculty and staff
members and husbands or wives have
been invited to receptions honoring Pres-
ident and Mrs. J. C. Matthews Sunday,
Aug. 18.
The receptions, from 3 to 4 p.m. for
those with last names beginning with the
letters A through K and from 4 to 5
p.m. for all others, will be held in the
Dining Room at Maple Street Hall
Fall Packets Available
At Registrar's Office
Summer studenta may request card
packets for the fall semester at the Reg
istrar's Office in the Administration
Building beginning Monday.
Card packets will be mailed to the stu-
dent's home if the request is made before
Aug. 26 Registration will be delayed if
the packets are not requested in advance.
Stott, left in June to become registrar at
Angelina Junior College in Lufkin.
"All fraternities should commence now
to contact him (Wheeler) for fratenity
business," Dean of Students William C.
Lindley said. "His office will remain in
Terrill Hall."
The new arrangement was "brought
about because of a greater need
for close cooperation between student
organizations and the administration;
Mr Wheeler has had experience with
the school and students," Dean Lindley
said.
THE GREEK SYSTEM at North Tex
as has several other changes in store
for this fall and the future.
Sororities have lowered their grade
standards and requirements for prospec-
tive pledges, the school has added two
sororities, and Greek Row, which will
house the sororities and fraternities, is
in the planning stages and should be
partially completed by fall of 1969, Dean
Lindley said
Two new sororities — possibly three
— will be active Delta Zeta and Alpha
Omega will have finished their year's
probation and will be full-fledged mem-
bers of the Panhellenic Council this fall.
.Sigma Eta has petitioned the Panhel-
lenic Council and will remain on proba-
tion until next spring Sigma Eta would
be the ninth sorority on campus.
THE GRADE POINT average for
prospective sorority pledges was lowered
last spring to 1.0. It had previously been
1.6. Also, one needs only 12 semester
hours instead of the previous 30 to be
eligible to sign up for rush Membership
limitation is now 76 instead of 66.
Corinne Maginnis, president of Pan-
hellenic Council, said that aside from
grad* average and number of hours,
members are judged on extracurricular
activities.
Special emphasis is placed first on
activities, then on scholarship and then
on personality.
The objective of lowering sorority
standards and requirements was to
"bring I Ft; and the Panhellenic Council
together," Miss Maginnis said.
Applications to go through rush may
he picked up in the Dean of Women's
office. Applications will he accepted un-
til Sept. 16.
Also, for the first time sororities will
hold open rush for women who failed to
sign up the first Ume as well as those
who did not receive a bid will receive a
second chance, Miss Maginnis said.
GREEK ROW WILL be located on a
six-block area between the campus and
Interstate 35E. It became a reality this
summer when the City Planning and Zon
ing Commission rezoned the area for
apartment dwellings instead of single
family housing.
Plans now call for six fraternity and
six sorority hou«.?s, with room for future
expansion.
Greeks will finance construction
through donations from alumni, and
loans from national offices and with
money raised locally. Some of the houses
may cost as much as $260,000.
"Construction has not yet begun,"
Dean Lindley said. "Negotiations arc
still under way and some of the houses
should be completed by the fall of
1969."
rangement will provide for more effec-
tive registration and less congestion,
even though there is less square footage
of floor space in the Union Building than
in the Main Library," he commented.
The committee also decided to continue
registration without interruption through
the noon hour. "About a half a day in
time will be gained," Dr. Spurlock said.
Registrar G. W. York said that one of
the reasons for the new procedure is to
prevent so much of "a shuffling around
of furniture." York said when the Busi-
ness Administration Building was being
used, quite a bit of furniture in class-
rooms and offices had to be moved to
make room for the students.
IN THE NEW system, students will
enter the south door of the Union Build-
ing and proceed to the third floor. De-
partmental tables and associated check-
points will be on the third floor. Follow-
ing the "18-hour" check, students will
leave the building through the east door
and go to the south door of the Main
Library. On the first floor, students may
buy Yuccas, pay fees and turn in card
packets to complete registration. Lab
fees, vaccination checks, scholarships and
loans and other general registration bus-
iness will be handled on the second floor.
Before leaving the library, students
will pick up their semester's ID cards.
York said that the ID card photograph
will be taken while the student is regis-
tering on the first floor. The student can
pick up his ID card at the end of regis-
tration at the north end of the first floor
corridor. "The entire preparation of each
student's card will take a maximum of
three minutes." York said.
Dr. Spurlock exlained that the card
will be laminated ai.J will have a color
photograph. "Three cameras will be used
to speed up the picture-taking process,"
he said.
YORK SAID the UB Snack Bar and
University Store will be open during
registration. He isn't sure how much time
will be saved by the new process. "In
past years, it took approximately 36
minutes for each student," York noted.
He said everything will l e "more con-
solidated."
The only disadvantag* to the new sys-
tems is that the students will have to
cross Chestnut Street to the Main Li-
brary "Because of the traffic situation,
we will probably have to hire additional
police officers to handle the situation,"
Dr. Spurlock said
Dr, Spurlock said that a "computerized
process of registration" is being studied,
but no definite plans have been made.
"Computerized registration is usually
used in some type of pre-registration
process and ir this process the student
has no choice for his class or for the
teacher he wants," he said.
REGISTRATION TODAY is quite dif-
ferent from that of past years,
The introduction of the IBM punch
card system in the mid 1950s has held
down the time spent for registration de-
spite the university's enrollment surge
W. A. Cooper of the physical educa-
tion faculty, who first registered in 1916,
recalled this week that students did not
register in alphabetical order when he
began. "The registration process took
about 10 or 16 minutes back then,"
Cooper said "There was confusion.
