The Megaphone (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 57, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, March 20, 1964 Page: 2 of 4
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Page Two
Friday, March 20, 1964
THE MEGAPHONE
A Good Plan.
It came to our attention earlier in the school year
that the creation of an office of Dean of Student Life
on the Southwestern campus was under serious consid-
eration.
In discussions with several professors and a number
of students about this matter, there was definitely a
general consensus that the institution of a Student Life
Dean was a worthy measure, a move that has been need-
ed here a long time and one that would be welcomed
and appreciated.
Various views were aired about this proposed office,
its possibilities and ramifications. The most common
speculation was that a Dean of Student Life could serve
as a more effective liasion between student body and
administration; that such a Dean could handle a great
part of the day-to-day student-administration relation-
ships; that at present, everyone insisted, the bridge be-
tween student and administration is much often too
wide to be gapped effectively: thus there results also
much too often, (we believe, as a direct consequence), a
frustrated and sometimes even vain attempt at true
communication and common understanding.
More thoughtful participants in the discussions of-
fered the possibility that a Student Life Dean, to whom
would be entrusted practically all student relationships,
would greatly reduce the burdens of the already tremen-
dously huge job of the administration.
Most everyone seemed cognizant of the fact, however,
that a college does not drive over and pick up a Student
Life Dean on any street corner; and not for chicken
feed, at that. Such a person must be highly qualified
and thus can expect to be well paid. So it might be a
while yet.
But the size of a college, particularly in our case the
smallness, dqes not seem to impose any limitations on
the scope or number of our problems; the problems aris-
ing from student-administration relations demand a cer-
tain amount of specialization, (this IS an age of
specialization), such as which could be attended to
through a Dean of Student Life.
(THE MEGAPHONE does not purport to have herein
“solved the problem”; as we have but rambled through
a few pros and cons, perhaps interested students and
professors might care to follow up this statement with
letters which may be printed in subsequent editions.)
THE MEGAPHONE STAFF
JOHN WALLACE, Editor
ROBERTA O’ NEILL, Asst’.
Editor and Make Up
KNOX TYSON, Feature Editor
LANNY NAEGELIN,
BILL DANSBY, Fine Arts
Editors
JESSE WILLIAMS,
BRONWEN MORGAN, Religion
Editors
DAVID EASLEY,
TOM VICKERS,
JOHN WALKER, Sports
Editors
SARAH MILLER, Student
Union Bldg. Events Editor
SKIPPER SHAW, Advertising
Managet
BETSEY PHELPS,
MARGARET SLEEPER,
JODONNE POTTS, Headlines
DONNA VOSS, Proof Reader
RAY HARLAN,
LAMAR HANKINS, Reporters
EDWARD MANGUM, Faculty
Advisor
HORACE EVANS, Photographer
Emerald Apartments No. 205
Telephone, UN 3-5160
Mailing Address, Box 48 S.U.
Published by the Students Association of Southwestern University,
Georgetown, Texas. Issued weekly during the school year except for
official recess. Entered at the post office at Georgetown, Texas, as
second-class mail matter September 26, 1906, under special provision
of Act of March 3, 1879, and accepted for mailing at special rate of
postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized
August 20, 1918.
Subscription Rate: $1.00 per school year.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
• • •
Professor...
Advertising Rates: Furnished upon request
March 12, 1964
The Editor'of .the MEGAPHONE
Southwestern University
Georgetown I i
Dear Sir:
Thank you for your editorial “Out
With the Oral, In with the New.” I
was happy to see it for I’ve been
hoping for more of the serious kind
o€ discussion an eariser editorial led
me to expect. Of course, I’m partly
to blame because I didn’t write to
show my interest.
This doesn’t mean that I agree
with you, for I don’t. But I’m inter-
ested in your viewpoint.
Beheving that full and immediate
control of his basic subject matter
is most important for a graduating
senior, I naturally disagree with
what seems to me your over-empha-
sis on the senior thesis.
Of course skill in research is im-
portant: the requirement of a term
paper in freshman English and in
many advanced courses, as well as
the fact that most departments of-
fer senior courses in directed re-
search, these facte show that there
is general agreement on the impor-
tance of research.
But research does not result in
the well rounded knowledge gained
by adequate preparation for the oral
examination.
Of course such knowledge is not
the result just of a series of courses
either.
Rather it is the fruit of all the stu-
dent’s advanced work, based on con-
stant review and1 re-appraisal of
course work, amplifying and modify-
ing that work as it seems necessary.
