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Volume 114, Issue 44
THE DAILY REVEILLE ‘A’ FOR EFFORT
University official named GSU pres.
WWW.LSUREVEILLE.COM
Grade inflation may be rising problem at LSU
C
Staff Writer
Contact Ryan Buxton at rbuxton@lsureveille.com
By Olga Kourilova
Contributing Writer helsea Alford sits near her notescattered coffee table with a book and yellow highlighter in hand as she prepares for tests. But the silence and her disconnected laptop come only the night before an exam, when she devotes four to five hours to an intense, undistracted study session. By 1 or 2 a.m., the political science sophomore said she feels pretty prepared. But this last-minute preparation is enough for her to earn a 4.0 GPA, she said. Students more commonly find the mark of “distinguished mastery” on PAWS accounts today than students in the ’60s saw A’s on report cards as the percent of A’s awarded at the University has increased since then. In 1965, 17 percent of grades were A’s, but that number increased to 21 percent in 1984, 27 percent in 1991 and 33 percent for the spring 2009 semester.
By Ryan Buxton Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga., has named an LSU administrator as its new president. Brooks A. Keel, vice chancellor for research and economic development and biological sciences professor, will take his new post Jan. 1, 2010, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents announced Monday. Keel came to LSU in 2006 after leaving Florida State University. “This has been a bittersweet day for me and my wife,” Keel said. “We’ve fallen in love with LSU, Baton Rouge, southern Louisiana and its unique culture.” Keel said he is excited to join GSU, a campus of about 18,000 students. “[GSU has] reached a point in their development where they can focus on research and grad training,” Keel said. Keel said the chancellor and provost understand his choice. “This was not about me trying to better my position here, and they know that,” he said. “There really wasn’t any discussion about a counteroffer because they understand it’s the right thing for me.” Keel said he will work hard to ensure a smooth transition. “Obviously I’m going to be thinking about Georgia Southern, but I’m still a Tiger now,” he said.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
INFLATION, see page 16 ERIN ARLEDGE / The Daily Reveille
Lindsey Hopton, mass communication junior, studies for an economics test Oct. 19 in the Quad. The University has been seeing a rise in percentage of A’s awarded to students.
Colleges with highest percentage of A’s awarded in spring ’09 •School of Social Work •School of Library and Information Sciences •College of Music and Dramatic Arts •College of Education •College of Art and Design
79.1 percent 59.6 percent 55.9 percent 48.8 percent 40.7 percent
graphic by CAITLYN CONDON / The Daily Reveille
BUDGET CUTS
Lombardi suggests tuition raise, TOPS reform Proposed flagship fund to help LSU By Kyle Bove Senior Staff Writer
LSU System President John Lombardi presented his blueprint for dealing with higher education budget cuts to the Louisiana Postsecondary
Education Review Commission on Monday and left members with a string of questions In a prepared address, Lombardi said college management boards like the LSU Board of Supervisors should have the authority to control tuition and fee increases for colleges, rather than leaving it to the Legislature exclusively. The state is looking at a budget cut of about $150 million during the
next fiscal year for its public colleges and universities, but Lombardi said many states are going through similar hardships and have found ways to cope. “Every state that has faced these problems has found it necessary to shift more of the cost of higher education to students and their parents,” he said. Lombardi’s suggested plan also includes an overhaul of the TOPS
program. The scholarship – which covers full tuition at the University using state dollars for students who meet ACT and GPA requirements – should be changed to a one-time merit award of $2,000. The leftover money set aside for TOPS should be used along with Go-Grant funding to establish a stronger need-based financial aid program, Lombardi said.
“It is abundantly clear that TOPS is a program that supports many students who have no demonstrated financial need, and it inadequately supports other talented students with a high need,” Lombardi said. According to data collected by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, 38 percent of TOPS recipients come from families REFORM, see page 16