The Kentucky Kernel

Vol. LXV No. 110

Wednesday, February 13, 1974

an independent student newspaper

 

GRE said
'unreliable':

Bostrom

By (‘ARUL M ENROE

Kernel Staff Writer

Alpha cm

to sell

house

B) JEAN ST. JOHN

Kelnel Stall “titer

The Graduate Record Examination
(GRE), an aptitude test and an exit
requirement of the graduate school, is
unreliable in accurately predicting a
student's success in graduate school,
said Dr. Robert Bostrom. speech depart-
ment chairman.

A study done by the Educational Testing
Service (ETS) of Princeton. N.J.. which
commercially sells the GRE to univer—
sities, correlated the weighted average of
GRE scores and undergraduate grade
point averages.

TIIE correlation of coefficients, as it is
called, showed the GRE validity index is
.40 to .45.

Placed on its scale ranging from .00 to
1.00, Bostrom said this shows poor
validity in measuring the student ac«
curately.

The statistics show that the GRE holds
an efficiency index of only 20 per cent in
determining which students will be suc-
cessful in grad school, added Bostrom.

"'I‘IIIS MEANS the GRE test is 20 per
cent better than pure chance.“ he said.
”And 80 per cent of the time it is wrong.“

.\l.l’|l.\ (‘lll OMEGA. with its national
organization. has decided to sell its
chapter house at 364 Aylesford Place.

\liiiii Arnold. chapter president. said
'l‘uesday they need a "smaller house
because we are not a large chapter," She
added there was “no sense in having a
house of this size" since “it could present
financial difficulty."

Arnold said no arrangements have been
made to purchase another house but the
group definitely plans to remain on
campus.

A statement was issued by the national
organization in November which read:
"The National (‘ouncil of Alpha (‘hi ()mega
announces that the Delta ()mega (‘hapter
at the l'niversity of Kentucky will be of
lered for sale. with occupancy available in
June I974. however the Delta ()mega
('hapter of Alpha (‘hi ()mega will continue
to [auction on the campus of the
University.

“.\l.l’ll.-\ (‘lll “MEGA feels it is in the
best interest to relieve the chapter of the
financial burden of supporting a large
house and that other housing
arrangements will be made.

"The National (‘ouncil of Alpha (‘hi
(imega is confident that this move from a

(‘ontinued on page 6

Results of the same study released by
ETS stated the GRE is discriminatory
against minority groups, based on
linguistic wording of many parts of the test
itself.

University of Kentucky
Lexington, Ky. 40506

plications for the fall semester for the 78
graduate departments.

Graduate admissions serves 40 of these
departments by checking only the

 

‘Stastistics show that the GRE holds an ef-
ficiency index of only 20 per cent in determining
which students will be successful in grad school.’

 

Bostrom conducted a private study of
the validity of the GRE and arrived at a
validity index ranging from .35 to a .16,
showing a lesser percentage of efficiency
than the ETS research.

BOSTROM NOTED the GRE is not
necessary for graduate school admission;
however it is an exit requirement.

The test. although usually taken before
admission to the school, can be taken as
late as the last semester ofgraduate study.

Individual departments have varying
requirements for admission to their
schools.

JOHN JUIINSON. of graduate ad-
missions, processes about 3,000 apo

minimum 2.5 GPA requirement and
transcripts on an application, then for-
warding it to the department for further
approval.

The remaining 38 departments let
graduate admissions handle the entire
application, including GRE score
assessment. if the department requires the
test.

Dr. Zakkula (lovindarajula. professor of
statistics and a member of the graduate
council. said he believes graduate ad-
missions should require the GRE for
admission to all departments.

(‘ontinued on page 16

' i“
”m”... “a...” ...m.‘ ~.. .

 

Sitting it out for the best concert tickets are a

illegal parkers

few devoted Stephen Stills-Maria Muldnur
fans. (Kernel staff photo by Phil Gmhong).

 

 

News In Brlef

by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OWoman aide named

o lraq boycotts meeting

' Soviets arrest writer
0 Campaign funds
' Truckers roll again

0 Today's weather...

. \\'.\Slll.\'(lT().V — (‘arla Anderson
llills. a los Angeles lawyer, has been
named by President Nixon to be the first
woman assistant attorney general since
the end of Woodrow Wilson's ad-
ministration, more than 50 years ago.

If confirmed by the Senate, Mrs. llills
would succeed flarlington Wood Jr. as
assistant attorney general in charge of the
civil division.

Wood was named a US. district judge in
Illinois.

0 BAGHDAD. lraq — lraq Wlll boycott
an Arab oil meeting this week in Libya
because oil ministers want to talk about
lifting the petroleum embargo against the
l'nited States. Baghdad radio said
Tuesday .

lraq has been one of the most vociferous
opponents of {TS Middle East policies
since the Arab-Israeli war last October.

In another anti-US. move. Libya said it
was nationalizing the final holdings of
three American oil companies.

OMOSCOW— Soviet police dragged
Nobel Prize-winning author Alexander
Solzhenitsyn from his wife's Moscow
apartmentTuesday and took him away for
questioning. his mother-in-law said.

She told Western newsmen by telephone
that six plainclothes security agents and
two uniformed officers barged into the
apartment on Moscow‘s Gorky Street
shortly after 5 pm.

She said she and her daughter,
Solzhenitsyn’s wife Natalya Svetlova.
tried to hold the police back but “they were
very rough.“

OWASIHNGTON— A new study shows
that almost a year before the next general
elections, candidates for federal offices
and supporting committees had more than
$24 million in hand to pay for their cam-
paigns.

The largest single reserve reported was
more than $3.6 million still held by
President Nixon’s re-election campaign
committee.

0 FRANKFURT —— Truck traffic
returned to normal on Kentucky‘s high-
ways Tuesday and State Police reported
only one act of violence.

Gov. Wendell Ford. in a news con—
ference. announced the National Guard
troops called up Feb. 5 to help avert
violence will be released from active
status Wednesday morning.

State Police said one driver‘s windshield
was shattered by a rock as he drove along
the Mountain Parkway in Wolfe County.

...blues chaser

Today‘s weather may cure some of
those ol‘ middle-of-lhe-week blues with its
warm weather and partly sunny skies, The
temperature should hit the low 608 and
will drop to only the low 405 tonight,
Thursday‘s outlook is not so bright, with
increasing cloudiness and a chance of
showers, But the warm weather will
continue with Thursday‘s high near 60.