The Chronicle Thursday, October 7, 1982 Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 78th Year, No. 30 UFCAS proposes change in honors eligibility guidelines By Brendan Daly with honors. and 455, respectively), and Foon Rhee The recommendations, which according to statistics from the Almost 75 percent fewer Duke are scheduled to affect the class office of the registrar. students will graduate with of 1987, were approved by the The advisory committee honors in 1987 than in each of committee 9-1. The proposal recommended last spring that the past five years if the was designed to upgrade only the top third of a Undergraduate Faculty University standards and graduating classes receive Council of Arts and Sciences Duke's reputation, according to honors — a suggestion which ratifies recommendations from Irving Holley, chairman of the UFCAS approved and which is its academic standards academic standards committee. in effect for the class of 1986. committee Oct. 14. "The changes will enable us But according to Holley, the Approximately two-thirds of to hold our own with Yale, recommendation was "a damn 1982 Duke graduates received Cornell and other schools. It fool piece of legislation. honors, but if those students will enhance our national "With a fluctuating standard, PHOTO BY STEVE FEI.DMAN had been subjected to the new reputation," said Holley, a you never know where you TIME IS FLEETING - Members of the chess club guidelines, only about 17 professor of history. stand," he said. ponder the next move. percent would have graduated "We have to maintain our The requirement of depart­ high academic standards," he mental recommendations was added. "Standards are like also proposed last spring, but civilization — they run was defeated, Holley said. "1 Loan funds quickly depleting downhill when not held in would propose it again, but I"m check. We tend to get sloppy. a political realist. I just don't By Dan Fineman from ASDU when it decided to the money within nine months. The standards committee think we'd get it through. The ASDU bail and abortion increase the maximum In the last nine months, this wants to maintain standards "Everyone's degree goes up in funds may be depleted due to allowable loan from $100 to fund has been used six times. and improve them." value if the standards are students' failure to repay loans, $150 in September of 1980, A student in need of a bail Currently, a student needs a tougher," Holley said. "We according to fund administrat­ Wasiolek said. The fund now loan must contact Wasiolek at 3.0 grade-point average to should raise standards so that ors. has $1,061. her office or home, convince her graduate cum laude, 3.3 to the caliber of people here is the Delinquent payments have ASDU has authorized of his need, "which usually isn't graduate magna cum laude and best in the nation." caused the depletion of both of Durham attorney Stuart too difficult," Wasiolek said, 3.7 to graduate summa cum Martin Golding, chairman of the funds' original allocations, Sessoms to write letters and sign an agreement stating laude. The proposed rules would UFCAS' executive council, said but ASDU appropriations and requesting payments from that the loan will be repaid change the requirements to 3.5, the recommendations are on the recent payments have helped students with overdue accounts. within three months. A friend's 3.8 and 3.9, respectively. agenda for the Oct. 14 meeting, increase the funds. He said he has had no success signature will suffice if the The number of graduating but that the faculty body would Since the establishment of the with the seven students he has student cannot sign it students receiving honors has probably not vote on the abortion fund in 1973, 19 out of written and that most of the personally. increased steadily from 1970(27 measure until the Nov. 11 the 42 loans made before letters were returned to him Since July 1980, the fund has summa cum laude and 56 meeting. January 1982 have not been since the students had changed been used eight times. magna cum laude) to 1978 (117 See HONORS on page 2 repaid. residences. Eight loans from the bail fund, established in 1975, have Beirstedt has also been not been paid. Suzanne writing letters to students who ASDU condemns honors changes Wasiolek, dean of student life, have not repaid abortion loans. By Brendan Daly exciting things ASDU has ever The legislature also approved who administers the loans, said She also is trying to reduce the ASDU, Wednesday night, done for the students," said the appointments of student she did not have statistics on quantity of each loan by not passed a bill condemning the Shep Moyle, ASDU president. representatives to a number of the total number of loans. automatically granting the Undergraduate Faculty The initial funds for the committees. Moyle and granted. maximum loan of $300, which Council of Arts and Sciences' center will come from the engineering senior Ken The abortion loan fund has at was the previous policy. academic standards committee general fund of ASDU, with Kershner were selected for the times been imperiled because of More active attempts to for its proposal to increase the operating expenses being Provost Search Committee. delinquent payments, said recover overdue loans are not requirements for graduation picked up by the University. See ASDU on page 8 Becky Bierstedt, a nursing planned by either Bierstedt or honors. senior and vice-president of Wasiolek. Sessoms said that Saying that the proposed nursing, who administers the "further efforts aren't worth the changes in eligibility require­ abortion fund. In March, there benefits" and that the use of a ments for receiving honors were was $150 in the account, which collection agency would not be unrealistically high, the ASDU was not enough to cover the cost-effective since loan holders Academic Affairs Committee maximum allowable loan of are difficult to contact. recommended "that the $300, she said. requirements for graduation Before Bierstedt began Shep Moyle, ASDU president, honors be given further, careful administering the loan, the agreed with Sessoms, but added study in order that a policy fund received an additional that there is a possibility that a which reflects both academic allotment from ASDU because collection agency would be used excellence and realistic levels of depletion of the fund, she . in cases where the students' [in the number of students who said. However, Bierstedt said locations are known. receive honors] may be be she preferred waiting for Each service is administered achieved." expected return payments to confidentially and is open to ASDU also approved a bill to additional allocations. "I think any enrolled Duke student. A establish a student check- it's better to let the fund feed on woman needing an abortion cashing center on campus. itself," she said. loan must seek counseling Students would be able to cash During the summer, returned before contacting Bierstedt. The both local and out-of-town payments increased the fund to student then must sign a paper checks that they might nearly $600. stating that she has had normally not be able to cash at The bail fund received an counseling, will use the money other banks. _>HOTO BY STEVE FELDMAN ASDU leaders listen attentively to discussion of DUI. additional allotment of $1,000 for an abortion and will repay "I think this is oneofthemost Page Two The Chronicle Thursday, October 7, 1982 . Higher averages possible for honors HONORS from page I grade inflation, but that cannot really be applied." if passed, would not affect this year's "We need to give this issue adequate time for Golding said if the proposal is approved, this year freshman class. "Tradition says you are bound to the discussion," he said. would be a kind of "transition year" between the catalogue," he said, referring to the practice of Golding said "it is possible that the increase in proposal's guidelines and the one-third rule in effect obligating a class to the regulations only in the honors may be due to grade inflation." "Someone for this year's freshman class. catalogue for the year they enter. could very well propose a resolution calling for no more Clark Cahow, University registrar, said the Shep Moyle, ASDU president, said the tightening of standards was more restrictive than he expected. "I thought the recommendations would be somewhere along the lines that one-third of students Honors criteria at other schools would receive honors," he said. "I don't favor the proposal. Tightening the standards up a little is OK — By Foon Rhee Over the last decade, approximately one-fourth of a the blame should go around for everyone — but drastic The number of students graduating with honors graduating class at Harvard graduates without measures such as this are not the way to go. also remains a concern at other universities with honors; one-fourth graduate with cum- laude in general "It doesn't affect the classes here, but I 'm personally which Duke compares itself. studies; one-fourth graduate with cum laude in a against it," Moyle added. "The proposal is much too At Harvard University, graduation honors are specific field; and the remainder with magna or restricting. Without the University community conferred by departments, according to Jay Halfond, summa cum laude, according to Halfond. changing, these changes are much too drastic. They associate registrar. "Honors are primarily on Harvard is planning to change their guidelines in are setting up the standards so high that no one will be department recommendation, not by grade-point the next few years. "We are going to take into account able to reach them.