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Digital Kenyon: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Exchange The Kenyon Collegian College Archives 9-23-2004 Kenyon Collegian - September 23, 2004 Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.kenyon.edu/collegian Recommended Citation "Kenyon Collegian - September 23, 2004" (2004). The Kenyon Collegian. 302. https://digital.kenyon.edu/collegian/302 This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College Archives at Digital Kenyon: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Kenyon Collegian by an authorized administrator of Digital Kenyon: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. mscnanimX , ,pW , 158RCRM ft I 8UMCSCIM J? Kokosing Gap W ESTABLISHED 1856 Trail FRA PROGRESSES Volume CXXXII, Number 4 Kenyon student follows the Collegian staff tours the new collegian.kenyon.edu river and learns its lore athletic facility Features, p. 11 FRA, p. 6-- 7 The Kenyon Collegian Gambier, Ohio THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2004 16 Pages Course evaluation Caraway's Restau- rant closes its doors its BY JOSEPH FREEMAN closed doors. system Car- overhauled According to Wolford, Staff Reporter away's, formally known as "The BY ROSE BABINGTON revised after its review last spring Music Benjamin Locke, the Chair busi- Ohio Restaurant," spiral-in- g Staff Reporter by the Faculty Affairs Committee of the Faculty, the old evaluation The ongoing battle for began in the (FAC). After a trial run last spring, system consisted of a paper survey, ness between Coshocton Avenue downward 2003, when city Mt. Vernon Beginning in December, all the technologically advanced ;ind given out during class at the end of and downtowm Mount Vernon of underwent an students will have the chance to log more detailed evaluation system each semester, with ten phrases that claimed its latest victim last Tues- expansive renovation known as the project." Accord- on to the Kenyon network and offer was officially approved at a faculty students answered by "circling their day with the closing of Caraway's "streetscape ing to Wolford, the tore up, re- extensive feedback on one or more meeting on Sept. 13. It will be used level of agreement or disagreement Tavern on Main. city furnished, of their courses from the semester. to review at least one class taught with these statements." To tally the Open for little over two years, and polished off certain The existing course evalu- by each faculty member at the end responses, the associate provost's or Caraway's was a popular down- areas and avenues downtown. was intended ation system, which has been in of this semester. the registrar's office constructed a town spot known for everything The renovation effect for the past three years, was According to Professor of from fresh breakfast dishes in the as "District Improvement," but see EVALUATIONS, page two morning to a wide variety of im- Wolford deemed that phrase in- ported beers by night. accurate, alleging that it pushed Poetry "It was always my dream to patrons away from the businesses and Profit open up a bar," said Caraway's on Main St. to the more bustling owner, Fred Wolford. But Tuesday sprawl of establishments on Co- night, Wolford poured his last beers shocton Avenue. He holds the for customers before the restaurant see CARAWAY'S, page two - ! ' " - ....... - ... , -- x ' Rising GPAs cause ? ; ; ! ' ' ? . ; ' i i concern among faculty ' ' ' i ; , 15 : average GPA at schools rose in ' I BY ' '.;' CHARLOTTE NUGENT XJ : . .. " 2003-200- 4 school ' News Editor from the previous ; ' ; s i : : A year, while four had average GPAs ! a , . " , i - A recent spike in the average that remained the same and only five GPA of Kenyon students has sparked had average GPAs that fell. Kenyon 1 i a fresh, local round of an old academic records the 8th, 13th, and 10th highest debate: is grade inflation a problem at GPAs in the survey for the last three Steve Klise American colleges? school years respectively, placing it Data provided by the Registrar's somewhere in the middle of the pack Katherine Maus, Professor of English at the University of Virginia, delivered a lecture entitled "Po- office show an increase in the average of rising GPAs at similar institutions. etry and Profit: Then Invention of the Literary Market in Renaissance England" on Monday. GPA of Kenyon students to 3.32 for the 2003-200- 4 school year, up from A point of contention 3.25 in the 2002-200- 3 school year and What to make of all this data, Plant closes, leaving 39 unemployed from 3.19 in the 2000-200- 1 school however, is a point on which few contract expeditor for Jervis, says year when the spike began. Further agree. Current and former faculty employment agency fears Jervis BY EMILY KING she's "not real sure" what she'll analysis of data shows Kenyon's members expressed feelings about Staff employees will have a