Page 194 - ThePhoenix1995-96

Thursday, May 9, 1996 ~ Page 2 COMMENTARY Staff RUMINATIONS Editor-In-Chief ------"""1 Michelle Hamilton, Editor-In-Chief 1'------ Michelle A. Hamilton '98 Managing Editor Sarah E. SheckeUs '97 As The Phoenix grows in numbers and all activities and information, positive or to critically evaluate our successful and not Advertising Manager ability. the content of the paper has been negative, that affect students on this cam- so successful moments. Elizabeth valuer '98 changing as well. During this process, The pus. Our staff has been striving to provide a Phoenix is defining what it means to be a stu- Part of a student newspaper's job is to more professional looking paper, as well as News Editors dent-run college newspaper. serve as a check and balance system within more professional and detailed articles. We Grant A. Rice '99 There is perhaps no other organization at the school. This means that our stories may thank the readership for growing with us as Christian Wilwohl '98 WMC that can reflect campus life like The contain views that challenge existing poli- our paper continues to improve. It is also Phoenix. Our goal is to provide information cies or ways of thinking. We seek to bal- pleasing to see the students taking advan- Features Editors that is of interest and concern to the student ance information and provide different per- tage of the Commentary section by writing Jonathon Shacat '98 body. We are here to allow members of our spectives within articles so readers can gain letters to the editor regularly. Jennifer Vick '98 school to voice their opinions on campus poli- the most information to make educated de- The Phoenix wishes everyone a safe sum- cies and activities, also. Given this goal, it is cisions on policies or events. We do not ex- mer break as we look forward to preparing Sports Editors in our interest to accurately report and cover ist to promote the image ofWMC. but rather for next year. Carolyn Barnes '99 LETTERS To THE EDITOR John Manard '97 Photography Editor Meghan Joyce "99 ----------------~I~P:h~I~·II~P~R;.~S~a2y~~~.t'--------------- Circulation Manager The lead headline for your April 25 issue and staff have worked hard to nurture stu- US News and World Reports' college edi- Laurie Cicero '98 proclaims, "Retention rate continues to fall," denl progress. First Year Seminars, for ex- tions. A year ago the Wall Street Journal and an inside headline repeats with. "more ample, are a direct result of two College exposed a too common practice of reporting Computer Consultant and more students leave Western Maryland." committees' work; we want to reach out to inflated SAT scores and graduation rates to Heather Brinkhous '97 Where do these erroneous statements come students at the very beginning of college ca- college guides. Western Maryland contin- from? Nowhere in the articles is the asser- reers and help them meet the demands of a ues scrupulously to report only accurate and General Staff tion that retention rates are falling substentt- serious academic program. complete data, even as other may cook the Aaron Ahlburn '97 ated. As chairman of the College's Reten- As your article points out, social life is- numbers. Aaron Corbett '99 tion Committee which carefully monitors sues are usually a concern for students who Much more thorough-and Becky Cockerill '99 such matters, I write to set the record straight. stay at the College. Reasons for student at- thoughtful-than the listings is the just-pub- Adam Dean '98 The headlines are absolutely wrong and mis- trition have more to do with academic and lished Colleges That Change Lives, written Joshua Foster '96 leading. financial stress than with social issues. For by former New York Times education editor Tom Gill '99 In fact, the College's retention rate is im- the most part, students who leave transfer Loren Pope. Along with only 39 other col- Amy Hanna '99 proving. Consider the retention of first year to less expensive and less demanding state leges across the country, Western Maryland Nicki Kassclis '99 students from fall 1995 to spring 1996: supported institutions. The Retention Com- was chosen from hundreds of options be- Stacey Mcintyre '99 95.2%, a 1.2% increase over the previous mittee believes our challenge is to help stu- cause it is "a community of nice, earnest, Mike Puskar '99 class. While first-to-second year rates fluc- dents who leave transfer to less expensive unassuming, quietly self-assured teenagers Heather Reese '96 tuate somewhat, they, too, have gone up sev- and less demanding state supported institu- who realize they are getting a first-rate edu- Sarah Snell '98 eral percentage points in recent years, as tions. The Retention Committee believes cation and who regard their teachers as Cameron Speir '97 much as 6.3%. Look at graduation rates our challenge is to help students form bonds friends and mentors." We can "boast of tak- Emily Stamathis '99 which have increased from a mid-50% level with the College, with faculty and staff, and ing 'B' and 'C' students and making them several years ago to the current mid-60%. with each other so that they achieve the sue- success stories," says Mr. Pope who carries The Retention Committee has identified cess for which they came. on about WMC for six pages. We all should Adviser several ways to improve the college expert- Beware also of comparisons based on take pride in our community, just as we TerryA. Dalton ence for students, and many on the faculty listings such as the Money Magazine'S and should work together to make it stronger. '---H-e-a-t-h-e-r-M-.