Davidson College - Quips and Cranks Yearbook (Davidson, NC)

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of Cervantes with Humanities students Joe Calvin and Julie Cheek. Emphatically demonstrating his point, Scott Campbell (above), questions Professor Mele after philosophy class. Kirsten McDonald (right), stops taking notes to ponder the results of anti- semitism in Professor Polley ' s Holocaust seminar. Students flood religion courses in attempts to fulfil! area requirements Academics 23

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EPC Slips One Over: New P.E. Requirements By scanning the course selection sheets, Ruthie Farrior, above, tries to choose just three suitable classes for the upcoming term. But who or what powerful force controls Ruthie ' s selection of courses? The Educational Policies Committee, led by the invincible Darth Vadar of Davidson accademia, T.C. Price Zimmerman, worked to make several changes in courses and grading that sent students and professors into an uproar. Early in 1982 the Committee debated whether to close the Center for Special Studies in order to strengthen the Departmental Majors. According to Zimmerman, the faculty questioned if faculty members could work at the Center without weakening their work with majors in their own departments. About 200 students and professors signed petitions protesting this move, and soon afterwards the Committee dropped this proposal. In the spring the Committee made two proposals, one of which escaped the student body ' s interest. A decision to change the P.E. requirements came late in the spring when students were occupied with other concerns. In sharp contrast to this announcement, the EPC raised the issue of a change in the grading system. Under the EPC proposal letter grades would have been dropped and replaced by a 4.0 point system. Proponents of the new scale felt this change would enable professors to make finer distinctions in grading their students and eliminate the need to convert letter grades to the 4.0 point scale in order to determine GPA ' s. Student reaction was largely negative. Fear of increased competition for grades prompted 450 students to sign an SGA petition opposing any changes in the grading system. Finally, after long consideration and debate by the Committee, the faculty voted down the proposal by a 2:1 margin. The faculty and students were successful twice in defeating the EPC ' s proposals. The Center remains open, and the grading system unchanged. However, the EPC ' s constant attempts to alter perhaps antiquated Davidson institutions serves as a reminder that changes will eventually come to even a school steadfastly committed to tradition. God and man at Davidson College. Both are here. That they are here is clearly exemplified in the course requirements: every student must take three religion and philosophy courses. In fulfilling this requirement, students encounter professors from two of Davidson ' s strongest departments. Professor Maioney (top), brings his theological knowledge to a discussion 22 Academics

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Even lower-level courses fill easily in the Social Sciences Department. Professors Shi and Partin, (right and bottom center), literally teach and entertain history students for an hour a day. With the same success, Professor Clark Ross (below), establishes an easy-going rapport with economics followers Cindy Chavez, Mike Cooper and Mark Murrey. Lund Easterling (top right), pauses to grimace at a fellow classmate during Professor Thompson ' s economics class. Commented one timid participant in Experimental Psychology (bottom right), Think I like pushing this stupid bar all day long? Rats and students, however, managed to enjoy a fairly successful term with only minor casualities reported. 1 N:- Social sciences continue in popularity 24 Academics