hard time Reporter do when the plant closes. "I have average student GPA rising steadily grade inflation that ranged from finding equivalent jobs elsewhere. two years of college experience over the last 50 years from 2.58 in guarded neutrality to moral outrage. Earlier this month, the Jervis "They'll find jobs," she says, "but in paralegal studies. I'm think- 1955, the earliest year for which data "One sees grade inflation and auto- B. Webb Company, which pro- not positions that pay as well. ing about going back to school was available. matically says 'bad,'" said Professor duces overhead conveyor belts Some of these workers have been to study psychology. I've actually According to the Registrar, A's of Drama Thomas Turgeon. "I'd like 20-2- 5 automotive and garment at this plant for years. They A-minu- for the ses been on Kenyon 's website looking and constitute 45 of all to know a bit more about it before we industries, announced plans to won't find salaries like that any- at classes. Or maybe I'll go into final class grades given at Kenyon, determine if it's bad." its Vernon On where else." B-plus- B-minu- Mount branch. ses close es, early education. I don't know what while B's and Professor of Political Science September 30, the factory located Since most of these employ- I'll do." constitute 39 of all final class grades. Fred Baumann, on the other hand, sees on 1 1 Mount Vernon Avenue will ees have backgrounds only in Because of this decision and C's and D's follow distantly behind, grade inflation as an unequivocal blot permanently close its doors. 39 machinery,Williams said they will 1 because of the immediate benefits accounting for 7 and of final on American highereducation. "When employees will lose their jobs. need to be trained in another trade of severance packages and un- class grades, respectively. you inflate grades, the professor treats Mel Stokes, the Director of in order to get another high paying employment revenue, Williams Kenyon is not alone with its ris- himself and his work with contempt," Human Resources at J.B. Webb's job. With few machinist positions said that workers will delay their ing average GPA. According to a sur- said Baumann. "And it leads the stu- - headquarters in Farmington available in the job market, these liberal-art- search for a new job. "So far, only vey of24 s colleges prepared Hills, Michigan, attributes the workers will have to completely see GRADES, page five a few have filtered into my office," by Franklin and Marshall College, the closures of its Mount Vernon and re-tail- or their careers. "It's a hard she says, "Most are bitter and just Marietta, GA branches to "a poor time right now for Jervis workers," want to take a vacation." Williams economy." said Williams, "In these next few believes there are jobs out there Tonight: Clear. High: 84F, low: Saturday: Partly cloudy. High: Though Jervis offers sever- months, these workers have to de- for these workers; however, she 52F. 73F, low: 43F. ance packages, Diana Williams cide what they want to do with the realizes the search and training Friday: Partly cloudy. High: Sunday: Sunny. High: 69F, of the Opportunity Knox Employ- rest of their lives." 82F, low: 53F. low: 42F. ment Center Mount Vernon's Shelley Legg, the 32 year-ol-d see JERVIS, page five fifflfifri The Kenyon Collegian NEWS Thursday September 23, 2004 Evaluations: Online system offers more options CONTINUED from page one 50 percent This meant that the when that "students can type in responses thorough and accurate reflection of was used for only a few courses, was found to be very successful in graph showing where the responses the TPC referenced letters for a fac- that they want to add . narrative the students' opinions. evalu- the faculty, lay, and the professor then received ulty member's review, they did not responses." Faculty members can In addition, because all views of administrators, a copy of the spreadsheet. get a complete picture of that faculty also submit three questions of their ations will be conducted online, and students. In addition to the normal eval- member's performance, which she own that are specific to the class; compiling and reformatting the Although they cannot promise uations, students were occasionally said is a problem when "someone's only that professor will see those surveys will become a more effi- that the system will run flawlessly requested to submit letters to the career is at stake." responses. In addition, said Profes- cient and timely process. Associate the first time, members of the FAC Provost's office regarding one With regard to both the letters sor Sullivan, a few evaluation letters Provost Richard Switzer said that, said they believe that it will be a particular professor who was up and the survey evaluations, Finke will still be requested from students, in addition, "the process will be distinctive improvement over the for promotion or tenure.