Letters to the Editor

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun
NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

‘Trash Trucks Are the Problem, Mayor Declares’


Regarding the mayor’s proposed waste management plan, follow the numbers for a few moments to realize the transportation gains that would accompany the proposal [“Trash Trucks Are the Problem, Mayor Declares,” Dina Temple- Raston, New York, October 8, 2004].


The mayor said that more than 600 truck trips would be eliminated daily. In fact, this improvement is better understood when a conversion to “passenger-car equivalents,” or PCEs, is made. Accounting for the city’s sometimes-hilly terrain, these 600 trucks actually “feel” like three, four, or even five times more than their actual number – an astonishing 2,000 to 3,000 autos.


Continuing with this theoretical exercise to demonstrate further the traffic-related benefits the loss of this truck demand would translate to, if the highway lane capacity is given as 2,000 passenger cars an hour, as standard transportation industry figures indicate, and if such trucks were to be on the road at the same time, the loss of 600 trucks would free up one to two travel lanes on our limited-access expressways.


Considering that the city’s highways generally have three “moving” lanes, the elimination of these trucks could boost capacity on one expressway by 50% or more.


While this is a hypothetical work out, it does provide an indication of the regional benefits of recovering such a precious commodity as the ability to travel on our highways more freely. And this calculus does not even include the further improvements associated with increased travel safety and the decrease in vehicle hours and miles traveled.


STEVEN P. SCALICI
Staten Island



CUNY Defends SAT Stats


The City University of New York Association of Scholars appreciates The New York Sun’s strong coverage of CUNY, including Jacob Gershman’s “CUNY Chief Defends SAT Statistics” [New York, October 8, 2004].


We commend CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein for releasing average Scholastic Aptitude Test scores for students enrolling in CUNY’s senior colleges in addition to previously reported scores for the larger group of accepted students. The upward trend in both scores shows that CUNY’s incoming students are better prepared now than a few years ago.


We strongly support the CUNY administration’s academic reform program and view this SAT controversy as an opportunity to expand and improve how CUNY evaluates and reports its academic standards and progress.


SAT scores, whether of admitted or enrolled students, provide no direct information about the education CUNY provides. Additional criteria are needed to gauge CUNY’s academic progress and give a wider profile of CUNY students, especially the standards students must meet to graduate and their preparedness for careers or further education.


As well described in earlier Sun articles, CUNY has reported extremely high pass rates on its CUNY Proficiency Exam (rising junior exam), which tests college level reading, writing, and quantitative reasoning skills.


CUNY students must pass the CPE to earn a two-year associates degree or achieve junior status in a four-year baccalaureate program.


Because almost all CUNY students eventually pass the CPE, we and other groups have questioned whether passing scores are set high enough to indicate real academic accomplishment. Accordingly, we encourage CUNY to pub lish further CPE information, such as the grading system and illustrative examples of essays at each level of scoring.


Moreover, additional data are needed on graduation rates and years to graduation at each college, including students enrolled in special programs such as Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge, or SEEK. Other important indicators of educational quality are pass rates on professional tests such as the Certified Public Accountant exam and, for students planning to enter graduate programs, average scores on the Graduate Record Exam, Law School Admissions Test, Graduate Management Admission Test, and Medical College Admissions Test.


Advance agreement on evaluation criteria would reduce the likelihood of controversy over reports of CUNY’s progress. Furthermore, outside oversight of CUNY’s future evaluation by an objective and impartial organization, such as the Rand Corporation, would increase confidence that CUNY’s academic improvement is real and substantial.


We encourage the CUNY administration to implement these recommendations, which we believe will provide strong and continuing evidence of the university’s academic progress in future years.


DOROTHY LANG
Chairwoman
CUNY Association of Scholars
Associate Professor of Business
CUNY Staten Island



Please address letters intended for publication to the Editor of The New York Sun. Letters may be sent by e-mail to editor@nysun.com, facsimile to 212-608-7348, or post to 105 Chambers Street, New York City 10007. Please include a return address and daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited.

NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.


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