Students Question Validity of GRE Testing
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In Sports In Section 2 An Associated Collegiate Press Four-Star All-American Newspaper Cross cour:~try Overcoming ki.cks into gear dyslexia page 85 page 81 FREE FRIDAY Students question validity of GRE testing By Robyn Furman 60 points below the university's standards, but "After doing that I was told I may be in general," he said. "Students are not being An incident involving allegedly biased and Adrienne Mand fell confident that his grades would prove his considered for admittance," he said. determined by Intelligence or ability, but by scores was recently brought to the attention of ~JII'IM.fdilnn ability to excel in graduate work. At that time President David P. Roselle talent for manipulating standardized tests." the university's College of Education. When David Piergrossi graduated magna Piergrossi said he didn't understaJ¥1 why he spoke to the history department on Piergrossi's Roselle said he feels most academic success According to the Sept. 8 issue of The News aun laude from the unh':I'Sity in January with wasn't admitted to the university's graduate behalf. is due to hard work and grades. ''Grades and Joumal, Caridad L. Alonso alleged that her more than a 3.7 grade point average he thought program and appealed his rejection. Roselle said yesterday that he is unable to course selections are the best predictors of GRE scores kept her out of the college's be was on the road to success. "I really thought my grades would comment further on the nature of his success," he said. graduate program. However, a roadbloclc stood in his way. counteract my test scores," he said. "The intervention. "I don't feel that standing alone Alonso attended the university as an Piergrossi took the Graduate Record university graduated me at the top of my class - When Piergrossi took the GREs again he (standardized tests) are a great predictor of Wldergraduate and obtained a "B" average and Examination (ORE) in June 1991. and then rejected me. scored considerably better than he had the first success, but in most cases they confirm the taught as a substitute teacher to prepare for her He said his mediocre scores on the GRE "Their rejection of my record is an time. grades," Roselle said. future in working with mentally handicapped prevented his admission to the university's invalidation of their own degree." 'The test is only supposed to have a 30-point Piergrossi 's allegations of unfair testing are children, the article reported. graduate Jr08I'8III in the histOI)' department of Piergrossi said he was told after the margin of error and I scored 333 points higher not unique. Recently there has been speculation The main difference between Alonso's the College of Arts and Science. unsuccessful appeal to take courses on a non the second time I took the test." he claimed. that standardized testing is culturally biased predicament and Piergrossi's case is that "I think the test is totally irrelevant to college against minorities. Piergrossi said be knew his GRE scores were committal basis and retake the entrance exam see CRE page A1 0 New bill Med Tech proposes program's . 1ncrease survival in grants tentative jBy Deena Gitaitis StaR' Repotter Pel/ Grants to be Blood p-essure rose as enrollment in the university's medical technology made available program dropped last year, but conditions in the major have•since to more students stabilized. When the budget council proposed to By jennifer Stevenson discontinue the medical technology SUff~portet major, students and faculty began a An act proposed by President campaign to save Delaware's only four Bush in June would increase the year program of this type. amount of money available for The program includes x-ray and financial aid and would make more laboratory technology involving students eligible for Pell Grants. microbiology, clinical chemistry and The Higher Education hematology. · Reauthorization Act proposes to "We enlisted the help of hospitals, increase the maximum Pell Grant persons from the industry, and alumni," award from $2,400 to $3,700, and said Anna Ciulla, director of the medical to make grants available to· technology program. "We also called students taking as little as one undeclared students and students with course. biology and biochemistry majors who The act also proposes to aid we thought might be interested in the middle-income families who med tech major." usually are ineligible to receive These efforts have resulted in financial assistance. · increased student interest, Ciulla said. Julie Green, a spokeswoman for There are currently 55 freshman and Senator Joseph Biden: who sqilom>re medical technology inlerests supports the act, said students from and 34 junior and senior majors. familie·s with annual incomes of up Thanks to more aggressive recruiting, advertising and help-from the