1971-03-12; Central Michigan Life

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CENTRAL
MICHIGAN
LIFE
Volume 51, Number 65
Mt. Pleasant, Michigan 48858
Friday,March 12,1971
CMU lettuce buying policy
continues without change
This man in Carey Food Commons is looking aHead to spring
break and the next LIFE which will hit the streets Wednesday,
March 24. We just hope that he doesn't lose his head when he
thinks about the next eight weeks ahead.
French students take part
in live-in study session
By NANCY ASHLEY
LIFE Staff Writer
If you cannot go to France to
improve your French at this time
in your studies, the foreign language department is offering you
an alternative, a "French Live-
In."
The "immersion" course,
worth three hours of University
credit, will be held during the
mini-session. The most important requirement is that each
participant pledge to speak only
French for the entire session.
"The experience may improve
your French even more than a
group experience in Europe
where you break into English
reactions," said Edana DuGuay,
associate professor of foreign
languages and director of the
program.
French will be the sole medium of communication in work
and "play" during the course.
Activities are planned from
8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
These include meals, movies;
Play rehearsals, and field trips
to French cultural centers in
Detroit. All activities will be
conducted in French.   . \       #
Miss DuGuay and Marilyri
Bendena, instructor of foreign
languages, will spend the entire
% with the group. Miss Bendena will live in a special wing
« a specified dorm reserved Ibr
«e group. :     .
''From experience, I know this
Will be tremendously beneficial
because of its structure and the
complete dedication to French
and French activities all day/?
Miss DuGuay said. She has
conducted similar courses before,
''There is much fun, pleasure,
-JJ» a great feeling of accom-
Pishment involved, but it re-
■*»es self-discipline
fious experience,"
tinued.
ml^y evetl m^e you lose
2J4 by beine 'on the go' co*-
sSr.    exercislng    different
Peaking mechanisms, and<mak~
J* the effort to restrain your
En^sh," she commented.        •
ls£r  ?Ud6nts ab^6 the" 202
m French may register fdr
e course March 23, 24, and 25
Warriner Hall,    the entire
ticipaie   in   order  to keep the
group intimate.
Study sheets and oral quizzes
will take the place of homework
and tests, since time will be taken
up with other activities.
Continued on page 3
Demonstrations in the University Center and Warriner Hall
this past week have brought to
light on campus an issue that
has been brewing for some time
on the national scene.
The demonstrations concern
the University's policy of buying
certain types of lettuce. This
policy was explained yesterday
by Central Food Stores manager,
Ken Schaeffer.
"The University has a contract
with a purveyor in Grand Rapids
to buy lettuce on the open market there. We don't have a
contract with any union."
Schaeffer said that the
purveyor has been instructed to
buy the best quality lettuce at
the cheapest price without considering whether it is Growers
Union, Teamsters Union or nonunion lettuce.
However, Schaeffer added,
"Whenever   prices  and quality
are equal, we buy either of the
union lettuce."
Demonstrators, representing
the Growers Union, want the
University to discontinue its policy of Teamsters Union and nonunion lettuce. The Growers Union
does not have a contract with
the growers in California while
the Teamsters do.
Schaeffer   said that it would
'/take a directive from above"
to change the lettuce buying policy.
"We are and have been concerned with the problem but at
this time we'll stay with the
same policy."
Both President Boyd and Auxiliary Enterprises Director
Richard Lichtenfelt were unavailable for comment on the policy.
Drug
to be
training
held at
session
Central
Some 400 representatives of
state departments dealing with
education, health, welfare and law
enforcement as well as school
and volunteer health agencies
and professional organizations
are expected to attend a Drug
Education     Leadership     Pro-
Grade system depends on. professor
instructors each have ideas
and is an
she con-
°0st is $203.50
rooi«i. board
16
Peopl
which includes
and tuition,   Only
will be able to par-
By MONETTAL. RICHEY
LIFE Feature Editor
(ED. NOTE: This is the last
of three installments of a grade
analysis at Central.)
Undergraduates are recommended to enroll in 15 semester
hours one semester, 16 hours
the next in order to total 124
hours at the end of four years-
me number needed for graduation.
This 124 hours represents 40
to 50 different classes and usually that many different professors.
Each professor has his own grading system and it is up to the
student to master that system
or receive a low grade in the
class as a result.
The first day of class some
instructors announce there will
be* no grades given below a "B"
because the students are seniors,
passed their survey courses and
since they must be serious toward
their studies, they deserve good
grades.
Ronald Hosbach, assistantpro-
fessor of education, has an
"evaluation contract" with his
secondary . education classes.
This means that given the objectives and standards of the class,
the students decide which letter   , \
■ •      ...ill     ,„^^i,    i-mttorri       V
grade they will work toward.
They can change their goal anytime during the semester.
A student, reports that in a
physical education course, modern dance, she missed a "B"
by two-tenths of a point, quite
if different grading system altogether.
Or there is the. professor who
announces: "1 have always given
10 percent A grades, 10 percent
E grades and a majority of C
grades and ho matter how well
you do, nothing can change my
grading system *'
Tests,   the'
LIFE News
Analysis
grades, are definitely not a true
measure of a student's ability.
For instance, Health Education
219 (emergency health care) is
a good example. Many ambulance drivers enroll in the class,
drivers who have had years of
emergency experience. However, come test time, these students might only receive a "C"
and because of the test, they are
not being fairly evaluated.
Another sore point with grades
is that some students read only
the book flaps, write a book re
view and receive an A for a
minimum of effort. Other students read the entire book but
only write a B or C book review.
These are a few examples why
students and faculty alike are
dissatisfied with grades.
There are a variety of systems
at Central since there is no official "University policy" towards
how a professor grades his students. And considering these
systems, students wonder just
how relevant and, important
grades are.
New and younger instructors
seem to favor a very liberal
nonchalent grading policy. They
are tired of playing academic
gamesmenshipand instead create
Continued on page 3
gram at Central Michigan University. The two day conference
is scheduled for March 15 and
16 in Pearce Hall.
According to Donald Breckon,
associate professor in the Department of Education at CMU,
the conference is designed to
bring the drug problem into focus with emphasis on what various agencies in a concerted effort
can do to control it.' Breckon
is in charge of arrangements
for the conference.
Resource people will speak and
lead discussions and participate
on panels. Among those participating will be Michigan's Lieutenant Governor JamesBrickley;
Sue Boe, director of consumer
affairs with the Pharmaceutical
Manufacturing Assn. Washington
D.C., and Dr. Thomas Stachnik,
director, Governor's Office on
Drug Abuse. Also scheduled to
speak is Vincent W. Piersante,
chief investigator of the Organized Crime Division of the Michigan  attorney  general's  office.
Concluding the conference will
be Raymond Johnson, assistant
professor of Health Education at
CMU who will chair a panel on
the topic, "Value Clarification
' and the Classroom Techniques.'*
Continued on page 6
THE NEW "museum" opens/nopefiuly later this month, «udeni and other vistors will be
WHEN THE ^;^^'as^^^ View historical natural and cultural exhibits. Steve Gougeon
old stand-by for       K^JSSSE^
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