 "Photo: JESS KEMP, THE VOLANTE, 2010")
The fairness of the Beacom School of Business grading guidelines has come under fire from the Student Government Association.
The business school’s grading guidelines dictate that the average for a class falls within a given GPA. At Tuesday’s meeting, the SGA presented a resolution “condemning the grading policy,” and more than 60 students showed up to express their disapproval.
SGA President Blake Alberts said grades should only be determined by the professors and that the policy hinders professors from giving the grades that the students may deserve.
“As a student, I feel faculty members should be vested in my grade,” he said referring to a professor’s obligation to reach a class average.
Graduate student Brett Peterson said the business school grading policy is detrimental to students.
“It makes the grades comparative with whoever is in your class so that even if you do well, you can get less than an A,” he said.
According to written USD business school guidelines, when a class does not fall within these ranges, the professor is required to get an exception from their chair. When they do not inform the chair or director, they are no longer qualified for institutional priority or distinguished performance raises, which are a significant component of annual raises.
Business School Dean Michael Keller said although the SGA thinks the guidelines are wrong, they serve an important roll in preventing grade inflation.
“Some people feel grading guidelines are somehow wrong, I don’t agree. They are entirely appropriate,” he said.
The guidelines were put in place to help “better distinguish the performance of students who excel from those who do not,” according to the business school document.
In reality, grades are along a disparate range and the school’s grading policy reflects that, Keller said.
“Grades should reflect the work students put forth, honor students who do well and give fair respect for the range of (class) performance,” he said.
Alberts said he wants to ensure that proper research was done in the construction of the policy and review the validity of it.
“The policy aligns faculty salary incentives with maintaining low grades,” he said.
USD students have started a Facebook group calling for a review of the
grading guidelines. “B-School Rise Against The Grading Policy” currently has about 50 members.
Junior Linsey Vonholtum, an accounting major who takes the majority of her classes through business school, said the guidelines probably scare professors from giving the grades that students earn.
“It’s not fair,” she said.
Randall Waldron, business school associate professor, said while following the policy he sought exceptions for falling outside the guidelines, but it hasn’t changed his grading practices.
“As far as grading is concerned, I proceed as normal. They are not obligatory standards,” he said.
Keller said the grading guidelines do not require professors to change grades during the semester.
“This policy was never intended to force professors to change grades. It has never, and will never be, to change grades, if the professor believes students have earned their grade,” he said.
Some variation of the grading policy has been in effect for five years.
According to students in the fall 2009 Information System course, which Keller instructed, the class was told the grade ranges would be altered.
Alberts said that he was informed that students argued with Keller over his proposal to change the grading range and that students were outraged, sparking the discussion of whether the grading guidelines are necessary and justifiable.
Alberts said he was informed by students in the class that the scale proposed by Keller would have made a 100 to 92 percent would have been an A, 91 to 87 a B and an 86 to 70 percent would be a C.
Alberts said he believes Keller was afraid he was going to miss the grade range and in an attempt to meet the guidelines, he tried to make the switch.
Senior Bryan Palmer, an accounting major, was in the fall class. He said at the beginning of the semester, Keller informed the class that at some point they would be voting on a grading scale. However, near the end of the semester, without a vote, Keller implemented the new grading, he said.
“It was totally ridiculous. It was a blatant change and a shock to everybody in the class,” Palmer said.
Ultimately, the class outrage kept the grading change from occurring, he said.
But Keller said the change was made to correct a pass/fail portion of assignment, which was allowed under the syllabus. It wasn’t motivated by the guidelines, he said.
Provost Chuck Staben said that changing grading policy during the semester is allowed if a professor provides a justified reason for doing so; however, it is poor teaching practice if it isn’t mentioned in the syllabus.
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