Graded Abroad Off-Campus Marks Are Counted

Author: Lindsay Whitton

On Monday, Dec. 9, the Middlebury College faculty voted to include all grades received while studying abroad in student grade point averages (GPA).

The Educational Affairs Committee (EAC) had planned on proposing that abroad grades and course titles be listed on students' permanent transcripts but not factored into their GPA regardless of whether students attend Middlebury Schools Abroad or other universities. Hours before the vote, however, the EAC decided to endorse an amendment to their proposal that dictated all grades, from any university, be factored into students' Middlebury GPA. No students were made aware of the amendment before the vote.

Previously the College's policy was to factor grades received from Middlebury Schools Abroad into student's GPAs but not to count grades from other universities. The EAC, in an effort to promote consistency, had planned on suggesting a universal policy of listing, but not counting, all grades received abroad. The faculty vote, according to David Macey, director of Off- Campus Study, "gave accountability equal billing with consistency" by deciding to list and count every grade.

Ben LaBolt '03, student co-chair of Community Council, identified study abroad as the major academic issue that the faculty are reviewing this year and has been working with Meaghan McCormick '03, Student Government Association (SGA) director of academic affairs, on communicating student opinion to the faculty throughout the process. Many faculty members are concerned that students' academic standards slip during and after studying abroad, and the faculty is thus reconsidering the entire program with a stress on the academic merit of abroad experience. "It's a genuine problem," Macey said, "when students come back from being abroad and tell their academic advisors about all the beer they learned to drink." The majority of faculty members decided in December that one way of assuring an academic focus was to make students accountable for their grades.

LaBolt, however, is concerned. "In general," he said, "what passed is a negative policy because now we are pouring 80 different grading systems (or whatever number of schools students go to) onto the same page and throwing it into the GPA." Ginny Hunt '03, president of the SGA, voiced her apprehension on counting different systems into academic honors and awards, such as membership into the Cum Laude Society.

Macey, however, is confident that although the new policy might be more labor intensive, his office will be able to accurately and fairly translate all abroad grades into Middlebury's system. "It's a task," he said, "but by no means an impossible task. There are a whole range of guidelines."

Hunt is unconvinced. "I think this will have more consequences then were considered when the vote took place," she said.

Hunt and LaBolt are most concerned over what they both described as "a breakdown of communication between the faculty and the student body" when the decision was made, especially since the Dec. 9 vote was the first in a yearlong review process. The SGA had endorsed the original EAC proposal, but when the last minute amendment was added, no students were informed. When, in the open forum on Monday, SGA Press Secretary Katherine Milgram '03 asked President John McCardell why the "student voice was missing in the decision," he responded by saying that, "the reason it was missing was not because anyone consciously tried to keep it out. The reason it was missing is that it chose not to be there."

The SGA and Student EAC had assumed that the original proposal would be passed and, since the faculty vote was held during exam week, had not attended the meeting. "I will take part of the blame for not going," Hunt said, "but I don't even receive the faculty meeting agenda." In the future, she will request the agenda and attend all faculty meetings with LaBolt. She still thinks, however, that in this case, the SGA should have been made aware. "Procedurally, I think that it was a mistake that no students were consulted. It was a wakeup call for everyone."

Hunt and LaBolt are still unsure how to respond. They are deliberating whether they should have a faculty member bring the matter up for reconsideration. LaBolt admits that reconsideration of a vote is "not frequently effective or used, but procedurally, we really object to what happened." They have decided, however, to focus on furthering their agenda in other parts of the study abroad review, most importantly encouraging a policy of "portable" financial aide. Currently Middlebury students have difficulty transferring their financial aid if they are not attending a Middlebury School Abroad. Hunt thinks that since the faculty adopted a universal grading policy, they should implement a similar approach to financial aid. "If GPAs are going to be considered," she said, "then all students should have the opportunity to study abroad."