Gee, maybe if the composition courses taught students how to read and write instead of focusing on the loftier critical goals that might improve? You know. Just a thought. As university educators we can't control what happens before students get here and just go blaming everything on high schools. As much as it might be true that students ought to be better equipped before they get here, I'm equally appalled by the fact that college composition courses at IU don't teach the rudiments of writing (or correct assiduously for grammar and spelling), even when it's flamingly obvious that's what's needed in that class. Of course, you've heard me say all that before.