American universities have long been considered breeding grounds for venereal diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea. But according to recent academic studies, there’s a lethal new contagion spreading throughout our nation’s colleges: grade inflation.Grade inflation, according to academic researcher Stuart Rojstaczer, is a phenomenon that occurs when there’s a continued, unwarranted rise in the number of higher grades assigned to students.Some researchers have downplayed the role of grade inflation, but many analysts fear it has subtly entrenched itself in the grading system and infected virtually every realm of higher education.Average GPAs at universities have climbed during the last century from approximately 2.3 to 3.1, according to gradeinflation.com.This trend has accelerated significantly during the last 25 years, and researchers insist it applies both to public and private universities.The average GPA at LSU, for instance, rose from 2.3 in 1965 to nearly 3.0 by 2001. More recent results indicate the University average has settled down near 2.88.Researchers say progressive increases in state funding and government-issued student loans are two of the driving forces behind grade inflation in public universities. Because many states issue funding based on enrollment size and academic performance, analysts believe college administrators are encouraged to prop their grades up to maintain their existing student body while also bolstering their performance records.”Paradoxically, students and governments are spending more and more money for an education that seems to deliver less and less content,” Rojstaczer observed in an article in The Christian Science Monitor.Grade inflation might not sound like too bad of a deal for college students at first glance. After all, what’s so bad about everybody getting higher grades?The answer is higher grades aren’t necessarily bad, but grade inflation dilutes the grading system and thus makes it harder for universities to successfully separate the average students from outstanding students.Not only does grade inflation mitigate the benefits of good performance, it also distorts academic incentives by encouraging students to “settle” for satisfactory grades rather than striving for excellence.Finals week is fast approaching, and we can all see how this works by looking at the ever-popular “final grade calculator” on Moodle.Because, grading-wise, there’s essentially no difference between an 89 and an 80, many students (myself included) use the device to see how poorly they can do and still attain their desired grade. This might not be the most admirable approach. But it’s an entirely sensible strategy given the ways grades are currently determined.Grade inflation may well be entrenched in our educational system. But there are ways to reduce its undesirable effects.One method many universities have adopted is the plus-minus grading system. Students are assigned partial credit based on their numerical grades under such a system rather than merely receiving a “one-size fits all” letter grade based on our current 10-point grading scale.For example, a student who earns a B+ might receive as many as 3.33 credit points rather than the mere 3 points he or she would receive under our current grading model. A student who earns a B would receive approximately 3 points, while a student who earns a B- might receive as few as 2.5 points.As Warren Buffett famously said, “It’s only when the tide goes out that you discover who’s been swimming naked.”The plus-minus grading scale won’t entirely reign in the high tides of grade inflation. But it at least gives employers a chance to clear up the water supply so they can see what swimwear students are really wearing beneath the surface.In my case, that’d be a men’s banded-waist thong.Scott Burns is a 20-year-old economics junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_sburns.—————Contact Scott Burns at [email protected]