Transcript The Oldest Independent Student Newspaper in the Nation Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH Thursday, September 14, 2006 Volume 144 No. 1 Preventing the easy score Restaurants added to food points program By Lainey Cullen way committee is composed of Staff Reporter Marie Rymut, WCSA president, Dale Stewart, vice president of Subway and Rudy Z’s were WCSA, and seniors Ben Walkuski added to the list of vendors ac- and David Johnstone, WCSA ap- cepting off-campus food points pointed student representatives. at the start of this semester. In a spring 2006 Transcript ar- George Elsbeck, vice presi- ticle, McHale said students would dent of Business Affairs, said the get more out of their off-campus request to add the two restau- points with the addition of two rants was given to him last year new vendors. at an Archway meeting organized “We have to go with the options by Conor McHale, the former that are going to be best for the president of WCSA. students, he said. “Subway makes According to the OWU web sense as a lunch option, and it site the Archway committee would be appropriate to add an- provides “an opportunity for other dinner option in Rudy Z’s.” the President, his offi cers and Rymut said she is excited four student leaders to meet and about the addition of the two new discuss pressing issues that the vendors. campus community is handling.” “Coming out of the last Arch- Elsbeck said this year’s Arch- See Vendors, Page 2 Freshmen hooked Admissions uses net to fi nd Class of 2010 By Rachel Jolly working.” DelPropost said. “The more we’re able to communicate Staff Reporter electronically, the more benefi ts The Class of 2010 is here and the school will generate.” two of the 607 members credit DelPropost said Admissions their attendance to the familiar utilized numerous electronic re- close-knit feeling Ohio Wesleyan sources along with its traditional exudes. methods to generate interest “I just felt like everyone was on among prospective students. The my side, trying to help me out,” methods included online chat said freshman Craig Aronoff. rooms, emails, instant messaging, The Offi ce of Admission re- postal mail, and visits to over 600 ported a 23 percent increase in high schools in the U.S. and inter- applications during spring semes- nationally. ter of the ’05-’06 academic year. The freshman class boasts 50 Carol DelPropost, assistant V.P. international students from 21 of Admission and Financial Aid, different countries with two ex- said much of that increase is due change students from Waseda to the school moving toward elec- University in Japan. Students Photo by Phil Salisbury tronic communication. from 33 different states in the U.S. Sophomore Shea Pence (9) and senior Megan Margala (11) go up for a block in their vic- “We’re trying to speak to stu- make up 575 members of the class tory against Bluffton on Saturday, Sept. 2. The tourney win was their first since 1999. dents in the way they communi- body. There are 30 transfer cate these days and it’s obviously For full story, see page 8. See Freshmen, Page 5 After years of debate, GPA system recalculated By Aarti Jitender Policy Committee (APC) when the the faculty had always decided accurate in refl ecting a student’s more competitive. policy was being considered in the against it. performance in a class. The new She said she didn’t think the Guest Reporter 2004-2005 academic year, said Martin said the issue was previ- system makes sure “the students new system would make much of The new GPA system, which the new scale makes GPAs a bet- ously brought to vote in the 1997- on top are really the students on a difference to the overall GPA of weighs pluses and minuses in in- ter representation of a student’s 98 academic year, which resulted top,” she said. students, but as a senior she said crements of 0.33 became effective grade and work. in a tie and didn’t pass. Rymut said someone from APC it’s going to be diffi cult change. at the start of this semester. The There is a big difference in the The main reason there was a talked to the WCSA body and ex- However, some students still new policy, passed unanimously quality of work in a B+ and a B- tie, he said, was because there was plained the proposal. They were have concerns about the policy. by the faculty at their March 21, and now the GPA refl ects that, very passionate opposition from given a week to take the proposal Senior Evan Reas said the admin- 2005 meeting, will affect all stu- Martin said. He said he believes it WCSA, which had surveyed 580 to their constituents and judge stu- istration should have started the dents. also gives students more incentive students and found that approxi- dent sentiments. WCSA also had a policy with new students only and Under the new scale, A+ and A to work hard. mately 65 percent were against it. debate on WSLN radio in order to not included seniors and other are worth 4 points, A- will be 3.67, Sikorski said APC also looked Much of the opposition then was gets students more involved. upperclassmen. He said he also B+ will be 3.33, and so on. Other at what other universities were linked to A+ being 4 points and Rymut said WCSA voted in fa- opposed the policy because he felt changes include an increase in the doing. She said, if schools gave not 4.33, he said. vor of implementing the policy, but it wasn’t fair to A students, who if minimum GPA requirement for pluses and minuses, they would Sikorski said the reason the pol- she didn’t know the exact number they got an A- (3.67 points) in one graduation to a C average (2.0 count them in the calculating icy passed this time was because of people who were in favor the class would not be able to main- points). Under the earlier non- GPA. “What we were doing was students didn’t seem opposed to policy since they hadn’t kept a re- tain a 4.0.. weighted system the requirement odd in not including them,” she it and because the composition of cord of actual numbers. He said “top students (are) get- was a C-. said. the faculty has changed. There are Sikorski said she thought the ting the shorter end of the stick” in Registrar Sally Sikorski said Sikorski said the fact that most more new faculty members and new scale would not adversely af- this case. He also said that having the system is not a retroactive graduate schools recalculate GPAs a lot of them have worked under fect students’ GPAs. “For some it A+ as 4.33 wasn’t a viable option measure, meaning grades re- to account for pluses and minuses this system in other universities, will lower their GPA, but for oth- because most universities don’t do ceived in previous years will not also impacted the faculty’s deci- and were open to the change, she ers it will increase their GPA,” she this and incorporating that would be recalculated or be adjusted to sion to adopt the policy. said. said. just make us stand out. He instead the new scale. She said the issue about chang- Senior Marie Rymut, WCSA Rymut said since most gradu- suggested a new option of isolat- Geology Professor Bart Martin, ing the grading system has come president, said she supported the ate schools recalculate GPAs, the ing all As in general and make who was the Chair of the Academic up repeatedly over the years, but new system because it would be new system would make OWU See Grades, Page 2 Inside This PS hires new director WCSA GeoRep Changes made Men’s soccer ranked Robert Wood election results to protect network third in Division III Week’s Issue: Page 3 Pages 3 Pages 5 Page 8 Page 2 The Transcript Thursday, September 14, 2006 Thursday, September 14, 2006 The Transcript Page 3 Elsbeck said, “The limit of fi ve available last year. Of those, Els- only fi ve slots available,’ Rymut “For next year, if students Vendors vendors was decided based on beck said 192,929 points were said. “I would like to evaluate all want another vendor on the list, (from page 1) economics since the University used. This means students used of our vendor options throughout the recommendation of which way meeting last year, George provides the equipment and the approximately 74 percent of off- the year to get a broad picture of vendor to remove would need to Elsbeck confi rmed that we can desire not to dilute the pool avail- campus food points. how many vendors are actually be provided,” he said. have a total of fi ve vendors in the able to vendors.” Elsbeck said he doesn’t know interested in joining the program, Rymut said the program is a off-campus food point program, Gene Castelli, senior director how many students currently and which vendors students really high priority on the agenda this allowing Rudy Z’s and Subway of Dining Services, said the ven- have meal plans because he want to see included.” year. to be added,” she said. “Taking dors are given the choice to pay doesn’t have current census data. Castelli said he thinks the off- “This being the second year care of the business deals over the for the equipment used to read Castelli said since the off-cam- campus food program is a good of the program, we really want summer, we were set up with the cards upfront or to work through pus food program is still in its in- idea in its current form.