Show ' 4)' StV ttSBWMWI 1 editorial comment More excuses ' " t' ’ Fall quarter is nearing an end The snow is falling and the seasons are changing Wherever you look things are changing Everything that is except the parking problem which is just as severe as it was at the beginning of fall quarter It is not as if the parking problem has materialized over night It was decided that the new areas would be installed last summer year arrived a miriad of parking problems arrived with it To the angry cries of When the new school “spaceless” students Val Peterson director of physical plant promised that the parking problem would be solved in a very short time Evidently Peterson’s definition of a short time is — different from mineTwo months otdecent weather has passed and the work has yet to completed Stories of sudden problems inclement weather and university priorities are constantly uttered from within the hallowed halls of the Physical Plant building The latest excuse is centered around the fact that it is impossible to asphalt the new parking lot when all of the firms that produce asphalt have closed down for the winter The story of unexpected bad weather is a poor excuse for delaying the completion of the parking lots It’s common knowledge that when November comes to Logan snow is not far behind Wouldn’t you assume that Physical Plant would realize this and plan accordingly? When Petersen realized the problems these unwarranted delays were causing he stated that the gravel area west of the HPER building would be open until the new parking areas were completed The area west of the HPER building was opened for only a few days before it was shut down because of ‘sudden problems’ Apparently the weight of the automobiles was compressing the gravel that covered the parking lot If this continued future plans to turn the area into a playing field would be ruined It’s time that Physical Plant stopped making excuses and started getting some work done If the present rate of postponement continues USU will have a population of 50000 students and a monorail system throughout the campus before the parking lots are completed Barry Willis Managing Editor Editor Student Life is written in raised response to the questions -- and— iannes Jay This letter by-Will- self-confiden- ce aad iam- Shearer (SL regarding I am ethics disaptranscript students that graduate pointed who have “too much integrity to conjure up an excuse for academic failure” could conclude that the Transcript Cleanup Resolution “is totally inconceivable” without stating one factual or theoretical reason their by Judging why generalized onslaught and inaccurate representation of this 11-22-- - resolution I wonder if they even bothered to procure and study an exact copy of the proposal I know for a fact they did not contact the author of the proposal and ask for any clarification before drawing their conclusions If the Academic Senate was guilty of shoddy research and assertions of this ” unsupported Mr Shearer and Mr nature then James might be justified in accusing the Senate of an “excursion through the outer limits of marks and asterisks actually draw attention to die poorest part of a studenfs record This not only affects a studenfs reality” Before the submission of the proposal it was discussed with several college deans the USU registrar the Dean of Admissions and Records a number of professors several staff members the director of the Placement Center various graduate and undergraduate students who GPA’s ranged from 40 to academic probation personnel directors of several large firms two psychologists and a phychiatrist It was also compared to similar programs of other large state-owne- d institutions in different regions It was evaluated by each of the above in terms of necessity workability ethics justification desirability and The only real criticism came from a small minority of administrators and faculty interviewed Their questions were generally in' regards to cost and ethics However no one felt the idea was without some merit Simply put the proposal would allow students who have made up incompletes retaken courses in which a low grade was received or and completed courses from which they had withdrawn receiving a W to have the original marks removed from their transcript for a slight fee At the present time in- completes have a slash mark placed through them when work is completed poor grades in courses that have been retaken have an asterisk placed by them referring to a footnote on the transcript that states the original grade was not used in GPA computation as the course was retaken and a higher grade received die second time around and W’s remain even if the class is retaken Under this system die slash bea&ing--i- y placing him on the defensive in personnel interviews but often gives some prospective personnel directors an unfair derrogatory perspective of student the through a real emphasis on the few negative aspects of his academic performance The reasons for receiving I’s W’s and poor grades are many and varied in their legitimacy sickness Marriage over- committing oneself long working hours cold weather for a 7:30 winter class too many papers due at the same time sickness physicological problems or a poor attitude are all reasons In some classes tfiat run over a period an automatic T is given the first quarter due to the very structure of the course and no fault whatsoever on the two-quart- er - studenfs part The reasons for I’s W’s or poor grades is not given on the transcript no matter how legitimate unless a personnel director asks or you have the courage to plunge right into the poorest part of your four years of academics to voluntarily explain In my opinion no matter what the reason for a D F I or W if a student has the initiative and is responsible enough to pay the money and make the effort to retake or complete the course the second inoitr is a far more accurate indicator of his performance capacity and - actual mastery of the subject The self-initiat- ed sacrifice to correct the original transgression shows more' clearly what type of person he is than does the original mistake The time money and effort required to make this voluntary restitution for error is in itself enough of a punishment for even an overt sin without the emphasis of a slash mark and asterisk to plauge him for eternity’In short the purpose of the to transcript cleanup resolution is allow a student the opportunity for a complete repentance of academic shortcomings: In an era when judicial bodies in most states completely eliminate records of trafffic and offenses criminal misdemeanors after Involuntary remittance and a period of good behavior and some states are even considering use of the same I procedure in felony cases rational cannot picture “We must humanitarians saying ot cause keep all records for the integrities sake After we voluntarily pay e error-pronprice give us average students a break P°r record-keepin- g Favor Grant Protxman HA S3 Senator D-m- m rml I Vt Art a |