Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University Students Association. Volume 40, Number 3. March 14, 1977.
[Letter from Elizabeth R.]
Dear Ed,
It's about time the Geography department realized that not all its students are conversant in the intricacies of maths. Having struggled through stage 1 labs by bludging answers off more capable friends. I am again confronted in Stage 2 with more meaningless equations.
It seems that Form 6 maths is necessary to cope and personally I never even advanced to form 3, choosing instead like many other students to opt for a non-maths course at high school.
Why doesn't someone in the department do a blurb in the prospectus that maths is needed, or better still, recognising that 3 out of 10 people in a lab can't cope even with a calculator, arrange some informal tutorial classes. At present we less informed people not only tie up the lab assistants but also gain nothing from a weekly 3 hour graunch.
With 10 compulsory statistics labs looming in the 2nd half of the year surely something can be done before then, even if only a preliminary handout. I realize that the aim of the geography department is to teach geography and not maths, but at present it is those skilled in maths who succeed.
Elizabeth R.