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The Miami
Vol. 87, Issue 13 | Oct. 8 - Oct. 11, 2009
HURRICANE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI IN CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA, SINCE 1929
Grade expectations
Inflation a problem at universities nationwide BY ADAM WEINSTEIN | CONTRIBUTING NEWS WRITER
rade inflation is a major concern in universities nationwide, including the University of Miami. A Doonesbury cartoon by Garry Trudeau says it all: it depicts a student expressing his dismay at being denied admission to law school because his inflated GPA only hurt him in the long run. “It’s not my fault I didn’t deserve all those A’s,” he says in the strip. According to Dean of the Graduate School Terri A. Scandura, UM has consistently addressed grade inflation since the 1980s. “The causes of grade inflation appear complex,”
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she said. “There are many factors that may contribute [such] as students [being] concerned about their average GPA for entrance into graduate school.” Stuart Rojstaczer, a professor at Duke University, wrote an opinion column titled “Where All Grades Are Above Average” for The Washington Post in 2003. “The last time I gave a C was more than two years ago. The C, once commonly accepted, is now the equivalent of the mark of Cain on a college transcript,” he wrote. Professor Sigman Splichal of the School of Communication described the current perception of being average as an “anathema” or something that is detested. SEE GRADES, PAGE 4
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BRITTNEY BOMNIN
MISSING THE MARK OBAMA FALLS FLAT WHEN IT COMES TO OLYMPICS LOBBYING PAGE 7
SWITCHING IT UP FAMILIAR GROVE FACE OPENS NEW BAR PAGE 9
SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL CANES CANNOT BECOME COMPLACENT THIS WEEKEND PAGE 11