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! _c! 2 NEWS MAY 4,2007 - Page 3 Male students define success differently Special Report: This article is part of a three-port series investigating possible reasons for the gender gap wllicll exists between male (2.8) find female (3.2) GPAs. area of academics is avoided Without exception, professors more effort to be put into okay and they would have a PAT O'TOOLE by never truly entering the indicate that the majority of responses, such as "very job. ! have always thought I CONTRIBUTOR WRITER competition students they have who are vague" or "please expand," had to work really hard to get Every child has had his or "In elementary school, it habitually late, truant, disen- on males' papers more often what J wanted, whereas they her work displayed proudly was always if a gir! beat a guy gaged, or even asleep in class than she does on females'. knew it would just come to on the family refrigerator - a at something, they'd be so are males. If, as Yankovich alluded to, them." macaroni and glue collage or proud of themselves," said In regards to behavior out- being unable to overcome Perhaps, though, dedica- an "A" on a spelling test senior Mark Yankovich. side the classroom, males also females in the area of academ- tion to academics is tied more affording parents the opportu- "Now, with schoolwork, show less effort in many ics is taken as a given, it's pos- to cognitive maturity than to nity to brag about their child's they're all beating guys. They respects. Bradley conducts a sible that males are not trying motivation, a view that Dr. successes. see that they can, so they kind self-observation study in his as hard as they could because Henry Reiff, dean of student A lot has changed since of just keep doing it and guys "Critical Thinking" classes, doing so would mean that academic life, thinks could those days, but when the con- just don't really care." the results indicating that even their best efforts could explain some of the issues that tents of the refrigerator- turn Yankovich and his other males spend more time social- not match those of women. In men face. from milk to beer, from fruit to housematesliving off-campus izing, speaking, studying, speaking with several male "I think we used to feel that pizza, is there also a drastic offer a unique perspective on talking on the phone, and students, this perspective by high school, boys had shift from what Mom and Dad what constitutes a noteworthy going online for personal rea- seems to exist at some level. caught up," Reiff said. "I'm thought was admirable? With achievement for males. sons than females do while "When you go down in not sure that's true, I'm not male students consistently Amazingly, the policy at this the women spend far more flames, at least you can make sure that by 18 or19 it's a level ranking behind females in house is that any paper or test time studying. Although the the excuse of, 'Well I didn't playing field in terms of every level of collegiate aca- which receives a grade of results of this are inconclusive even try, and if I had tried I development." demics, it is possible that the either above a 90 or below a 70 due to the small scale of the would have beaten you," As part of this discussion, it aggregate differences actually gets tacked to their old, white data collection, the pattern Mihalek said. is important to recognize that reflect a difference in the male May tag. which they indicate is far from In some ways, female stu- there are male students suc- definition of success. "We've had a couple of us unexpected. dents seem to be even more ceeding at the higher end of This discrepancy goes bring home some bad grades Aside from effort in and out acutely aware 'of this phenom- the spectrum. While they have beyond a focus on athletic suc- at this house, and we don't of the classroom, some profes- enon. somehow avoided these cess as defining masculinity. feel like those should be' sors notice gender differences Senior Erin Wilson said that issues, many of them have That only explains half the ignored," Yankovich said. in other types of school-relat- while women are mainly con- concerns over the lack of suc- issue, as a dedicated athlete "But we also like to recognize ed behaviors, ones that may cerned with succeeding to cess on the part of males for still has the potential to suc- our good grades, although translate into decreased pro- maintain a certain appear- other reasons. ceed in the classroom. Rather, they're-a lotmore rare." ductivity. ance, men have a different "My mind tells me to not males sometimes demonstrate While Yankovich's com- "As an adviser, if Iask a stu- focus. worry about them," said a concerted attempt to do ments are' somewhat tongue- dent to come and see me and "For guys, their main fear is sophomore Scott Pusateri, poorly, flaunting their lack of in-cheek, there may be a cer- it's a serious thing, male stu- failure," she said. "So maybe it "but at the same time, it's kind effort as an asset. tain level of truth to the ideol- dents tend to drag on, to post- is better rather than to try and of scary because I see that "In one of my classes, we ogy he posits. Male students pone that," said Dr. Mohamed fail to just fail from the get- more students these days are have weekly quizzes out of are often said to operate at Esa, associate professor of"for- go." more interested in social life ten points, with the average two extremes; either produc- eign languages. "1£ I ask a So why is failure an accept- than in getting stuff done. In a score being around a five," ing at a high level or' not pro- female student to come talk to able option for male students? world where superpowers said senior Greg Mihalek. "I ducing at'all. me, immediately she is there." The most logical explanation like China are slowly catching sit with four other guys next "There does seem to be kind For Dr. Roxanna Harlow, ..,. . ...,;01 - r.g"' B ·li el in' me lies in the idea that males have :UPto us, that. can be a frigh~- curv .. ~pioiCl SOU>se 0.