Community Briefs

Friday, April 25, 1997

1997 Spring Sing opens at LATC tonight

For one day only, the Los Angeles Tennis Center will host the
annual Spring Sing beginning at 8 p.m.

"The Avenue of the Stars" is this year’s theme, and the show
will feature more than 20 different acts ­ all performed and
organized for competition by UCLA students. The acts are arranged
into five different categories including solo, duet, production,
ensemble and band.

Along with student awards, the traditional presentation of the
George and Ira Gershwin award will be given to a musician who has
made an influence in the music industry. Randy Newman, a prominent
figure in music since the 1960s will receive the award tonight.

A pre-show festival begins at 6 p.m., featuring vendors, local
merchants and a display of part of the UCLA art collection and
student work.

Tickets are on sale at the Central Ticket Office for $5.
Proceeds will benefit the UCLA Jonsson Cancer Research Center.

UC Berkeley grades on rise

At universities across the nation, graduate and undergraduate
grade point averages are rising as fast as tuition. UC Berkeley is
no exception.

With this increase in grade point average comes a national
concern over grade inflation, and whether A’s and B’s will someday
be meaningless.

At Berkeley, the average undergraduate GPA has risen from 2.91
in the fall 1986 semester to 3.08 in the fall 1996 semester. This
trend is especially pronounced when compared with statistics from
the fall semesters between 1981 and 1986, when GPAs fell from 2.93
to 2.91.

Some professors say the rise of grades across disciplines and
colleges may reflect an upcoming era of academics ­ one when
professors give only favorable grades.

"Many of my colleagues in the history department no longer give
grades that encompass the entire spectrum from A through F," said
UC Berkeley history Professor Jim Kettner. "There is a no longer an
institutional sense of the gentleman’s C. Some professors now
mainly give A’s and B’s."

Other professors, however, say the rise in GPAs merely
represents the academic talent of incoming students.

"It is natural that grades increase. With the school age
population booming, students are competing for a smaller percentage
of slots ­ with no new campuses and buildings ­ and
consequently, we are getting better students," said political
science Professor Henry Brady.

Within disciplines as well as colleges, GPAs vary greatly.

Among Berkeley departments with at least 250 students, the
education in language and literacy, health and medical sciences,
and physical education departments all shared the distinction of
turning out students with an average GPA of 3.9 ­ the highest
at the university.

Statistics reveal that mathematics or science students are at
the highest disadvantage of receiving high marks.

Employers recruiting recent college grads

According to recent studies, the job market for 1997 graduates
looks promising. A survey completed by the National Association of
College Employers indicates that many companies will be turning to
colleges to fill positions.

The survey, conducted in fall 1996, found that nearly 61 percent
of the employers planned on hiring more college graduates than in
the previous year.

Another survey by the Collegiate Research Institute of Michigan
State University reported that with increased opportunities will
come higher starting salaries. The survey reported salaries will be
3 percent to 4 percent higher for recent graduates than last
year.

Though the market may be full of opportunities, employers say
it’s still necessary to have the right job skills such as computer,
communications, writing and social skills.

Compiled by Daily Bruin wire reports.