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Show Westminster College of Salt Lake City Tuesday, November 19, 1991 Volume XXXIV Issue X Lower "Grade Distribution" False Says Vice President Baar Forum staff writer Rumor around campus is that some students say that faculty said that administration said that faculty had better start lower- -. , ing grades. ' At the invitation of ASWC President Matt Beard, academic vice president, Dr. Stephen R. Baar addressed members of the Senate, stating, The report that administration told faculty to lower grades is false. Thats what the faculty may have heard, but it wasnt said that way. Baar also clarified the term grade inflation. He said he prefers to use the term grade distribution or high grades because the issue is not that of grade inflation. Baar said for the last six years, Westminster has been compiling reports every semester to analyze grade points of gradu attendance at the meeting and is conducting research on the subject, If this current upward trend continues, at the end of this decade, the average GPA for a graduating student will be just over 3.7, which is equivalent to an A minus. Baar offered several reasons why high grades are being given. He said one myth is if faculty members give good grades to students, students will give good teacher evaluations, and if faculty are mean, students will receive low grades, therefore poor teacher evaluations will be given. Baar said research shows that this is not true nationally, or at Westminster. Faculty at Westminster giving low grades on this campus do in fact get high or higher evaluations. In fact, some people who give out the very highest grades do not get the high or highest teacher evaluations. A second observation Baar made rc- - ating seniors. It has been noted that in the past few years GPAs and the number of As are going up. He said the average GPA figures for graduating undergraduate seniors are from 1985 to 1991: 1985 - 3.196, 1986 - 3.386, 1987 - 3.362, 1988 - 3.371, 1989 - 3.382, 1990 - 3.420, and 1991 - 3.458. Also, average ACT scores of incoming high school students at Westminster are up one point over last year, from 21.7 to 22.7. University of Utah average ACT scores were 19.0. Were higher than the U of U or other related schools, said Baar. Baar said that looking at these statistics, a question that arises is why are high grades being given? So what if grades continue to rise? What will this mean to todays students? According to Dr. Fred Fogo, assistant professor of communications, who was in by Lynette Rundell , . Continued on Page 6 Arts Advisory Council Was Westminster's Best Kept Secret by Fred Thaller r According to Muscolino, Westminster was a Fine liberal arts college with a much greater emphasis on music and all the performing arts during the 1970s when he Forum staff writer Until it was exposed this week through exhibitions and performances, the Westminster College Arts Advisory Council was one of the best kept secrets on campus. Joe Muscolino, Westminster alumnus, local musician, and member of the Arts Advisory Council, would like to see it become even more public. The Arts Advisory Council is composed of representatives from the community who have interest in and involvement with the arts on the local and national level, said Sonja Chesley, director of annual giving for Westminster. Through their expertise, guidance, contacts and support, the entire arts program is enhanced at Westminster. Muscolino recently gave a free concert at the Jewett Center. He said he would like to see a real smorgasbord of free arts events held on campus each year. The current exhibition at the Jewett Center, Bronze and Beethoven, is an example, he said. We thought it would be fun to combine some of the disciplines in the arts realm and it has worked very well. Sculptor John Mortensen is displaying . his equestrian and Southwest Indian bronzes. Local businessmancivic leader Walker Wallace played viola as featured soloist with the Westminster Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Jeff Manookian. said The concert was standing-room-onlMuscolino. The combined event pleased both the eye and ear, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The bronze exhibit will remain on display through November 25 from 2:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. . graduated. He said, The college became more of a technically oriented school as a result of the restructuring. It has become known more for its fine business and nursing schools. Muscolino said he wants to get the college back to the point where there are events on campus all the time. He thinks this shows promise. Westminster is now becoming a liberal arts college again, he said. Theyve done a terrific job updating the campus and . art-relat- , y, j, ,r,a fth,rri,vi i ed adding new buildings. According to Muscolino, he and another band member haveeaeh purchased a$ 1 ,000 chair at the Jewett Center. We are behind this effort 100 percent, he said. We want to show the other alumni we are backing this financially, and as advisors we put our money where our mouths were. Muscolino said he is working closely with the Musicians Performance Trust Fund in an effort to promote live concerts bn campus. These concerts will range from jazz to classical, rock n roll to the blues. All will be free admittance. Muscolino said he hopes better coordinated promotion efforts on campus and in the community will make more people aware of the art- - related events coming to the campus. A lot of the fun of college is to take advantage of the opportunities and attend these events. According to Chesley, Westminsters music department offers a solid music program in addition to the Westminster , - . Concert Series, the Chamber Orchestra the Philharmonic, the Westminster Quintet, the Westminster Chorus, and the Renaissance Singers, all which offer entertainment. The Westminster theater department has an outstanding speech and theater arts program, said Chesley. It also offers the Westminster Players and TheatreWorks West. Both groups provide quality theater experiences for students and the commu- -' nity each year. The art program at Westminster offers students a full range of experiences in various art forms, according to Chesley. She said they can study drawing, painting, photography, pottery and sculpture. Student work is displayed in exhibits in various locations on campus. Westminster has three programs supported by the Utah Arts Council. Ellipsis (theliterary magazine), theUtah Poetry Series and the Westminster Story telling Festival are all ongoing programs open to students and the community at large. The Arts Advisory Council is attempting to bring all of these disciplines together in various mixes to provide a rich range of experiences to the students, faculty and staff, said Chesley. The goal is also to share these opportunities with people in the community. - In addition to Muscolino, other members of the Arts Advisory Council are: Chairman Walker Wallace, Dr. Hermione Abbey, Maestro Maurice Abravanel, Jack Adamson, Norma Adamson, Ronda Daniels, Dr. Charles Dick, Barbara Dick, Terrell Dougan, Don Doxey, Ray Kingston, Kay Kuzminski, Jeff Manookian, Shaun McCarthy, Gail McCulloch, Dr. Ray Ownbey, Jeanne Paulos, Fran Prayn, Carol Radinger, Gunter Radinger, Shari Quin-neAdrienne Silverstein, Randi Wagner and Claudine Wilcox. y, |