I also realize that the present situation depends upon a number of factors. These include:
- Weather
- Tardiness
- Varying perspectives on what class medians should be(ahem, Hill and Matthew)
- Delaying the due date for grades until Jan. 16
- And many more
...but this is getting frickin' ridiculous. And no, my beloved bureaucrats, you cannot blame the delay on the new building.
20 comments:
In years past there are often several classes that don't have grades in until a couple of weeks after the start of school. This year, it's true that it's more than the traditional several, but while it's certainly annoying, it’s not the end of the world.
Relax and enjoy the last night of break.
No, it is A LOT MORE than the traditional several. We can't even get our pass/fail grades. The delay is sad. I am one of those over-enrolling to make sure I have the right number of credits to graduate.
All I am asking for is an answer from either the SBA or the Administration addressing the issue. How hard is that really.
A part of me is as irritated as anyone about the delay in getting my grades. Another part of me thinks that if I had to read pages upon pages of the garbage that we attempt to pass off as legal analysis on our exams, I wouldn't be in a big hurry to tackle the job, either. Using the storm as an excuse is kind of "dog ate my homework"-ish, but if I were a professor, I can't promise that I wouldn't be doing the same thing.
I know we law students aren't a patient lot, but we'll learn our fates soon enough. Relax and get ready for the rapidly approaching semester!
I do have a P/F grade, so I suppose I should consider myself lucky. However, I'm missing every other grade.
And Anon, it's not the end of the world. We're all aware of this. But what, other than the weather (and if I'm a prof I'm taking those exams home to grade anyway), accounts for the widespread delays? More curiosity than anything else.
I wonder if they'll delay the drop/add deadline, since there's a dependency between grades and class enrollments.
More importantly, however, why is Dean Matthew holding up grades that have been in for weeks? What, she has some more rules to make up?
I didn't get that from Marnie's email, HS.
Nor did I. Instead, I've chatted with professors about the subject.
In speaking with these professors, I've discerned the following: evidently every class that fails to adhere to the "required median" gets sorted into a pile separate from those that do, and Dean Matthew and the relevant instructor get to have a little chat about it. As such, grades have been sitting in Cindy's office for weeks now.
In other words, many of the delays have little to do with the weather or delayed submission deadlines, and way more to do with rules known only to a select few. And where are these rules written down? Beats me, but it seems that a bunch of law professors would think better of allowing such a policy...
It is the 88 Median for classes of less then 16 students. I think this is what HS is referring to. It is not in the law school rules, but apparently is being enforced.
Feel free to correct me HS.
Hmmmmmm. Thanks for the clarification. I guess Dean M. is concerned about grade inflation then? Huh. Interesting, considering DU's medians are already higher than ours and they're our main competitors for jobs in the Denver area. So I'll take issue.
According to madefromrealpantherbits' comment a few posts ago, the 88 rule isn't written anywhere that's public. To quote him directly:
Rule 26 of the Law School: "Median Grades. The median grade in all first year courses, and in all sectioned upper division courses, including upper division courses that may be offered in different semesters of the same academic year, shall be 84, plus or minus one point. In all other graded courses and seminars, the recommended median shall be 84, plus or minus one point. The highest recommended grade is 96."
Note that the 84 median is only "recommended" for seminars and “un-sectioned” upper division courses. (Which I think means small classes.)
Makes you wonder about notions of transparency, no?
So is it 84 or 88? I'm confused.
SWEET, a Pass/Fail Grade! One that was turned in a month ago!
Admin grades have also been posted.
It's pretty amusing to me that NJL and I got the same P/F from the same professor, and yet we're both still waiting on another grade from the same professor that was submitted well before the former.
Overheard in the halls: evidently the "other median" is not part of the official rules, but instead part of a policy implemented by certain folks in the Dean's office without full faculty approval. (i.e. a 2/3s majority) In other words, the delays are due in part to an inability on the part of certain officials to convince their peers that this policy should become part of the official rules.
I know that for me, it makes me feel all warm and cozy inside to know that one or two people are imposing their will on our esteemed professors. I can only hope that this policy gets put down like a rabid dog at the next full faculty meeting, but sadly that's not until February.
Sigh.
Your right Random; How about over last summer, or next summer? This would have been good times as well! Either way, it was a good idea to wait until January!!
If what HS is reporting is true, and I personally think it is, then I don't mind waiting for my grades if it means some of my professors are fighting like hell against the enforcement of an unwritten rule wanted by only a few people.
What is the point of the median anyway? If the schools providing our competition (like say DU) are engaged in grade inflation then enforcing a median is harming our attractiveness to employers. What would be the point then, considering this is a professional school?
At last! One of the scantron grades has appeared.
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