IS IT TRUE? January 17, 2012
IS IT TRUE that today the City County Observer was treated to an Evansville Police Activity Report was once again 15 pages long for a Sunday?…that the temperature rose to a tolerable point and the 10 pages or less reports of the last couple of days are now a thing of the past?…that it was the same old litany of thieving, doping, boozing, and violence that seem to be the four things that dominate our police reports?…that it is also obvious to those who read these reports that aside from petty theft like shoplifting which seems to happen on the eastside in the retail establishments that the EPD crime reports are consistently in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Wards?…that this has been true for it seems like 30 years now?…that the crime problems in the parts of town that have them will only be solved when the people who live there resolve themselves to partner with the police and do something about this?…that the words “I didn’t see nothing†that seem to be the dominant witness statements in neighborhoods riddled with crime are a big part of the problem?…that we encourage the good people, and there are many, who live in these neighborhoods to help the police to take back their streets?
IS IT TRUE that yesterday’s column that exposed the paltry graduation rates that have been achieved by IVY Tech and USI struck a sore spot with several of our readers?…that we want to add to the perspective of just how bad this performance is?…that in a classroom that both of these supposed institutions of higher learning are charged with running that the grading scales for students are established by MINIMUM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS and in some cases shifted to reflect the “curveâ€?…that the “curve reflects the overall performance of the class and sets the average at the center of that which will result in a grade of “Câ€?…that in a Gaussian “bell†curve the letter grades are basically set by the number of standard deviations away from average that a particular student scores?…that for a typical class that a grade range of 70 – 79 will result in a “C†with 10 point ranges separating grades?…that this is the standard that the students are held to and that if a student scores below 60% that a grade of “F†results?…that is 20% below the midpoint of a gentleman’s C?…that students who make and F in a class get no credit and those that get a year’s worth of F’s are dismissed from school?
IS IT TRUE that the CCO is interested based on the graduation rates reported just what grades that IVY Tech and USI would be getting in the subject of graduation rates?…that for four year colleges that the average national graduation rate in four years is 31.4%?…that 31.4% would constitute a mid level “Câ€?…that to make a C a college would need only graduate 29.3% of their students in 4 years?…that to make a D that number becomes 25.1% and anything lower is an F?…that USI in the subject of 4 year graduation rates not only scores and F but needs to improve its graduation rates by 80% to even get a passing grade?…that the six year graduation rate still results in an F for USI but that they only need to improve by 33% to pass with a minimal D?…that if USI does not have a plan in place to increase these graduation rates that they most certainly should have such a plan as this is much more important to the future prosperity of this area than yet another building or shrine to those who have passed on?
IS IT TRUE that IVY Tech’s performance when placed under the same examination makes USI look like the Harvard of the Westside?…that as we mentioned yesterday only 8.7% of the students who enter IVY Tech actually complete their studies and get a credential in 3 years?…that the national average performance for getting a credential at two year colleges is 22.1%?…that when you crank out the numbers IVY Tech will have to improve their performance by a full 103% to just get a minimal D?
IS IT TRUE that there are no excuses for graduation rates like these and that these two institutions need to spend more time and efforts on their customers (students and parents) that they do on capital projects and billboards telling the world how great they are without showing their report card?…that both need to start holding their own performance up to the same standards that they expect from their students?
My daughter scored an 82 in one of her classes this past semester @ IVY Tech and recieved a letter grade of C. There was obviously no grading on the curve in this class. Are the statistics for IVY Tech statewide or Evansville only? If Evansville only, how does this campus compare to others elsewhere?
It could have been graded on the curve. An 80 is a B when the average is 75%. If the class average was in the 80’s or 90’s then the curve pitched your daughter a C. Maybe this class was too easy.
Several classes at Ivy Tech use honors-level grading, as well (A = 93-100, B = 83-92, etc.).
Yes, this is what the class I mentioned used.
A friend’s spouse teaches full time at USI. This professor has been at USI a few years now and is taken aback quite often at the attitude of the students there. It is not unusual for this teacher to hear things from the students such as “Do we really have to do this (read this… write this composition etc)?”
I may be totally wrong but there may be a tendency for the excellent high school grads from Evansville and the surrounding area to choose or be chosen by schools that offer some scholarship help located away from here. This may leave IVY Tech and USI with more C students coming in from local schools that then, using the curve, would become the B or even A students at these schools. We also must look at the local schools feeding into USI and IVY Tech.