-R-e-e-s-e-, I was disappointed the headlines were so misleading and negative. No doubt, WMC 'can and will continue to get better. But let Members of both the administration and demic setting students would take it more us get the facts right and be proud of real the student body have voiced their concerns seriously and answer as honestly as they accomplishment. The Phoenix is published biweekly. over the validity ofthe statistical data printed could. The opinions expressed do not necessar- in conjunction with the retention story in the My sampling was almost equal across the Editor's Response ily represent those of The Phoenix staff, most recent issue of The Phoenix. I feel that four class levels, freshmen, sophomores,jun- the faculty. or the administrators of is my responsibility to explain the manner in tors, and seniors. Students from a variety of In the first paragraph of the article "Re- WMC. which the survey was conducted. majors were polled, as well as a relatively tention rare continues to fall," it is clearly The paper welcomes free-lance sub- When looking into different options for equal number of males and females. Almost stated that the most recent freshman reten- missions on Macintosh disks in most expanding the' depth of this story I came 10% of the student body was polled in this tion rate was 78% (it was actually 78.5%). word processor formats. The editor re- across the suggestion of a student survey. My survey, an adequate number to represent the This figure represents the returning rate from serves the right to edit for clarity, length, feelings were that this would enable me to school population in a study of this type. students who are freshmen in 1994-95 to and libel and to publish as space permits. have first hand knowledge of how the stu- The resulting I5-item Phoenix survey their sophomore year in 1995-96 according All submissions (excluding self-ad- dents on campus feel about WMC. However, was done with great concern, and I went to to the document "Rentention rate 1995- dressed diskettes) become the property I was also aware that I am not an expert in great lengths to ensure that it would reflect 1996" which was obtained from Academic of The Phoenix and cannot be returned. the art of surveying and that it is a compli- an accurate image of how students on cam- Affairs, not from the freshmen fall to fresh- Please include a name and phone cated process that should not be done hastily pus feel. I am proud of how the survey was men spring semester rate of return that Dean number for verification. Names will be if one wishes to obtain accurate results. With ' conducted and hope that any misconceptions Sayre refers to above. The freshmen enter- withheld only by the discretion of the this knowledge I composed a survey that I or concerns that anyone may have had are ing in 1993 had a retention rate of 83.7% Editor-in-Chief. felt was objective and thorough. I then en- now eased. from their freshman to sophomore year. The Phoenix does not discriminate listed the counsel and advice of Dr. Ronald When a reporter writes a story that could Therefore, there was a 5.2% decrease in the based on age. race, religion. gender. Tait of the sociology department; an expert potentially be controversial he or she expects retention rate from the entering class of 1993 sexual orientation. national origin, con- in surveying. Dr. Tait gave my survey form to receive feedback that is not always posi- to the entering class of 1994 from their fresh- dition of handicap. or marital status. to his Survey and Research class, whichedu- tive and, in my case.the retention story was man to sophomore year. While this infor- cates students in the process of creating and no different. Although I have encountered mation is not fully presented in the article, Mail to: conducting effective and accurate surveys. some who feel that the story and they sur- the headline was not "absolutely wrong" as The Phoenix These students critiqued the survey and made vey results w&re unfair, I can not agree. Dean Sayre asserted. WMC. 2 College Hill suggestions on how to revise it to achieve I will not look back on this experience or The headline was, however, somewhat Westminster. MD 21157 the most accurate results possible. I then the story as anything be positive. I have misleading by using the word "continues" made the recommended revisions and asked gained a great deal from working on this as was the inside headline "More and more (410) 751-8600 several professors among the different ma- story, and, as with anything of this nature, I students leave Western Maryland." The (410) 876-2055, ext 8600 jors to conduct the survey in their classes. I can only hope that others will view it in the Phoenix apologizes if this has caused any FAX, (410) 857-2729 felt that by conducting the survey in an aca- same way. misunderstandings.