Vista Online

Fall/Winter 2001

Reading, Writing, and Rigor

Academics

9:30 a.m. and Jennifer opens Microsoft Word to a clean document. She quickly types her first sentence of a four-page analysis paper that is due in exactly one hour. After Jennifer fills the quota of pages with her jumbled thoughts, the electronic tutor, who typically goes by the name “spell-check,” begs her to spend a few minutes of her time developing their relationship. With class starting in 48 seconds, Jennifer has no time for the luxury of proofreading. She yanks the paper from the printer tray, sprints across campus, and thrusts the unstapled paper onto the growing pile. While Jennifer is fully aware that she is turning in an inferior paper by both her standards and the instructor’s, she is fairly confident that she will receive an adequate grade.

Is Jennifer a typical student at Greenville College? Are students on the Greenville College campus being under-challenged in their academic endeavors because of low expectations? Julia Schoenhals, a junior English and Spanish major, is concerned about her future studies after Greenville. “I wonder at times how graduating from here will affect my acceptance into a reputable graduate school. Will I be prepared for the rigors of further study?” questions Schoenhals.

Professor Veronica Ross, Chair of the Communication Department, believes the crux of the issue lies within the motivation levels of the students. She is frustrated by the growing number of poorly prepared students that enter Greenville’s doors each fall, expecting to be given easy A’s. Ross views students’ attitudes to be increasingly negative, asserting, “We ruined education when we decided self-esteem was more important than anything else.”
In his article in the May/June issue of Light and Life Magazine, Denny Wayman, senior pastor of the Santa Barbara Free Methodist Church, reflects upon America’s increase in the self-esteem programs within the American education system. Wayman writes, “In an attempt to help people develop high self-esteem, these programs failed to develop the character and encourage achievements upon which a person can rightly ‘feel good about one’s self.’” In the National Review Online, Brad Bushman and Roy Baumeister discuss the issue, writing, “For years American students have led the world in self-esteem, but not in math, science, or verbal skills.”

Ross contends that while Greenville College students may have wonderful self-esteem, their academic levels are lacking beyond what is reasonably tolerable. While the admissions standards clearly state that a student must have at least an 18 composite ACT score, 2.25 GPA, and be in the top 50% of their high school graduating class, 15.8% of this year’s freshman class scored below 18 on their ACT, and 28.4% were in the lower 50% of their graduating class.
Senior English major Kate Dunigan responds to these statistics saying, “I question whether Greenville’s enrollment standards are too low. I think it is wonderful that these students are here and have been given an opportunity to get an education, but what message are we sending?”

How does Greenville College, as a Christian establishment and an institute of higher learning, respond to applicants who fall short of the standards? As statistics show, the response has been one of grace. However, Professor of Religion, Brian Hartley questions the ethics surrounding these actions, saying, “What type of Christian message are we sending to low performance-level students when we tell them they can succeed here, when in reality, they simply cannot achieve the standards?”

Conversely, Angela Cox, a freshman pre-vet major, expresses her gratitude for the grace Greenville showed her saying, “I scored a 17 on the ACT, so they put me in Developmental English and Developmental Math. Certain classes are challenging for me, but I’m doing well.”

Randy Comfort, Dean of Admissions, asserts that students failing to meet the academic requirements for admission are not here simply to boost enrollment rates. In fact, if a student fails to meet any one of the three criteria, his or her file goes before the Admissions Committee, which is comprised of three faculty members, Dean of Student Development, Director of the Academic Enrichment Center, and the registrar. Comfort says, “The Admissions Committee looks at every file individually to see if that student would be successful here at Greenville College.”

Dr. Richard Huston, Chairman of the Political Science Department, says that if there is a problem in the academic rigor on campus, it lies in the faculty’s laps. “Why blame students for the academic climate on campus? They don’t create it,” asserts Huston. While Huston believes there is always room for improvement, he does not see academic standards at Greenville College as a problem. “Sincere Christians ought to aspire to be the best they can be in every area,” says Huston. While not every student at Greenville College is a Christian, this ideal of high aspiration, which is often paralleled with Christianity, could be integrated better into the lives of all who wish to succeed, despite religious orientation.

Most important to Huston are relationships, which for him affect everything else. He holds to the statement made by Chip Anderson, co-developer of the Strengths Finder (an assessment tool used by the faculty this year), that “the most effective learning occurs in the context of relationship.” For Huston, if a problem exists, it is the faculty’s fault for not raising the standard and failing to develop proper relationships with their students. Bart Davis, a freshman Physical Education major, claims that a problem exists within the professor/student relationship. He says, “I see some professors leaning toward students who are doing well, while shying away from students who aren’t doing as well.”

Professor Hartley maintains that if a problem in academia exists on campus, it stems in part from the American entertainment culture. “Most students enter a classroom like they would a movie. They want to be entertained, and bring no critical lens to the material,” remarks Hartley. Jeff Gracik, a junior majoring in Psychology/Religion, believes the academic challenge is a personal decision. “I find it challenging here because I challenge myself, and I take a big load,” states Gracik; however he also says, “There is the possibility to ride through here if you don’t challenge yourself.”

The challenge of determining the level of academic rigor on the Greenville College campus is indeed far reaching. With such variety in academic ability, students find themselves on both sides of the college’s proposed standards for academic excellence. While Jennifer and her mediocre study habits may mirror certain students at Greenville College, the question remains, is it her fault, or rather the fault of her environment?

Elizabeth Streetman

Last updated: July 9, 2001