Senate reviews grade option
By Rachael Conley
Staff
Writer
The withdraw/failing grade may no longer be an
option found in the graduation index at Purdue.
The use of the withdraw/failing grade was investigated
by the Educational Policy Committee of the University Senate and will
be voted on by the Senate at its November meeting.
According to a document from the senate's Educational
Policy Committee, the current withdraw/failing index "is subject to
differing interpretations by individual faculty members, resulting in
inconsistent application across a campus, even within departments."
The document also said, "the number of WF (withdraw/failing)
grades assigned each grading period is low enough that it has consistently
been zero percent of the total grades assigned for all grading periods
reviewed by the committee."
"Under the current system the grade is barely used,"
said Terry Stewart, professor of animal science and chair of the Educational
Policy Committee.
The students on the committee spoke the strongest
on keeping it, he said.
At its Monday afternoon meeting, the University
Senate also discussed the current issues with state funding.
Estimates are that Indiana is facing a shortfall,
said President Martin Jischke.
He said the University is expecting the postponement
of state funding for items such as construction, and because of that
faculty and staff are being asked to be prudent in determining where
funds are most needed within departments.
"At some point all dollars are green," said Jischke,
and he added, we want to have flexibility with funds and have the option
of substituting them if need be.
Jischke also announced that Discover Purdue Week,
which will kick off the University's year-long fund-raising campaign,
has been rescheduled for the week of Oct. 22, which is the week leading
up to homecoming. The event was originally canceled due to the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11.
Provost Sally Frost Mason also spoke at the meeting
about her priorities and plans for the coming year.
"Purdue is a place that is ripe and ready for change,"
said Frost Mason.
Frost Mason's priorities include hiring deans,
building a provost office, examining the processes the provost office
deals with to eliminate extra paper flow, and working and implementing
the strategic plan, which is the document that will lay out where Purdue
is headed in the next five years.
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