If you examine recent history at RPI, there looks to be an emerging trend.Almost every year, it seems like the faculty and administration get an idea in their heads, and plunge forward with it until it’s implemented in the system. We have had the laptop program, the graduate tuition increase, the commencement credit policy, and now grade modifiers. The most disturbing part of the trend is the shortage of student input in these decisions.
Granted, this is not always the fault of the groups with the plans. With graduate tuition, the Graduate Council was understaffed at the time that the decision was being made, but by the time it became active again, the administration was too far along to do anything with the input the Council tried to offer. And with the recent grade modifiers issue, the Student Senate representatives who were supposed to be serving on the committee were not attending the meetings.
While these are valid reasons for the administration to not look for input on their decisions, the present matter is a very big step to take without seeking student input. It is necessary for them to seek out the opinions of the students on grade modifiers since this will directly affect us. It is a very drastic change to make as quickly as the previous decisions, since students are directly affected.
Talking with the Student Senate as a whole is probably a good start, but for a decision on this level more is needed. Quick polls should be distributed in classes to the student body so that we get a good idea of everyone’s opinion. Also, the faculty should be consulted to determine their feelings. Although the idea came from the Faculty Senate, that doesn’t mean a majority of the faculty is behind it.
It’s easy to see that if this decision is pushed through and student input is not sought out, there will be many problems and criticisms from the student body.
