the Samford Crimson
80th year, 2nd issue
inside..
to ifilorm the mind, to voice the unheard
September 20, 1995
News
Dr. Neely:
Find out what he
has in his house
page 3
Sports
Football:
Undefeated
team presses on
page 4
Features
Movie Review:
Did it get four
diamohds?
page5
Editorials
France:
Should they per¬
form nuclear tests?
page 7
World & Nation
Philadelphia:
(AP) Jury selection
began in the trial of
eight alleged Phila¬
delphia mob lead¬
ers. Prosecutors said
they have hours of
secretly recorded
tapes in which the
defendants alleg¬
edly are heard de¬
tailing such things
as murder and extor¬
tion.
Washington:
(AP) The maker of
an experimental
AIDS drug is nearly
doubling the num¬
ber of patients who
will get the drug for
free. Originally, just
under 2,300 ad¬
vanced AIDS pa¬
tients were to be
treated with the
drug known as
Invirase. Hoffman-
LaRoche said 2,000
more will get it
Convos
Sept 20:
Tim Lovette, pastor.
First Baptist Church
Sept 21:
Community Service
Orientation, 4 p.m.,
DBH Auditorium
Sept 22:
Service of Remem¬
brance (no credit given)
Administration, SG A point fingers;
academic policies puzzle students
by Lisa Wells
Staff Reporter
Students returning from sum¬
mer break found more than a re¬
vised convo system awaiting them.
The recent academic overhaul, in¬
cluding the addition of minuses in
the grading scale and a modifica¬
tion of the drop policy, took many
students by surprise.
“I understand how the minus
system would buckle down the
academic system,” said junior po¬
litical science major Chad Will¬
iams. “But they (the administra¬
tion) only tell us about new poli¬
cies without explaining how they
arrive at their decisions. I’d like to
know more about our school’s
policies other than finding out
about them when a professor
makes an announcement in class."
On the new grading scale, an
A- equals a 3.70 grade-point value.
A B- equals a 2.70. A C- equals a
1 .70, and a D- equals a .70, accord¬
ing to a flyer sent by Academic
Services to students. Grades of E,
F or WF will earn no quality
points.
Dean of Academic Services
Martha Ann Cox explained, “The
recommendation to institute a mi¬
nus system originally came from
the StudentGovemment Associa¬
tion. Then the proposal went to the
Academic Affairs Committee and
on to the faculty for approval."
However, SG A president Eric
Motley disagreed. “We were aware
of the academic committee’s plans
grading system would best fit the
needs of our students,” Motley
said.
While students may not agree
on which policy will best serve
their needs, the faculty also voted
on the change in the drop policy
with the same intention in mind.
The last day a student may
drop a class without academic pen¬
alty will be OcL 10. After that day,
all students who drop classes will
receive a “WF” (wiAdrawn while
failing) on their permanent record,
and tfcs class we be averaged in
as aa “F" in the student’s grade
point average.
By comparison, students had
until OcL 27 last fall to drop a
Roeorr Stockland
/
Photo Eorroat
by Holly Norman
Staff Reporter
The sky is falling...
A speaker at Christian Emphasis Week encourages
students to reach for new heights.
Pharmacy School heads east
from Meijo studied at Samford this
summer. School of Pharmacy Dean
Joseph O. Dean said that the exchange
program will help Samford students
expand their knowledge by integrating
Meijo’s research and analytical empha¬
sis with their own clinical pharmacy
skills. ‘This will strengthen our stu¬
dents and make them more valuable
participants in clinical research,” he
said.
The School of Pharmacy already
has a relationship with two large teach¬
ing hospitals in London. This new pro¬
gram will give Samford pharmacy stu¬
dents more opportunities abroad. ■
Students in Samford’s School of
Pharmacy may soon be heading to
Asia. Samford recently finalized ar¬
rangements for an exchange program
with a Korean hospital and university.
Hospitals in Pusan and Seoul have
agreed to participate in the program,
which will allow students and faculty
from Samford and Korea to leant each
other’s techniques.
Another project is to establish a
similar program with Meijo University
in Nagoya, Japan. Students and faculty
last year to recommend a minus
system. We took part in the pro¬
cess because we felt if the policy
changed, we should be allowed
some input in the decision." '
The SGA researched the grad¬
ing systems of schools similar to
Samford and of graduate schools
where Samford students often at¬
tend. The study found that very
few schools of higher learning ex¬
ist without a plus-minus, system.
Also, the study conclude* that
Samford’s old grading sysmu had
exaggerated grades to the point
that some graduate schools would
re-evaluate the grades of Sanford
applicants.
“It wasn’t our decision to start
a minus system. But the SGA de¬
cided to help define what type of please see Policies, page 2
Samford ranks
high nationally
by Carrie Tomlinson
Staff Reporter
For the sixth consecutive year Samford University has been
given top status among the nation’s universities. In the Sept. 1 1
issue erf US. News and World Report, Samford was ranked sev¬
enth in the South and 32nd in the nation among regional univer¬
sities.
Samford was chosen for its academic reputation, student
selectivity, faculty resources, retention and alumni satisfaction.
These statistics were gained from surveys taken' by deans, ad¬
missions officials and presidents from various colleges across
the nation.
Peterson's Competitive Colleges 1995-96 includes Samford
in its top 10% of U.S. colleges, as well. Peterson’s criteria in¬
clude how well the school attracts “an above-average share of
the nation’s high-achieving students.”
Those students’ criteria include above-average leadership
achievement, high-school rankings, grade-point averages and
entrance-exam scores.
Samford students seem to fit that description. Sixty per¬
cent of last year’s freshmen were in the top quarter of their high
school classes, and the average ACT score was 24.
There were also 41 National Merit Scholars attending
Samford last year.
In the US. News report, Samford also received a second-
place ranking from a new study ef schools which have “an un¬
usually strong commitment Bandergraduate teaching.”
Richard Neely, assistant history and political science pro¬
fessor, agrees with the survey. According to him, “The best thing
this university has going for it is its dedicated faculty . . . that
love the school”
Neely also believes that Samford thrives because the fac¬
ulty continues to show this attitude in the face of adversity and
many frustrations. Most Samford professors teach four or five
classes per semester, compared to the estimated one or two per
professor at public universities. Neely said that he is often
“amazed at how self-sacrificing they (the faculty) are.”
Samford students, faculty and administration were gener¬
ally pleased when informed of these rankings. Johnna Scott, a
junior business management major, said, “I’m very impressed,
because I worked so hard to go here, and I’m glad I’m getting
my money’s worth.”
Freshman English major Morgan Amick expressed content¬
ment with the rankings. “Several generations of my family have
gone here, and I knew it was a great school. But I didn’t realize
it was that greaL”
When asked his opinion of Samford’s latest honor. Assis¬
tant Dean of Students Richard Traylor said, “Any good public¬
ity is valuable, and it’s always rewarding to be recognized for
excellence. I believe Samford University is excellent in its aca¬
demics and environment” ■
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