Comments on: CURIOUS INDEX, 3/17/08

By: ChemE93

ChemE93 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:07:28 +0000

Looks like Michigan did what the New York Times tried to accuse Auburn of doing.

By: oc phil

oc phil — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:21:21 +0000

DC @ 33. As a former TA at tOSU I can laugh at failing 25%. I heard that the attrition rate for freshman when I taught there was over 50%. Trying to run a research university with the admission’s standards of a community college is not a wise way to go about things IMHO.

Avwenger @ 37. Good numbers but not as good as they would have been in the past given horrible grade inflation and the renorming of the SAT.

And admisson standards don’t tell the whole story about students either. Back in my migrant worker days, I found that I could give the exact same exam to a night class at a community college (with open admissions) and a morning class at a State University (with moderate standards) and the CC students would do better than the University students on average.

By: maskedavenger

maskedavenger — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:02:58 +0000

“As for Michigan, who knows?”

Michigan has competitive admissions for undergrads. Generally, a 3.5 and 1250 SAT for instate and a little higher for out of state (non-athletes obviously) and you are in the ball park to be admitted.

By: kt

kt — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:28:54 +0000

I know it’s twice as long as the Unabomber’s Manifesto but you should read it all…

Yet Basten can’t help but express concern for some of the athletes he teaches in his introductory courses, and worry about how they’ll fare as their academic careers at Michigan continue.

“I actually went to study table a few times because kids asked,” Basten said. “A lot of these kids, their reading levels couldn’t have been higher than sixth grade, seventh grade.

“I had one guy ask me what the word ‘bureaucracy’ meant, and how to sound it out. I was thinking: ‘How do they survive?’ I don’t know.”

By: Will (the other one)

Will (the other one) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:21:02 +0000

Auburn may have put a man on the moon, but also, unlike say most other schools, had players that couldn’t read (see Brooks, James.)

By: Out of Conference

Out of Conference — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:19:04 +0000

Crabapple Buck @ 14 – Touche. I should have covered my flank by adding the Outback Bowl. Nicely played, sir.

By: DC Trojan

DC Trojan — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:05:35 +0000

Carlinthemarlin @ 22 – A friend of mine got his phd from Indiana and when he was t.a.-ing freshman classes was stunned to be told that they were expected to fail up to 25% of the class. Apparently anyone can roll in to Bloomington and enroll, so they had to clear house aggressively in all the freshman intro courses.

As for Michigan, who knows? My father in law teaches there and he doesn’t seem unduly distressed by the undergrads, but then he only has to deal with the great unwashed when he takes his turn teaching generalist courses – most of his seminars are ones that you don’t end up in by accident.

By: Pants McPants

Pants McPants — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:29:11 +0000

Good to hear, Orson. Just finished Hell’s Ditch and If I Should Fall From Grace With God is on deck.

I boo myself for not bringing Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash to work though…

By: CapstoneAlum

CapstoneAlum — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:05:13 +0000

#27
Joshua
I honestly hope for you and the good people of La. that this move doesn’t turn out to be like Bama awarding Mike Shula a raise and a contract extension after a 10-2 season. I would hate to see the bayou on fire.

By: NewAZTiger

NewAZTiger — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:33:16 +0000

Well, Michigan refused a home and home with Auburn.

I guess we’ll just have to Chop-Block those MF’ers in swimming.

By: Doug

Doug — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:26:57 +0000

#26: Wouldn’t the opposite of “hypocrite” be “hyper-crite”?

Whatever, Sundiata Gaines gon’ be cuttin’ down the nets in San Antone, bitches.

By: LSUJoshua

LSUJoshua — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:19:17 +0000

Oh, and I can’t even begin to examine the brainless, idiotic statements of Delaney. Talking with a Bama fan is about as stupid as my mind downshift.

By: LSUJoshua

LSUJoshua — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:18:07 +0000

1, the WWL won’t because LSU pulled a tricky maneuver called paying for services rendered. When you pay $4 million for crap, you get called on it. When you pay whatever LSU is going to pay for a coach that just one SEC and MNC titles, it’s called capitalism, the American way, getting what you paid for.

By: Expat Ohioan

Expat Ohioan — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:00:39 +0000

Mr. Delany? I have Governor Spitzer on line 1. He’s calling to thank you for making him look like a…well, whatever the opposite of a fucking hypocrite is.

By: Mike and His Four Noble Truths

Mike and His Four Noble Truths — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:32:25 +0000

Does Jay Basten teach in the law school too? It might explain the whole Ann Coulter thing.