The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 9, Ed. 1, Friday, November 11, 1960 Page: 4 of 8
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THE 0TEMtT
NOVEMBER 11. 1H
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EDITORIALS
r Failures
r Hosea Lewis
This Time We Carry the Ball
Unless some attitudes 710 attitudes to be
correct improve between now and semester
finals the fall term may end on a rather drab
note scholastic-wise.
Reference: The Failing list for the First
Six Weeks.
Twenty-two singled-spaced typewritten
pages were required to enumerate all failing
students the grand total amounting to almost
one-third of the student body.
By now the mails between here and home
should be flowing with letters from chargrin-
ed parents wondering what their "John's" and
"Sally's" are spending $700 a semester on any-
way. We're beginning to wonder too.
A lot of the failures were by freshmen
and that is to be expected. And a lot of the
low grades will be pulled back into line by
finals time.
But too many "blue slips" found their way
into hands of second third and fourth year
students who could offer no excuses but "ex-
cessive absences" and "lack of study."
ACC courses as we have advocated be
fore aren't snap courses but many of them
especially lower division courses require
much less than beginning courses at larger
universities.
Know this it is like we said a mighty sad
commentary when one-third of the student
body flunks one or more.
Then there's that matter of excessive ab-
sences. ACC's policy of allowing absences of up
to 20 per cent of the total number of class
periods stands as one of the most liberal
anywhere. Many other colleges allow no more
than one absence per semester hour in each
class.
No one would hate to see that sort of
policy enacted here more than would we but
if that is what it takes to impress on students
the essentialness of class attendance then that's
what should be done.
Perhaps this won't be necessary.
Students are always decrying the inter-
vention of the faculty and administration into
student affairs. This is one time we can dem-
onstrate that students can correct a disgusting
situation on their own.
Hosea Lewis Has Been a Long-Time Friend
Those who hear chapel announcements
requesting help in "sitting up with Brother
Hosea Lewis" may welcome a chance to know
imore about this man for whom so many are
showing concern.
He is a man now disabled in thought and
action by a malfunction of the circulatory
system in his brain. Confined to Hendrick
Memorial hospital he lives in constant semi-
conscious pain.
Hosea Lewis first came to ACC in 1912 for
four years as the registrar and established the '
first system for keeping permanent records.
He went to a closet on the original campus
downtown to dig out old grade books of pre-
vious years and compiled the first permanent
record cards.
In 1924 he returned to Baylor university
to work on his Master's degree and then
spent two more years at Thorp Spring Chris-
tian college as a teacher. In the next few years
he was the registrar and a teacher of math
and education at Texas Christian college and
was a teacher in public secondary schools for
the remainder of his 12-year absence from
ACC.
Lewis returned to ACC as a teacher in
math and physics in 1936 and through the
years has led in bringing order purpose and
direction to the physics program.
Dr. Paul Witt head of the department of
chemistry refers to Lewis as a man of order-
liness efficiency and ability to organize his
work.
Hosea Lewis has meant much to the
growth and development of ACC. He is a long-
time friend of the college.
A second religious issue that .threatened
Democratic prestige in closing hours was
Harry Truman's lack of it. " '
John Q. Public always thoroughly con-
fused by presidential candidate political
double-talk took the initiative this year 'and
kept pollsters and politicos alike ignorant of
the probable outcome.
Castro's ever-enlarging but unhappy army
has everything it needs for war but opposition.
And if the growing discontent continues Cas-
tro may find that he has furnished that too.
absences; test failures; and not studying'
Usual Reasons Again Given as Basis
For Compilation of Low Percentages
The usual three nemeses of col-
lege students again led Ihe "rea-
sons for failure" suggestions noted
"in .the First Six Weeks Failure
list release last week.
"Excessive absenses" "failure
of major tests" and "lock of
study" continued their reign of
terrior among disciples of the
book.
MORE THAN 80 per cent of the
failures were attributed to one or
more of these causes.
A surprising number of stu-
dents aren't passing according to
the list because of poor back-
grounds in English and poor
reading comprehension. One stu
dent was failing a low-level
English course because of "poor
spelling."
Teachers offered encourage-
ment to students in many in-
stances. One wrote to a freshman
Bible student "It will not take
much effort to bring this grade
up." Another pleaded with a
freshman English student "A
slow start. Please try a little
harder you can do it."
OTHERS. THOUGH frankly
didn't offer much hope such as the
chemistry professor who Informed
a student that if you don't see
me regularly for help you won't
have a chance to pass." Another
chemistry student' had his troub-
Jes summed up in one word
"Neglect."
Only one reference was made
to "sleeping in class." It wns a
freshman Bible student.
One junior fell behind in an
English course because of "eye
trouble." The student lost a con-
tact lense and couldn't read as-
signments for two weeks.
THE WORST LOT of all seem-
ed to fall on the freshman Eng-
lish student who didn't make the
grade because of: "Failure to
hand in daily work; failure on
hand in themes failure to at-
1 tend class."
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AFTERTHOUGHT
by HAROLD STRAUGHN
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T.
ELEVISION viewers of the election return tabulators now
can sympathize with the grocery clerk on a busy Saturday.
It probably wouldn't be very funny to invite Nixon to become an
advisory lawyer on ACC's Gifts and Bequests committee.
Speaking of grocery clerks suggests another possible job in which
the losing candidate has had experience.
The air-conditioning is about fixed in the Clilsenship wing.
Early in the vote-counting the Democrat forces were described by
TV commentators as "quietly jubliant." And were the G.O.P. sup-
porters boisterously apprehensive?
There are students in college who have no vivid memories of
pre-Elvis days.
ACC people are taking lhe election in characteristic Iteic
.iathiont it is not true that the next new building will be a
bomb shelter.
Gordon Campbell who rooted for the Yankees voted for Nixon
and thdught the Fighting Wildcats would have a good season says
friends have started refusing his checks.
Hiram Adoniram points out that if attendance at Tuesday Night
Devotional had been larger things might be different.
"If the South Had Won the War" It a new boolc which fairly
demands sequels such as "If Columbus Hod Miffed the Boaxj"
"If Darwin Had Been a Chriflianj" "If Buffalo Gap Had Won
the County Seat."
The sports fan complains about his old Texas high school football
team losing all its games. But basketball time will be worse he says
bcause the girls team is figured to be stronger than the varsity.
The boy in Englifh claw remarked after lhe lail Norther
that he was glad to tee weather coming along to lake our minds
off the eloclion which had come along to take our minds off the
weather.
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DUDLEY LYNCH
BOB ARMISTEAD
JAMES BATTS
LYNN COLEMAN
John Maxwell
Editor
Business Manager
Sports Editor
Political Writer
PhntnctrnnVio-p
Harold Straughn Warren Lewis . Columnists
Lana Coker Assistant Business Manager
Dr. Heber Taylor Charles Marler Sponsors
REPORTERS Jimmy Parsons Mike Cummings Sandy
Ramsey Sonny Bateman Jack Shupe David Burnight Linda
Goyne Leland Ohlhausen Linda Smith Herbert Stage George
Trewitt Ann Tyler Jenelle White.
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 9, Ed. 1, Friday, November 11, 1960, newspaper, November 11, 1960; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth95985/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.