Broward Community College - Silver Sands Yearbook (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

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iff 1,14 ff 'r gy: ,A,f'..lll if Vx ' T 1 79' SGA meetings are characterized by neither the most gratifying nor the most encouraging atmosphere on campus. Their business is serious and it's taken that way. However, they are plagued by one consistently overbearing problem - how do you help a student body that is completely indifferent to your efforts? y uv W ' 1 1 i 7-'X s sa..- me Pell: ef 'X fx .ff

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t is rewarding to reach the top, nutwhen you fall short, by a mere vercent or two, and receive a Erade equivalent to work ten per- ent below your goal, competitive pirit is greatly diminished. HE whole point grading stem we labor under presently J.C.B.C. is not a unique fea- .1re at colleges and universities, ut to the majority of Broward udents it represents a new con- pt in grading. This system is ased on a grade scale of zero nrough four as follows: 0-F - 0-59 22' 1-D - 60-69 QL 2-C - 70-79 fi 3-B - 80-89 Si-V 4-A - 90-100 Qi iAs you can readily see, this l ale gives both the students and e faculty great leeway, in so auch as grading is concerned. tome consider this system too nient, others consider it too vere. The nature of their out- ook is many times based on the ffect the scale has had on their .grade point average. Other stu- llents complain that at times the instructors have raised the per- entages in the scale, as some in- ructors feel, and justifiably so, at 90 Si is too low a grade to ate a four point. 1 Functioning under the scale, a tudent may obtain a grade equiv- ilent to a B in a course for work iveraging either 79.5 fb or 89.41 . his wide span for a single grade quite beneficial to the student lust conquering a B by five 'enths of a percent, but a blow 0 the student who averages al- most ten points better and gets 'he same grade for Work of su- Derior quality. Many of the supporters of the whole point system feel that it provides a uniform grade scale for all the courses on campus, but what of the instructor who grades more severely? His stu- dents are not actually on a uni- form scale with the rest of the J.4C.B.C. campus. The whole point system does, however, have some beneficial features. Being a two year campus, Broward students must transfer to complete their educations. This whole point scale does not need to be recomputed at the school to which the student transfers. The grades are accepted as they stand, being readily use- 1l. able by mechanical minds both here and at another campus. The whole point system is both mechanically functional and char- itable. Charitable, in that it af- fords a high grade point average to a border-line student, giving him the same grade as his harder working, often more ambitious, counterpart. Does this charity really help both students? Both the hard working student and hiz more lackadaisical counterpart stand a good chance of receiving the same grade, be it a two, three. or a four. This system could and sometimes does, deter the incen- tive of an ambitious student. Education is a challenge to the individual, an enjoyable romp through the learning process in open competition with our fellow students. Our grading scale, with each whole point representing such a Wide range and quality of work is not conducive to open intellectual competition. It is re- warding to reach the top, but when you fall short, by a mere percent or two, and receive a grade equivalent to work ten per- goal, competitive diminished. cent below your spirit is greatly Many large colleges and uni- versities use the half point grad- ing system, somewhat equivalent to the plus and minus systems in lower educational facilities. This system presents a wide range of grades or so to speak a larger choice of rewards for work ac- complished. Each half point is an extra in- centive to the student. a spark of incentive when, he knows that his hard work will be graded in proportion to that of his fellow students. This system, though less open handed and charitable than our whole point system, would provide Broward students with a sense of satisfaction for a job well done. As each student strives to achieve, he will be rewarded equivalent to the quality of the work he has done. 0 O 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.5 3.0 2.0 4.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 If you intend to labor. under which system would you labor best? 7

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HE Comte Joseph Marie de Maistre, a nine- :eenth century diplomat remarked that, Every :ountry has the government it deserves. Assuming that Mssr. de Maistre was correct, and we have no reason to believe that he was not, it is also safe to assume that the same can be said of a student body on a somewhat smaller scale. l Before we even begin to examine the question of who deserves whom we must first accept the fact :hat too large a number of students have no concept Jf a Student Government whatsoever. As tragic as :his might seem it points up the fact that these :tudents either don't wish to have a voice or they frouldn't care less - the latter hypothesis being the ore likely. Needless to say, this situation presents limitless pportunities to drag out trite axioms like, Of the eople, by the people and for the people, etc. ad finitum. As for those students who have taken notice of 'he SGA most of them have pointed an accusing inger and charged ineptitude. Although this charge s not altogether untrue it is, for the most part, ianfair. If the SGA has been inept in the past, and most certainly has been, it is not because of lack ,mf good intention or lack of effort but rather due to a lack of communication with the student. And iere is where we can finally place the blame with omeone. Communication is a two way street and the BGA has never hesitated to make use of all the acilities at hand to bring the Student Government o the students. It's just that for some unexplainable feason the students have resisted all efforts to be :ommunicated with. With each new fall term comes the hope that this might be the year that the SGA reaches its Jotential and no one ever seems to be too surprised hen the semester ends and everyone says, What GA? And why should they be surprised? The SGA .ponsored the dances that they never attended. The BGA threw the picnic that only a fraction of the itudent body attended. It was the SGA that was responsible for the political forums that tempted grand total of fifteen or sixteen people. And who as it that served as arbitrator when the students requested better food but lacked the courage and he means to do something about it? The Student p overnment Association. l Because no one showed up for the dances, be- ause local, state and national politicians spoke to n empty house and because the food situation is till far from ideal the SGA has been accused of efficacy. But, we know where the real blame be- ngs. The present SGA administration has been active may not be seem to be the correct either Presi- Jean Holder over the summer and although they better than past administrations they finally attacking the problem from angle-the student. When approached, dent Terry LaBelle or Vice-President will state vehemently that they cannot operate effectively or reach their full potential without the assistance and support of the student body. To admit this is already the start of a decisive if minor, victory. If problem is half the half way to go. More than ever to the student and the students forget that. Calendars of special events will be made available to everyone and SGA's Publicity Committee doesn't intend to let anyone rest until they at least know What's going on. As in the past all Student Government Associa- tion meetings will be open to the public but for the first time the veil of aloofness that hung per- petually over the SGA will be lifted. In our American society an individual accused of a crime is entitled to a fair trial before a jury of his peers. To find an entire body guilty of the crime of incompetence Without this trial would be an unspeakable injustice. Therefore you, the stu- dents, must serve as judge and jury to the Student Government Association. But remember if you find them guilty you must also find yourselves guilty for you also stand accused of the same crimes. it is true that recognizing the battle than the SGA has only this year everything is geared the SGA doesn't intend to let , - i V .ff-'- m H 'ii I -1-if 'I J 'LY . ..l..-- E E Fi we A I PULLS --.J is 2 'tp-, jr 'S' WY S f steam, g X ig g . I g ,- , l V NWI . mg, in x MV.. jg? tim.. 9 .