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The summer "bridge" part of the Special Transitional Enrichment Program (STEP) at the University of California (UC), Davis, was evaluated with attention to first-year academic performance and retention. STEP, part of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), is an orientation and academic program to help low-income and minority students make the transition to the university curriculum. A comparison was made of specially-admitted freshmen who attended summer STEP (group A) with those who began STEP in the fall (group B). Findings include: among the fall 1978 EOP special action freshmen who completed their first year at UC Davis, group A had lower high school grade point averages (GPA) and lower Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) math scores on the average than group B; group A students did as well academically as the academically better-prepared Group B students; total SAT scores carry negligible weight in predicting first-year college GPA and retention for these EOP specially-admitted freshmen; summer STEP participation does not significantly affect first-year college GPA after correcting for the influences of students' academic background/workload; and participation in summer STEP significantly affects retention as measured by quarters enrolled. (Author/SW)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert