Western Courier

Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: News

Richard Filipink (left), an assistant history professor, discusses the plus/minus grading system. Hank Moreno/photo editor

Although the plus/minus grading system was approved in 2005, it will be introduced in 2010 raising concern for many current and future students.

Kyle Tackett, junior hotel management major, was an SGA member in 2007-2008 and explained how they have dealt with this problem many times before. The main point he touched on was those who approved the system back in 2005 have graduated from school, so this policy is not going to affect them.

"I don't understand why we are still talking about this today," Tackett said. "Every year we have new people and every year the people who suggest it are the ones voting and graduating, which is not fair to those still here."

Amanda Richards, freshman hospitality major, is very concerned with the plus/minus grading system because she still has three years at Western.

She also believes students would not be happy with the new system, and it could lead them to care less about school.

"I think it would definitely make people slack," Richards said.

Dr. Richard Filipink, assistant professor of history, began the night with a brief summary of the plus/minus grading system.

"SGA proposed the idea in 2003 to the faculty Senate which assigned CAGAS (the Council on Admission, Graduation, and Academic Standards) to do a study of the idea," Filipink said. "The senate approved the CAGAS report in March 2005, and the Senate then approved the grade scale in April of 2005. The president at that point approved the policy."

Registrar Angela Lynn then answered a list of the most common questions students ask concerning the system. From there, the floor opened for any questions.

Many SGA members and concerned students spoke their feelings against the grading system. Throughout the meeting, many questions of importance were brought to the attention of the guest speakers.

Questions such as when is it going into action? What is going to happen to the students' transcripts that have two years of plus/minus and two of regular grading? and how is this going to affect "A" students?

"As students, we are right now wasting our time because we don't have a petition going, the faculty said they have open meetings, why don't we just show up?" said D'Angelo Taylor, student representative to the Board of Trustees. "We need to be there when they are going over our referendum. Once we get the petition going we need to get people to sign and support it but not just have a name on a piece of paper."

Taylor continued to stress the importance of every student getting involved if they want to see a change.

"We need to show up in numbers and let them know that we really do not want this system," Taylor said. "This is the only way we can change this from happening."

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