You would just simply talk to one of the
teachers and get the courses you wanted,"
he commented.
Dr. Reginald C. Westmoreland of the
journalism faculty, who had his first en-
counter with registration at North Texas
in 1946, said registration was hectic then
because there still was no alphabetical
registration.
"Some students would bring a cot the
night before registration in order to be
first in line the next day Some would
bring portable radios with them," he saifi.
A few students would come very early
in the morning, hours before registration
was to begin. "Back then we entered the
Library through the south door and the
line stretched way past what is now the
Business Administration Building," Dr
Westmoreland said. (In 1946 the lot on
which the BA Building now stands was
occupied by the hospital )
Textbooks were distributed free from
the basement of the Historical Building.
"Undoubtedly, registration was worse
then Students had to fight for a place
in the registration lines," Dr. Westmor-
land commented. He attributed the con-
fusion to the surge of war veterans.
The North Texas Registration Com-
mittee is made up of Richard A. Harris,
director of computer systems; York; Dr.
Robert B. Toulouse, dean of the Gradu-
ate School; I>r Spurlock and Dr Robert
L. Marquis of the education faculty.
24 Awarded Grants
For English Program
Denton Leaders Court
California Industrialists
After a lifetime of separation, Denton
finally met her long-lost sister, Los An-
geles, last week.
The relationship was brought to light
only recently. Highways leading into
Dynamic Denton are brightened by pink
billboards announcing, "Denton, Texas
and Los Angeles, California could pass
for twins . . , Give or take 6 million
people."
Bearing a musical revue, a 13 minute
color movie and plenty of facta about
their city, 24 business and civic leaders
left July 31 to woo Weat Coaat industry
for Dynamic Denton They met with Los
Angeles industrialists Aug. 1 and San
Franciscans Aug, 2, hoping to sell them
on Denton's attitude as well as ita stra-
tegic, mid-continental location
COMMENTING ON the Los Angeles
presentation and luncheon, Dr. Rowa
Meador, president of the Denton Cham-
ber of Commerce, said, "I was well
pleased with the entire thing We had a
large representation of varied industries "
Mayor Zeke Martin also expreaaed sat
isfaction with the presentation and re-
action.
In San Francisco, J Bryan Sullivan
Jr., representing California's Gov. Ron-
ald Reagan, said he has seen many in-
dustrial presentations as commissioner of
the state Economic Development Agency.
"I can truthfully say I've never seen any
presentation such as this,'' he said at
the luncheon "The commentary, the film
and the show were exciting and very
well coordinated."
The California trip followed an intens-
ive advertising campaign. The publicity
has reached the pages of Fortune, Time,
Business Week, the Wall Street Journal
and other publications.
ALMOST 700 COPIES of a record al
bum, "Dynamic Denton: In Sound and
Muaic," have been distributed ail over
the world.
The record album serves also as the
sound track for a color movie, "Dynamic
Denton," which was shown to the Cali-
fornia industrialists
Roy Appleton served as maater of cer-
emonies at the two luncheons. Dr Mea
dor welcomed the industrialists and Mar
tin concluded the program and thanked
them fcr their attendance
Twenty-four Texas teachers have been
selected to participate in the Experienced
Teacher Fellowship Program of the Eng-
lish department.
The program was made possible
through a $220,000 grant from the U. S.
Office of Education in the spring, and
was the first for the south central re-
gion of the nation.
The 12-month program leading to the
degree of master of arts in English will
begin in September and run through
August 1969 The program will offer
44 semester hours of credit, 30 hours on
the graduate level and 14 in Spanish
or French on the undergraduate level.
Participating teachers will not Ik- em-
ployed in another job during the pro
gram The grant pay* $4,800 for 12
months plus $720 for each dependent,
tax exempt.
Those participating are experienced
elementary or high school teachers who
wish to add to their preparation and
experience "Thoae accepted will learn
to do in school research for their schools
and during the program will stay in
close touch with the school they came
from This will teach them to be
leaders," Dr. F. G. Ballard, chair-
man of the division of humanities, said
last spring when the grant was an-
nounced.
"The program is needed because no
present curriculum in English or educa-
tion i designed to provide the graduate
with a comprehenaive developmental
view of the English curriculum grades
one 12," Dr Ballard said then,
Teachers selected are all from a nine
county area. Nine of them will serve as
panelists at an Oct. 19 meeting of the
District V Joint Engliah Committee at
Texas Wesley an College in Fort Worth.
Grant Given
For Research
In Physics
Dr A. E J. Sears of the physics
faculty has received a $3,600 research
gTant from the Research Corporation
to study "binding properties" of solids.
The official title of his project is
"Investigations of Electron-Nuclear In-
teractions in Solids Using Pulsed Nu-
clear Magnetic Resonance Techniques."
Dr. Sears said the grants are given
to "help greeri horn staff physicists get
established in research." The grant al-
lows Dr Sears complete freedom in
choosing his subject for research as
well as a relaxed time schedule.
Dr. Sears and three graduate assia-
tants are working on a project related to
the grant. They are setting up equip-
ment in the basement of the Physios-
Mathematics Building The students are
Kenneth L. Roberts of San Antonio, Lar-
ry M Moore of Denton and Bruce Rine-
hard of San Antonio, a participant in
the National Science Foundation sum.
mer institute
/
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Cameron, Randy. The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 64, Ed. 1 Friday, August 9, 1968, newspaper, August 9, 1968; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth307430/m1/1/?q=%22~1%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.