£ «nnpJ_CEnCy or twos. We'll laugh about it," g male population," said Dr. asaodate pro~ main of soclolOo' _ higher (emaJ..,. when it comes to ening .rwoJiiy." gy, differ£'nce the than rneantbne, the In malea "I think the girls are the Peter Bradley, assistant profes- between males and females is being employed after- college. such as Yankovich exude a ones who pull the grades up," sor of philos~phy. "We have the level of thoroughness The reality of females making cool confidence about future he added, very bright male students and applied to assignments. 70 cents on the dollar com- success in spite of academic For many males, "success" we have a lot of male students "On my exams or my pared to males is something failures. "If Ifail a test, I'd rather get and "failure" are terms which who, I'm not going to say papers, women are much that everyone is forced to a '0' than an 'F,'" Yankovich are only applied when a defi- aren't bright - they just don't more likely to go into in- reckon with. nite effort toward something do a whole lot of work. There depth, full explanations, "The reason Itry so hard in said. "But if I get a 58, I'd has been made. As long as it is don't seem to be very many in whereas men, sometimes I athletics and academics is to rather have a 20 or 30 percent apparent that little or no effort the middle, whereas the think in my head, 'I wonder if succeed. There's not really and be outstanding at being was made, then there can be female population seems to they practice what is the another option other than suc- bad." no true failure - and success is have more of a gradient." fewest number of words they cess for me," said senior Molly "Don't wallow in the breast an aberration, Within the The concept of effort being can say this in arid get full Bolek. "[Yankovich and milk," he advised. realm of the competitive male more of a factor than ability in creditv'" she said. Mihalek] didn't really try all psyche, perhaps losing out to male students' academic diffi- Harlow said she has to through school, and they had female counterparts in the culties seems to hold water. write comments which call for this notion that it would be Thelighter sideof thecampussafety blotter providence that the officer on Spring Fling that I nearly walks around campus in a ROB GOEKE driving hit the brakes. was run over, but even in that green police uniform. Lrhink STAFF WRITER I would tell you what time state, I would protect a keg it's time McDaniel's (Editor's note: Rob Goeke's com- this all took place, but T don't with honor and dignity and Admissions Office try to up mentary highlights some of the remember much of anything certainly not leave it for any- their admittance requirements inane calls to which campus safe.- from Spring Fling. one. Of course, I may have to because people like this bring ty reeponds.) Fortunately, I was not the be able to stand upright in down my degree. Throughout this fine aca- only person acting up. On the order to do so. Also, there were three demic year, I, your esteemed evening of April 21, a keg was The night of April 24 brings reported incidents of v~ndal- correspondent, have made found in one of the more hilarity. A Campus ism in Rouzer from Aprtl22 to countless jokes at the expense Pennsylvania Avenue houses. Safety officer was walking the 23. Someone broke the between Hall and front door, another student's Hill of drunken idiots. Today, However, officers only stum- Whiteford when he saw a dorm door was malfunction- bled on the steel treasure however, I come to you with an autobiographical tale of my because some mental giant water balloon bursting five ing, and some more ceiling own debauchery. had popped off the house's feet away from him. In tum- tiles were punched out. In a tequila / beer / security screen and had left ing around, he saw the water I'm starting t~ .th~ th~t vod k a / wha tever-else-I- the back door of the house balloon chuckers running surviving as a ceiling tile 10 ingested-haze fully caused by open where anyone, including away. ~o~~er is ~arder than finding the glorious day of Spring the Boys in Green, could walk. He caught up with witness- civilized life west of College aturday, April 28, in· Fling, I attempted to lift up a in and either get a refill or es and then the balloon throw- Square on 140. Let's pour out fine lass who is a friend of write a citation, or hopefully ers, who claimed that they a little of our collective malt voodstock, MD. An offiCer for those tiles mine for some reason that I both. Now I know I've already thought the officer looked like liquor bottle themselves so ! down memorial page for a one of their other found Luke can be gave who friends. cannot recall and naturally lost any legitimacy I may have Right. One of their other drunk freshmen fellows could collapsed right in front of the fttp:J / WWW.odmP.QT&!Offij Durango. It is only by divine had given that I was so drunk friends, who looks 30 and release their immaturity. j"'Lphp?Qid=lS857.