2008 Woodie Awards
SGA debates new grading scale
Ed Komenda
Issue date: 3/19/08 Section: News
In typical chaotic fashion, the Student Government Association met Tuesday night to discuss the possible implementation of a new +/- grading scale, opposing a resolution for the new system.
Emotions ran high from the very beginning as Tony Thomas, SGA senator-at-large, took the stand and projected his views for all to hear.
"I just want everyone to know that this is something that we can change before we submit it to the faculty senate," Thomas said. "This system is going to affect everyone negatively, and I strongly urge the senate to vote this resolution down and work toward more important issues."
In a very Obama-esque fashion, most of the audience present at the meeting pushed for change as well. One student claimed the new system would create an unfair obstacle for students across campus, putting more pressure on already heavily burdened students.
According to an outline distributed at the beginning of the meeting, the new system, if passed, would utilize +/- grades instead of the well-known single-letter scoring system already present in the Western Illinois University curriculum - an idea that sat sour with most of the members of the SGA senate.
"Personally, I am against this," said Nicole Shipman, SGA senator-at-large. "I talked to random students and showed them the system, and they were very against it."
She added it is important for this issue to rest solely in the hands of students and for them to decide the system's fate.
"The new scale would dramatically affect students' grade point averages, which would make it harder for them to receive scholarships or to get into graduate school," said Matt Gierloff, SGA senator.
He added the new system would also affect student organizations, making it harder for members to maintain the required grade point average.
The resolution was eventually thrown out after a vote was taken to the tune of 1-19-1, tearing the proposal to shreds and causing an uproar of choppy applause and victorious howls from the audience.
In other business, SGA members will be bagging groceries at County Market April 2 and 4 to raise money for the upcoming Relay for Life, an event sponsored by the American Cancer Society.
"I really would like to see everyone attend, because it's for such a great cause," Shipman said.
She added it is also in SGA's future plans to pump gas to raise more funds for the ACS.
Emotions ran high from the very beginning as Tony Thomas, SGA senator-at-large, took the stand and projected his views for all to hear.
"I just want everyone to know that this is something that we can change before we submit it to the faculty senate," Thomas said. "This system is going to affect everyone negatively, and I strongly urge the senate to vote this resolution down and work toward more important issues."
In a very Obama-esque fashion, most of the audience present at the meeting pushed for change as well. One student claimed the new system would create an unfair obstacle for students across campus, putting more pressure on already heavily burdened students.
According to an outline distributed at the beginning of the meeting, the new system, if passed, would utilize +/- grades instead of the well-known single-letter scoring system already present in the Western Illinois University curriculum - an idea that sat sour with most of the members of the SGA senate.
"Personally, I am against this," said Nicole Shipman, SGA senator-at-large. "I talked to random students and showed them the system, and they were very against it."
She added it is important for this issue to rest solely in the hands of students and for them to decide the system's fate.
"The new scale would dramatically affect students' grade point averages, which would make it harder for them to receive scholarships or to get into graduate school," said Matt Gierloff, SGA senator.
He added the new system would also affect student organizations, making it harder for members to maintain the required grade point average.
The resolution was eventually thrown out after a vote was taken to the tune of 1-19-1, tearing the proposal to shreds and causing an uproar of choppy applause and victorious howls from the audience.
In other business, SGA members will be bagging groceries at County Market April 2 and 4 to raise money for the upcoming Relay for Life, an event sponsored by the American Cancer Society.
"I really would like to see everyone attend, because it's for such a great cause," Shipman said.
She added it is also in SGA's future plans to pump gas to raise more funds for the ACS.
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