l A-l A doIL i Ah i AM 2 U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER News Features NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1988 s. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1988 Student Body U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPEF Credit Continued From Page 1 taurants than she could afford, Jennifer found herself $1,000 in debt and with- out means to pay her bills. As bills piled up, the pressures took their toll. She avoided phone calls and bill notices. She stopped attending clas- ses, and her grades. slipped. "It affected me to the point where I stopped caring about everything," she said. Jennifer finally broke down and told her parents, who were empathetic and helped lift some of the financial burden. But Jennifer is still paying the price for her prodigal spending by sitting out a semester and working at a local res- taurant to set her finances straight. Students often wait until it's too late to tell their parents, said Kathleen Hen- nessey, an associate professor of busi- ness at Texas Tech U. who counsels stu- dents in debt and negotiates with their creditors. "They're away from home for the first time and trying to prove their independ- ence," Hennessey said. "Students some- times feel like failures when they be- come snowed-under in debt, but only end up making things worse." Although there can be many reasons, some say lack of discipline is the most prevalent cause for runaway debt. Gary Carman, an SWT finance pro- fessor, said it all comes down to budget- ing. "You've just got to discipline your- self when you're on a limited budget," he said. "It's hard to do when people are shoving plastic at you." Carman said unless students are financing their education with credit, which is an investment, those with a limited income should "just say no" to credit cards. But credit card companies don't make saying no easy. Eager to latch onto customers who will continue to use their cards after graduation and usually have much big- ger incomes, credit card issuers see col- lege students as their future. Crime pays off for death row researcher Student's documentary captures personal side of capital punishment By April Eubanks The Daily Texan U. of Texas, Austin "Is it justice or vengeance?" - a fun- damental question regarding capital punishment - is the topic of Eye for an Eye, an hour-long documentary by a U. of Texas, Austin (UT) student. The video, which was shown on cam- pus this fall, is the master's thesis of Craig Duff, a radio-television-film graduate student. Duff said the title represents "an in- quiry into the line of scripture brought up and used as the predominant argu- ment for capital punishment." "Is it really an eye for an eye - is it justice or vengeance?" he asked. Although both sides of the issue are represented, the video focuses on four families of Texas death row inmates and the efforts of people working toward the abolishment of capital punishment. "We know and understand the grief of the families of murder victims - we understand the tragic loss," he said. But many people do not realize "the inmates' families are experiencing simi- lar grief," he said. "They're not execut- Craig Duff interviewed families of death row inmates for his documentary. ing animals - there is a group of people who love them, and if there isn't then it's even more of a shame." Duff said he first began thinking ab- out capital punishment after listening to a minister at the funeral of one of his friends who was raped, strangled to death and thrown into a river. The minister compared the murder- er, who was never apprehended, to a wild animal and said he should be put to death, Duff said. "I began to look into it, to see if it really is equitable - are they really no better than animals?" Duff said he does not expect the documentary to change people's posi- tion on the issue. "If people watch the documentary and still believe in capital punishment, fine, but I want people to think," he said. Posting grades creates debate on privacy invasion By Kendra Brown The Alligator U. of Florida Many professors, who for years have posted grades by Social Security numbers, may be break- ing a 14-year-old law that pro- tects student privacy. Administrators say the law isn't clearly defined. Many stu- dents don't know the law exists, and many professors and stu- dents agree that when given a choice, posting grades using So- cial Security numbers is the most convenient method. But the government can cut federal funds to universities that fail to enforce the 1974 Buckley Amendment that prohibits in- stitutions from publicizing a stu- dent's personal information - in- cluding grades - without student consent. "It is so risky for an institution to violate (the Buckley Amend- ment)," said attorney Harry Lewis, of Holland and Knight law firm in Miami. "I'm surprised they're even venturing into a gray area." The confusion arises over whether or not posting Social Security numbers with grades violates student privacy. Lewis said the law is not broken if the student is the only one who knows his or her Social Security number - but that can't be guaranteed. Gene Hemp, U. of Florida academic affairs associate vice president, said he doesn't think there's a problem here. "I don't think the university is in any danger of losing any fund- ing," Hemp said. "When we find someone doing it, it is corrected. "Most people do it for conveni- ence. It's done well-intentioned, but wrong," he said. 4 Plus-minus Continued From Page 2 rt "Then when you do have a system that is finely divided, the typical com- plaint is that the numbers suggest a fine gradation that doesn't really exist." In a letter to liberal arts faculty last fall, College of Liberal Arts Associate Dean James Lindberg highlighted spe- cific policies governing the new system, including the following: The use of the plus-minus system is optional. Departments and individual faculty are free to use the old system or the new system, but must apply the same system to all students in a given class. The grading system used by an in- structor must be the same for all sec- tions of multi-section courses. An instructor should announce at the beginning of the semester the grad- ing system to be used. Grades of'D-' will be counted as pas- sing grades toward collegiate require- ments. For courses taken pass/nonpass, grades of'C-' or better will count as pas- sing. Recommended grade distributions for larger courses in the College of Liberal Arts will remain the same. According to UI Collegiate Associa- tions Council President Gordon Fis- cher, student leaders are concerned the new system will lead to a deflation of grades and an overall decrease in stu- dents' grade point averages. "I'm really concerned about the effects that plus-minus grading will have," Fischer said. "I think that both top students and students who are bare- ly scraping by will be hurt. "Even with the 'A +,' I felt top stu- dents' GPAs will gradually decrease," Fischer said. "And the implementation of the new system will really hurt those who are barely getting by. They will probably have trouble graduating be- cause they're usually the ones getting the minuses." The major negative aspect noted at other universities (which