to $42,000 may now also qualify t9 . THE REVIEW /Maximillian Gretsch medical community, the program receive Pell Grants. Flying High! john McGarr (AS SR) soars over onlooker Ron Am ores' (AS SR) car while the Skate Dawgz stunt team practices. Cheryl Hedtke, associate expects to graduate 24 students in 1994. director of financial aid, said the That is twice the number of students act is attempting to change the that graduated ~June. Ciulla said eligibility criteria for Pell Grants Get in line Scholarships for junior and senior so that more families are eli~ible . medical technology majors from Hedtke said the distinction for hospitals and pathologists at the eligiblity is based on individual Medical Center of Delaware could also family need. New student group rolls on the scene help boost enrollment. Ciulla said. There is no exact cut off figure Alicia Vogleson (AS JR) is cwrently that determines who qualifies for a a biology major who plans to switch·to Pell Grant. By Glenn Jan Slavin line skating stunt team. (liSA) members certified as in-line skating the medical tedmology major next fall. Hedtke explained qualification Assistant Entertainment Editor "Believe it or not, I only started skating a instructors. Vogleson said she plans to attend ' for the grants depends on a number Gliding peacefully across center campus, few months ago," says Ron Amores (AS SR). "ln·line skating is not like skateboarding," medical school after college. of factors including the income of four in-line skaters pause to gaze at the Morris "All summer long all we did was skate and got says Amores. "Skateboarding is a younger "If you don't get into medical school the applicant's family, the age of Library. paid for it by the ski shop we work for. So, we sport associated with rebellious youth. We right away, you can make decent money the parents, and the number of Unlike most students who view the building learned pretty fast." want to promote fun with safety." . with a med tech major," she said. · students in college. as. a place of learning, these students see it as a Amores had friends who also skated and The stunt team's most outstanding feat is "You'd already have experience with Green said that so far neither the place to unleash pent·up energy. · over the summer they practiced and eventually their car leap, in which eacli member builds up the clinical part of working in a House of Representativ.es or the And when these guys unwind, they put on organized into a stunt team. speed and flies off a homemade ramp over hospital ." Senate have appropriated funds for quite a show. In-line skating is like ice skating with Amores' Honda. With the help of local doctors, Ciulla the Pell Grants. The skaters ride backwards down the steps wheels. As haphazard as they may appear while has raised an additional $22,000 for The maximum award, she said, leading to the library, take turns jumping over ''We all just pushed each other," says John performing their stunts, safety is always their future scholarships through a letter should increase to $3,700 by the each other and leap five to six feet in the air. McGarr (AS SR), another member of the first priority. writing campaign that targeted alwrmi, 1993-94 school year once the funds But their skating is more than just an after team. "There are a lot of skate bands, so the IISA Delaware physicians, hospitals and are allocated. class diversion. Amores and McGarr are two of only 100 has 10 rules of the road to promote peace and companies which sell products to Hedtke does not believe the These guys are members of a national in- International In-Line Skating Association see IN-UNE page A4 hospital labs. ·university will feel the effects of The chairman of the committee to . this act in the near future. see MED TECH page A7 .Hedtke said, "Approval of this money would be wonderful, but Congress has shown no money to match the figures." "As the Higher Education Reauthorization Act stands today," Minority enrollment up for the College of Education . she said, "the money that students receive from Pe11 Grants will not · New recruitment program nearly doubles numbers of incoming freshmen minority students change." She said only 1,100 university to comment on the increase in According to Rys, the university students received Pe11 Grants last !X!:aN~I~tor minorities in the college. provided 76 percent of scholarships year, which is a very small A minority recruitment program ASPIRE is modeled after the and financial aid . percentage of the students in need implemented last year in the College Resources to Insure Successful However, she said, there were no of financial ald. of Education nearly doubled Engineers (RISE) program, the funds to hold a summer academy With the increase in eligibility, minority enrollment this fall, university's most successful this year to prepare incoming Hedtke said, the maximum Pell officials said.