Letters to the Editor

ECB changes have not been approved yet

To the Daily:

"ECB halts use of portfolios" (11/30/98) contains misinformation that I fear will excite student confusion. Let me clarify the situation. Students admitted Fall 1998 and earlier have been required to submit a portfolio for writing assessment. Students admitted Fall 1999 will not be required to submit a portfolio, though they will be assessed. The precise nature of that assessment will not be determined until the LSA faculty votes on a set of proposed changes in the Faculty Code (the vote is scheduled for Feb. 1999). We are proposing the changes because portfolio assessment is not working as effectively as we had hoped it would.

Recent research in writing assessment demonstrates the widespread success of student self-assessment. We plan to adopt this model for students entering Fall 1999 - we will pilot it next term. The new model recognizes that a valuable part of students' education is learning to make good choices about writing courses. Students will have considerable guidance in making this choice. I am confident that our efforts will improve the quality of undergraduate education by helping students recognize their skills and readiness to begin writing in a university context.

Theresa Tinkle

University faculty Director, Gayle Morris Sweetland Writing Center and English Composition Board

'Grease' was inappropriate for families

To the Daily:

I was very disappointed when I read the Daily's review of the play "Grease" performed here at the University during the weekend of Nov. 20 ("Classic '50s 'Grease' bops and bams along," 11/23/98).

I am sure that "Grease" has done just fine the way it was made for years and has been produced and reproduced at colleges, high schools and actor's guilds across the country. Was it really necessary for the show we saw here to be made with so much additional foul language and behavior? I think the play had enough sexual innuendoes without those added in this production, and the foul language doesn't add to the entertainment value, so what's the point?

One of my main concerns, is that "Grease" is a play an entire family should enjoy. It's something that has historically been full of singing, dancing and colorful costumes for families to enjoy together, along with a few adult comments and gestures tactful enough to still be amusing, but yet not apparent to children too young to understand. This was not the case here, and that's too bad, because seeing "Grease" here could have been a great experience for many families.

Julie Wellnitz

LSA junior

GSIs need more training

To the Daily:

I am writing in regard to the ongoing contract negotiations between the University and the graduate student instructors. I agree wholeheartedly with whatever proposal the University supports. My reasoning is as follows: The other day, while sitting in my Math 115 class, taught entirely by a GSI, we were introduced to a woman described as a "consultant to the math department." After our GSI left the room, we were allowed to voice what we thought were the strengths and weaknesses of the course. I felt, and told the consultant so, that my GSI in particular is grossly underprepared, undertrained and unable to teach this math class. I was not questioning her mathematical abilities, I was only wondering about her capacity as a teacher. The consultant told me that it is a big problem because all first-year graduate students in the math department (I am not sure if this is a University policy), are required to teach a class. I then asked about my GSI's level of training. The consultant said that all GSIs are given a one-week training course. One week?!?!?! At what University are we studying, I asked. I was told that a lot of other places give their GSIs even less training. This, unfortunately, is no justification for the shocking lack of training my GSIs are receiving.

My parents are paying out-of-state tuition. It is costing them a lot of money. My third-grade teacher had to be certified to teach, a process that took a lot longer than one week. If the GSIs want a drastic pay increase, they need to justify it with an equal level of commitment to the students at the University and need to examine the level of teaching ability of the people they are putting into my classrooms.

Michael Shafrir

LSA first-year student

Film reviewer missed key point

To the Daily:

I enjoy the lively, spirited film reviews by Daily arts writers, and Bryan Lark's critique of "American History X" ("'History' heals wounds of hatred," 11/23/98) was no exception. I wonder, however, if he saw a different conclusion to the film than I. One of Lark's mild reservations about this otherwise powerful study of the "culture of hate" in America was that "Derek's saving of Danny is somehow too quick and pretty to be believable." When I saw the film, young Danny wasn't saved at all, but, rather, violently gunned down at a urinal in an apparent act of revenge against older brother Derek. It was one of the most shocking endings I've seen in a film in a long time; and when Derek cradles his dead brother in his arms and cries, the film enters the realm of consequential tragedy. This powerful denouement was somehow missed by Lark.

Frank Beaver

University faculty

Incorrect number made the Daily look bad

To the Daily:

According to the Daily's story "Research spending hits high," (11/24/98) my adviser accounts for more than 20 percent of all research expenditures on this campus. With a "record-breaking $4.5 million" in research expenditures, who needs support from the tax payers? In fact with this whopping amount, why do students pay tuition, why can't we pay the undergrads, and (gasp) give the Graduate Employees Organization folks a raise? On the serious side, the Daily needs to check its big stories better.

I assume that the author meant $4.5 billion, but the Daily just looks bad when the editors let this kind of stuff through.

Troy Nolan

Rackham

U.S., U.N. should lift Iraqi sanctions

To the Daily:

Each month, according to United Nations estimates, more than 5,000 Iraqi children die from malnutrition and disease directly related to the sanctions imposed against their country.

No child should suffer and die because of a political dispute. Our nation, and the United Nations, must end these sanctions and immediately work for a non-violent solution to the unresolved issues with the Iraqi government. I am concerned that this humanitarian disaster continues unabated and unchecked, and I ask this holiday season that we renew our efforts to bring peace, love, and happiness to the children of Iraq, by lifting the sanctions.

Andrew Freeman

Rackham

12-03-98