recently added the plus-minus marks to their grading systems) was a tendency for students at the very top to have slightly lower GPAs, said James Lindberg, associate dean for academic programs of the UI College of Liberal Arts. However, the UI's system "explicitly includes an 'A+±'to guard against any tendency to lower the GPAs of students at the very top," he said. Hilery Livengood contributed to this story. Grad thesis explores personalities of sex offenders Grading system rates a 'minus' at U. of Kansas Students and faculty at the U. of Kansas aredebating the use of plus-minus grading in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "There hasn'tabeen enough re- searchdoneson a national level, and the college hasn't done any- thing to add to that," said William Bayne, president of Students Against the Plus-Minus Grading System. Bayne also said he was dis-. turbed that many students we- ren't aware of the grading policy change. Lloyd Sponholtz, director of undergraduate studies in history, said he was against the plus- minus system because of the lack of uniformity. "Ah'B ±'in one class is a B in another," Sponholtz said. "Also, it will make it hard for students competing for scholarships with students from other schools that don't have the system." Grace Hobson, The University Daily Kansan, U. of Kansas "It's a big moneymaker overall," Car- man said. "That kind of money is expen- sive." American Express and most other card issuers allow students to get around income and employment re- quirements by counting other sources of money, such as financial aid, student loans or allowances from parents. The card issuers usually don't impose any extra restrictions - such as lower spending limits - on cards to students. "We try to sign up as many as we can," said Susan Weeks, a spokeswoman for Citibank, which issues both Visa and MasterCard accounts to students. In the past two years, Citibank has attracted 1.3 million students as credit card customers. Card issuers say students default at about the same rate and some are even more responsible than other adult card holders. "I think they view (credit cards) as a symbol of adulthood and are reluc- tant to shirk that responsibility," said Betsy Ludlow, vice president for new accounts at American Express. Though no specific financial counsel- ing service exists at SWT, a personal \C w- C' finance course is being offered for the first time this semester. And other cam- puses are trying new ways to help stu- dents in debt. Financial aid counselors at Indiana U., Bloomington, give budget-planning workshops in dormi- tories, while Iowa State U.'s student government funds a financial-planning clinic in Ames, Iowa, run by trained stu- dent counselors. All too often, though, the counseling comes too late. At the U. of California, Los Angeles, about 35 percent of stu- dents asking for additional financial aid over the past two years said they needed it to cover credit card bills, said counsel- ing supervisor John Hoyt. Counselors said part of the problem begins at home. Students see their pa- rents use credit cards but don't see the bills they pay, said Jerry W. Lewis, president of Consumer Credit Counsel- ing Service of suburban Chicago. In the end, many students learn the hard way and are wiser as a result. Jen- nifer said learning to live within a budget has made her less materialistic. "It's changed my attitude about things," she said. College students should establish good credit early By Grace Hobson The University Daily Kansan U. of Kansas . Establishing a healthy credit rat is necessary for students if they wan get loans or jobs after graduation, with the deluge of credit card off students may feel a bit overwhelme There are several ways to estabf credit, according to Arnold Feinbe general manager of the Credit Bur of Lawrence Inc. He suggests the lowing: Have a parent co-sign on a cre card or a loan application. Take out a student loan. Work for a year, then apply credit. Open a checking or savings acco to prove money manageability. Terri Pippert, assistant vice pr dent in the consumer loan office of F National Bank of Lawrence, Kan., s students should be careful when ch( ing a credit card. Some things to look for when sort out credit card applications, accord to Pippert: Cards that don't have transact fees, which are charges for every pu ase made. Cards offering 18 percent or lov annual interest rates. Cards that allow a grace period which interest is charged on purcha when they are not paid for in full at end of the month. The best type of credit card is proprietary credit card, which is a c, usable only in one store, said Ha Paper, vice president of KBC Card vice in Wichita, Kan. These cards li the temptation to overspend to store. Reject Continued From Page 1 tions are shocked to receive letters rejection, even after a seemingly s cessful interview. "Most of the time, it just comes d( to numbers and how many positions available," said Linda Weiss, associ director of the placement center. recommends getting feedback from company. Student rejection is also felt at social level. The Greek system's r process is the ultimate form of stud marketing and perhaps the harsh form of rejection. But social reject can be the best way to learn to sell c self better. "When you get your heart set something and then it is taken awa: is an emotional blow. To some, it i crisis," said Counselor-in-Reside (CIR) Julie Reighter. "Turn to a person you know will ten," Reighter suggested. "A resid adviser, a CIR, or even a close friend be helpful." The most important thing stude should remember is to talk about tl feelings, she said, because later in 1 the rejection felt in college can be a vE able experience. By Kym Smith The Gamecock U. of South Carolina Seth Kalichman doesn't look like a person in the habit of locking himself in a room with 30 convicted sex offen- ders. But this U. of South Carolina (USC) graduate student does it for his psychology dissertation. Kalichman hopes that by teaching in the Central Correctional Institute (CCI) in Columbia, S.C., and by re- searching the personalities of sex offenders, he can find a way to stop these criminals, who usually repeat their crimes. About 15 to 18 inmates take his psychology courses as part of a bache- lor of arts degree in interdisciplinary studies offered by USC. He also runs personality tests on sex offenders who volunteer to be involved. "The average rapist will rape 12 times before he is caught and will probably not be incarcerated. Studies also show that the common child molester will get between 80 to 90 children before being caught," Kalich- man said. "They repeat these crimes once released." Kalichman is testing a theory that makes a distinction between rapists who rape because they are angry and those who rape because of a compul- sion to overpower another person. Kalichman said his dissertation will be the first to provide evidence for this categorization. His research also helps social workers administer treatment in S.C. prisons. Because program participation is voluntary, there is no way to reach all offenders, Kalichman said. Funding problems also affect the program's effectiveness, he said. Get your own copy every month. Call 1-800-662-5511 for your own subscription.