Just when we thought school couldn’t get anymore stressful, LSU drops a big one on us. It’s switching over from the current traditional grading system to a plus/minus grading system that will go into effect fall 2015.
We can all thank the LSU Faculty Senate for approving this resolution that will show just how borderline our A is to a B. Members of the Faculty Senate didn’t seem to take into consideration the opposition from Student Government, the representation of the student body, because the votes ended 26-14.
According to the final report of LSU’s plus/minus task force, the transition between the two grading scales will cost anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000. The University could honestly stick with the traditional grading scale and save its money and my stress. Not to mention that, because of the ridiculous budget cuts coming our way, we really shouldn’t be wasting money on an expensive, unwanted grading system.
This new grading system won’t affect you if you score a perfect 100 on everything. But because the majority of us don’t, this has the capability to be one of those nightmares that makes you wake up screaming.
Contrary to the traditional grading system (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0.0), the plus/minus system allows faculty to assign plus (+) and minus (-) grades. Faculty Senate believes that using 12 grading increments instead of the 5 will reflect students’ academic performance more accurately.
So, if you’re a “borderline” 4.0 student (meaning you live for 90 percents), if you make the same grades next semester, your GPA could drop.
And if you’re an average student who’s just passing by, good luck. With the new grading scale, all C’s will earn you 1.7 quality points as opposed to 2.0. Can you imagine getting all Cs and still not reaching a 2.0? This can be disastrous because 2.0 is the minimum grade point average for most on-campus jobs, clubs and countless other school-related activities.
While that may not seem like a big deal to you now, it could determine what graduate schools you get into in the future. Those tenths of quality points make a huge difference.
The senate compares us to all the other universities that use the plus/minus grading system, attempting to prove “if they can do it, we can do it.” Well, we’re not Harvard or Yale, and we’re sure not the University of Alabama, so why does it matter what grading system they use?
And is the faculty really trying to have a more accurate grading scale? Or could it be that they are tired of desperate students begging them on their hands and knees to give them that tiny tenth of a point at the end of the semester.
Thankfully, the University is leaving it up to the professors’ discretion on whether he or she will enforce the new grading scale. When the fall rolls around, we will then know who our new favorite teachers are.
SG hasn’t given up hope and still wants to hear everyone’s voice on the issue. I’m crossing my fingers extremely tight hoping this drastic new system can be overturned because at the end of the day, an A is an A.
Clarke Perkins is a 19-year-old political science freshman from New Orleans. You can reach her on Twitter @ClarkePerkins.