Summer reading, “spare time”
reading, and1 such Courses as direct-
ed reading help in achieving this.
But the most important single
factor is the development .of the
Student’s own powers of critical
thought.
Having myself written a senior
thesis as an undergraduate — and
enjoyed it intensely —I am in sym-
pathy with your point of view.
However, I must point out at once
that I also took a senior seminar
which had the double purpose of
reorganizing previous studies with-
in a better critical framework and
also filling in gaps of grading and
general background.
Of the two types of training, I
felt and feel that the latter was more
vital as a preparation for graduate
work and for continuing growth in
scholarship.
To speak to two particular points
of your editorial: I do not have
enough experience here to general-
ize on the orals as conducted1 by
various departments, but I personal-
ly feel that far from being a “har-
rowing” experience, a final oral
should be an exciting experience,
serving as much to show off the
student’s learning achievements as
to show up his ignorance.
For the other point, why do you
suggest a student could never “fail”
a thesis? In other schools at, least
it does happen, not only to B. A.
candidates, but to M. A, and even
Ph.D. candidates.
the (situation, however
The main fault that I find with
the idea of a Senior thesis is the
fact that a-thesis calls for a special-
ized form of study. We are attend*
ing an undergraduate liberal arts
college.
The academic emphasis is upon
generality rather that speeilization;
therefore, it would be defeating the
college’s purpose to channel the
students’ efforts into the narrow al-
ley of specialization.
Looking at the situation from an-
other angle, it takes at least four
years of intense college study to
determine a person’s prime inter-
ests. Even if a student were fortun-
ate enough to have a specialty, he
would not have enough time to work
on a thesis of significant size.
A conscientious Student has his
hands FULL with a challenging aca-
demic load and reasonable social
life. A final note of despondency hits
me when I think that the theses
would just become another reference
file for our predominating buddy
system. Anyone can copy. Where is
the academic challenge? Where is
the proving ground?
I suggest that we revise rather
than eliminate the oral final. First,
die examination must last long
enough to be effective. It should last
a maximum of three hours, the mini-
mum being at the descretion of the
examiners.
A final covering the material of
only one semester lasts for three
hours. This test covers four years
of material. Should it not have at
least equal time? . . - '
Having sat in on a few oral finals,
I have noticed that the questions
tend to be too specific and meti-
culously detailed. The questions
should be more general in nature,
pdfcng new situations to die student
so that he might APPLY his knowl-
edge instead of simply recapitulating
it. The general question approach
would also enable the examiners td
observe the manner of attack that
the student uses in solving new pro-
blems.
Tlie third and final diange that
should be made is found in the ex-
amining board itself. With extended
time, another examiner would per-
mit the board to be more diverse in
its queries.
I believe that the head of the
department of the major under ex-
amination and a member of that de-
partment’s staff should be required.
The other two would be of the stu-
dent’s choice, preferably entirely out
of his field of study. %
The results of the strengthened
oral examination program are evi-
dent and quite desired. The student
would have a chance to put his
knowledge to work under the scru-
tiny of hiis teachers. He would final-
ly be forced to express some of his
own ideas and use some imagina-
tion.
If a person were to fail such an
examination, he should be given no
recourse other than to postpone his
graduation until he meets the de-
seed qualifications for graduating
from Southwestern as a capable situ
dent in his particular major.
Giving our Seniors this final, chal-
lenging step to graduation would
transform Southwestern’s Bachelor
Degree from cheesecloth into the
real sheepskin.
Sincerely, * I )
Gerald Everett
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same time it might be
pointed out that just as a student
Can re-write a thesis, so he can have
av secollh chance at the oral.
I hope your stimulating editorial
will call forth many comments, for I
am convinced that It Is only tMs
kind of serious discussion of our
many mutual concerns that can
build the atmosphere in which great
college work is done.
Sincerely yours,
Dr, Roy g. Teele
Head of English Dept.
Student
in
MARCH 10, 1964
Dear Editor:
1 would like to comment on your
•Atonal in the March 6 issue of the
MEGAPHONE. Being ft Student Of
Junior dassifiaation, this subject is
rapidly assuming importance in my
schedule of events.
f Agree with your basic idea that
•rat finals, as they now stand, art? im
•flftdertt and demand Me rtspeot
fntm the student or facoftty. I differ
Jonathan
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The Megaphone (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 57, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, March 20, 1964, newspaper, March 20, 1964; Georgetown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth634647/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Southwestern University.