State students beat national ACT/SAT scores
High test scores
may not ensure
college success
By Corey Russman *
Staff Reporter
Nebraska high school students tak
ing the ACT scored above the na
tional average for the third straight
year, but that doesn’t guarantee they
will perform better in college, a UNL
official said.
Nebraska’s average of 21.2 was
above the national average of 20.6 on
the American College Test, said Lisa
Schmidt, director of high school and
college relations at the University of
Ncbraska-Lincoln.
**>
> The average ACT score for UNL’s
incoming freshmen during the 1991 -
92 school year was 22.4.
B ul Schm idl said ACT scores d idn ’ t
predict success in college. Instead,
the scores reflect how many college
preparatory courses a student took in
high school, she said.
Students who take more college
preparatory courses arc going to have
higher ACT scores, Schmidt said.
In that sense, students who have
higher ACT scores may be belter pre
pared for college, she said. By taking
college preparatory classes, she said,
students have the base of knowledge
they need to get started on the right
foot in college. But the rest of their
success is up to them, Schmidt said.
Nebraska, along with the rest of
the Midwest, lends To have higher
ACT scores because of the quality of
its schools and students, Schmidt said.
In the Midwest, there is a strong em
phasis on education, she said.
Stales such as Nebraska also have
higher scores because of their low
populations, Schmidtsaid. States with
low populations don’t seem to have a
mass of students at the bottom of the
scoring scale, she said.v
The ACT is based on a 36-point
scale and tests students in the areas of
English, math, reading and science
reasoning.
UNL admission standards now re
quire students to obtain at Icasta20on
the ACT, graduate in the top half of
their class or complete a set of core
courses. Most people requesting ad
mission to UNL are able to get a 20 on
their ACT, Schmidt said.
If the proposed changes in admis
sion standards arc passed at UNL, she
said, students will be required to take
Standardized testing /\
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more core courses before entering the
university. Schmidt said that taking
more core courses would help stu
dents improve their test scores.
But, she said, “being successful in
college is the goal, not getting good
ACT scores.”
Jody Price/DN
A group of about eight Lincoln residents and students protests a speech by former Drug Czar
William Bennett at the Lied Center for Performing Arts Thursday. I
Protesters challenge Bennett
n.. l ■« .• . . . .. M • •
uj ucicmy i iupauii/i\
Staff Reporter
About eight people supporting the
legalization of drugs protested Wil
liam Bennett’s speech Thursday at
the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
The protesters said they opposed'
Bennett’s advocacy of strict measures
to proscc utc drug users. Be nnett served
as “drug czar” in the Bush administra
tion between 1989 and 1990.
Chas Baylor, a Lincoln resident
and University of Ncbraska-Lincoln
graduate, said the war on drugs was
m.iiig um.u uy iiiu guvcr mucin luuuiiy
people their rights.
“I think the drug war is an excuse
to impose a police state on the coun
try, and they arc taking away our civil
rights with it,” he said.
Shawn Russell, a Lincoln resident,
played the guitar and said marijuana
use was not wrong.
“I think marijuana should be legal
ized,” Russell said. “It’s basically just
a big scare tactic that it isn’t.
“(Marijuana) is something created
by this planet — whether it’s by your
god or mine.
“It’s there for a purpose, and the
u.o. government pulling iimii.s on
what you can do with mother earth is
wrong,” Russell said.
Bennett said in his speech that the
legalization of drugs was “absolutely
wrong.”
“I know (marijuana) is not co
caine, and it’s not heroin,” Bennett
said. “I also know about half of the
people who use marijuana move on to
more serious drugs.”
Bennett said drug use was not a
victimless crime, contrary to the
claims of legalization advocates.
“This thing has real social conse
quences,” he said.
Fouraker
Continued from Page 1
Last January, he was charged with
first-degree assault and assault of a
police officer. The charges were dis
missed when intense psychological
evaluation at St. Joseph’s Center for
Mental Health in Omaha revealed
that Baldwin suffered from menial
illness.
Nebraska ’ s alh lelic dcparlmcni had
paid for Baldwin’s counseling and
treatment from January until the shoot
ing.
Fourakcr said the athletic depart
ment had paid $29,103 for Baldwin’s
treatment since January—a figure he
said probably would be final.
Mary Vodicka, a spokeswoman for
St. Joseph Medical Center in Omaha,
said Baldwin was not covered by a
health insurance plan and the source
of payment for the thousands of dol
lars in medical bills was unclear.
Vodicka said she did not know
what Baldwin’s total medical ex
penses would be but added that the
hospital would submit bills to theCity
of Omaha in hopes of receiving pay
ment for at least part of the cost.
Declining scores
actually may be
a positive sign
By Sarah Scalet
Staff Reporter
Declining SAT scores in Nebraska
will not have a big impact and actu
ally may be a good sign, a UNL
official said.
The decrease in SAT scores prob
ably means more high school students
arc taking it, said Lisa Schmidt, direc
tor of high school and college rela
tions at the University of Ncbraska
Lincoln.
This means more students arc con
sidering college, Schmidt said, which
would make thfc decline in test scores
indirectly positive.
Although scores on the Scholastic
Aptitude Test are rising nationwide,
Nebraska students continue to score
higher than national averages, she
said, because Nebraska high schools
graduate good students.
Verbal scores in Nebraska fell from
481 in 1991 to478 in 1992, and math
scores fell from 543 to 540,according
to The Associated Press.
The national average for verbal
scores rose from 422 in 1991 to423 in
1992. Math scores rose from 474 to
476.
The highest possible score for each
section is 800.
Schmidt said the drops probably
did not represent a trend, partially
because most Nebraska high school
students look the American College
Test, or ACT, instead of the SAT.
If a proposal to tighten admission
standards at UNL was passed, scores
would increase, she said. The stricter
admissions standards would require
UNL applicants to lake more college
preparatory courses.
—— POLICE REPORT-1
ueginnmg miam^ni weanesaay
7:19a.m.—False llrcalarm, Mabel
Lee Hall.
1:53 p.m. — Two-vehicle, non
injury accident, 19th and U streets.
4:11 p.m. — Bicycle stolen, Nc
oraska Union, SI 17.
5:00 p.m. — Man thrown from
horse, EastCampus rodeo grounds,
transported to Lincoln General
Hospital, 23(X) S. 16th St.
11:47 p.m. — Window broken,
Harper Residence Hall food ser
vice, S90.
dOerL SC Oddity Js |
Homemade Premium Ice Cream
In the Haymarket at 701 P Street
Open til 11:00 p.m. weekdays, midnight on Friday and Saturday;
i
i
40 cents off a malt, sundae or mix-in
with this coupon
Coupon expires 10-31-92/One item per coupon
Introductory
Deli Special!
1/4 lb. Hamburger
& French Fries
$1.29
ll:30am-7:30pm
Dine and shop in one stop!
B & R IGA
17th & Washington
__Sit down or Carey out
f ~ ' ‘ \
HEATER Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery; University ol Nebraska Linco n
^^^^MM^^J2jh^RJ>jreets1Uncol[L_NE6g5a8:0302; Film Information Phone: 402/472-5353
. Screenings 7 & 9:30 p.m. Daily
Matinees on Saturdays at 12:30 & 3 p.m.
_and Sundays at 2 & 4:30 p.m.
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