American society. Professor Murtagh, interestingly enough, had been one of the FBI agents
investigating the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis, Tenn.
Self-paced Instruction.
Called by various names, PSI, or Personalized System of Instruction
by its creator, Dr. Fred Keller at the University of Brasilia in 1964, a new educational
breakthrough arrived on campus. This program was based on the psychological belief that
"responses followed by positive reenforcement increases the frequency of those responses."
Carried over into this new system, the PSI or Keller Plan as it sometimes was called, allowed
students to move through a course at their own speed commensurate with their own abilities
and other demands on their time.
Other aspects of this system included the "unit perfection" requirement, which permitted
the student to go ahead to new material only after demonstrating 100 percent mastery of the
preceding material. Additionally, this system used lectures as vehicles of motivation, rather
than as sources of critical information. Furthermore, it stressed written work in the teacher-
student communication. Finally, it relied on proctors which permitted repeated testing,
immediate scoring, almost unavoidable tutoring, and a marked enhancement of the personal-
social aspect of the educational process.
At Clarkson, students encountered PSI in Chemical Process Calculations (CPC), and
Stagewise Operations for Chemical Engineers, as well as in some freshman calculus sections.
Pageantry for Research.
Over 200 performers, members of marching units in New York State
and Southern Ontario, appeared in the third annual Pageantry for Cancer Research in the
Clarkson arena in April. This exhibition of bands, color guards, and drum corps was presented
by the Clarkson Golden Knight ROTC Marching Band and the St. Lawrence County unit of the
American Cancer Society, in an effort to raise funds for cancer research at medical centers
throughout the country. It raised over $1,500.
The first group participating was the Ogdensburg Chaparelles Drum and Bugle Corps,
which boasted of having been the Honor Guard for President Nixon and Prime Minister
Trudeau at the 10th anniversary of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1969. Then the City of
Brockville Pipe Band, a unique bagpipe marching unit, performed old Scottish tunes while
marching through short maneuvers. Next the Webster Vanguards, a women's crack precision
drill team, performed with uncanny precision despite no accompaniment but the beat of their
own feet. This unit won the National Junior Drill Team Championship in 1972. The final unit
was Roethels Executives Drum and Bugle Corps from Ogdensburg, a group which had won top
honors in Canadian and New York competitions. The grand finale combined the efforts of all
five groups.
Credit for organizing this pageant went to Peter Nadolski, William Brownell, and Dr.
Frank Popp, Clarkson professor of chemistry and president of the St. Lawrence County
Chapter of the American Cancer Society.