Some of the grad rate deficit may be a financial concern where students who cannot pay for dorm fees and other living expenses must attend local schools and live at home. There certainly is nothing wrong with that. These also may be the part time working students who must take longer to graduate because they must take a partial load of classes and occasionally must skip a semester.
I do have another concern. There is a new “college” on the scene in Evansville named “Harrison College”. It is based in Indianapolis and plans to teach tech-type courses such as Veterinary Assisting and Veterinary Technician. This honestly makes me cringe. While living in the Indianapolis area for over 30 years, Harrison College was a joke. They pretty much overcharge dramatically, take the student’s money by setting up high loan amounts and payments, and seem to have one or two teachers teaching everything. I am VERY suspect of this business and do not want citizens of the area to be taken in by big promises that fail to materialize but have big dollar amounts attached to them.
While I agree that crime is high in our fair city, I do not agree that blaming folks is the answer. I provide in-home services to people in our more impoverished areas, and I feel that saying that most don’t want to report crimes is unfair and stereotypical.
Often I find that “good people” do inhabit these “crime riddled” wards, but are fearful for their lives and children’s safety when they report something that may be gang or drug related. While I do understand that some just don’t want to be involved, it should not imply that people in neighborhoods with crime use poor grammar and are not “good.” Often people who don’t have any options but to live in neighborhoods filled with crime, don’t have the opportunity to leave and may be fearful of retaliation.
My suggestion to the EPD would be to go back to a more community centered approach of detailing the streets in ALL areas with any types of crime in order to build relationships and rapport with residents. (This may already be happening, but I have seen a decline over the past few years.) Just driving through a neighborhood isn’t enough to make residents want to trust that police are there for their safety and not for a shakedown. When good rapport can be built between police and residents, it will be passed on to the next generation, which in turn can prevent and deter future crimes.
“My suggestion to the EPD would be to go back to a more community centered approach of detailing the streets in ALL areas with any types of crime in order to build relationships and rapport with residents. (This may already be happening, but I have seen a decline over the past few years.) Just driving through a neighborhood isn’t enough to make residents want to trust that police are there for their safety and not for a shakedown. When good rapport can be built between police and residents, it will be passed on to the next generation, which in turn can prevent and deter future crimes.”
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While I agree with everything you are saying, the problem with EPD and all police department today is the same in that they have moved from being a force with the mantra of “To Protect And Serve” to a paramilitary organization. No longer is there personal contact between the community and the police unless you are a criminal, granted the police see the worst of humanity but they have forgotten who they serve and their role in society, the bottom line is that they are feared by the citizens that they are intrusted to protect.
There are community outreach programs, gender/ethnic sensitivity programs, and workshops to help the public cope with the paramilitary aspect of police departments, they are designed to help the police officers understand the needs of the community but do little to help with the relationship the public has with law enforcement officials.
What has been lost is the public’s trust in the police department, it has been replace by fear, with the advent of no-knock warrants, youtube videos of police blatantly abusing people, even military style clothing that the officers wear instill fear in the hearts of average tax paying citizens. The old adage of if your doing nothing wrong you have nothing to fear from the police has long since been washed away, time and time again we see ordinary citizens treated like common criminals, we see total disrespect for the citizens, a total lack of humanity and respect towards the public by officers.
This isn’t a local EPD problem, it’s how they are trained to do their job, when the solution to a criminal problem in our town is a tank or armored vehicle and that is given serious thought as the proper solution…what does that really tell the public?
Bottom line is FEAR…as long as the tax paying public fear the police there will never be any substantial community relations, fear does not breed trust it breeds contempt.
More can be found here…..
http://voices.yahoo.com/paramilitary-police-structure-community-policing-38218.html
And as always this is JMHO
Could you provide a link to the complete report on the graduation rates and other statistics on IVY TECH and USI?
Friends have told me that Purdue has “red lined” kids from the EVSC, knowing they will have to provide tutoring in Math, just to bring them up to college freshman level. This is not something new, but has been the rule for years. Why doesn’t the EVSC upgrade the curriculum or replace teachers who can’t really teach math, instead of bragging about “Equality and Equity”. Do they think a below par education in math is acceptable if ALL the kids get the same pitiful learning experiences?
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