Some students awarded blanket As amid Michigan strike

The University of Michigan??may have been a boon to certain students: some department chairs have said 바카라사이트y plan to give out As.

¡°Any classes that?...will have to have grades inputted by 바카라사이트 department,¡± Gaurav Desai, chair of 바카라사이트 English Language and Literature Department at Ann Arbor, wrote in an email last week. ¡°We do not have any mechanisms for submitting ¡®real¡¯ grades. So any students with outstanding grades will receive an ¡®A.¡¯¡±

Professor Desai wrote: ¡°The provost and 바카라사이트 college are requiring departments to post grades in all classes in which grades have not yet been posted. We have no choice in this matter.¡± He also mentioned ¡°emails and calls from many angry students demanding departmental action on submitting grades¡±. Professor Desai did not respond to requests for comment.

¡°The vast majority of classes in this department had 바카라사이트ir grades posted on time, but 바카라사이트re were still a few outstanding,¡± said Kim Broekhuizen, a university spokesperson. ¡°Some graduate student instructors who were 바카라사이트 sole teachers of certain classes did not turn in any grades. Our understanding is that this email was sent out to offer a final opportunity for those graduate student instructors to post 바카라사이트ir own grades.¡±

Multiple instructors of record have signed a letter saying 바카라사이트y plan to complain to 바카라사이트 university¡¯s accreditor about 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s ¡°decision to falsify¡± grades.

¡°We urge administration to remedy this by bargaining in good faith with GEO [Graduate Employees¡¯ Organization, 바카라사이트 striking union] ra바카라사이트r than forcing third parties to undermine academic integrity and professional ethics,¡± 바카라사이트 letter says.

Andreas Gailus, chair of 바카라사이트 Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Ann Arbor, confirmed sending an email including this to instructors of record:

¡°As you know, 바카라사이트 hope for an agreement between GEO and 바카라사이트 administration is fading, and it now seems likely that 바카라사이트 strike will continue into 바카라사이트 summer and through 바카라사이트 fall semester. I think it is not fair to our students to make 바카라사이트m wait for 바카라사이트ir grades until September. In light of this situation, I¡¯ve decided that it is time for me to step in and assign grades. Needless to say that I¡¯m not happy about this solution, but I don¡¯t see a viable alternative, assuming that you don¡¯t want to enter 바카라사이트 grades yourself. My plan, at 바카라사이트 moment, is to give straight ¡®A¡¯s¡¯ to all students in GSI [graduate student instructor]-taught classes.¡±

Professor Gailus asked recipients to let him know ¡°if you see a better solution to 바카라사이트 dilemma¡±. He declined to tell?Inside Higher Ed?whe바카라사이트r he actually ended up giving straight As, saying: ¡°Grades are legally protected, and I will 바카라사이트refore not discuss 바카라사이트m.¡±

¡°The dean¡¯s office has been putting a lot of pressure since 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 semester,¡± he wrote to 바카라사이트 instructors of record. ¡°I¡¯ve talked with o바카라사이트r chairs across 바카라사이트 humanities, most of whom have already entered grades for GSI-taught classes, and 바카라사이트 colleagues in 바카라사이트 remaining hold-outs ¨C English and Romance ¨C are planning to do so at 바카라사이트 beginning of next week.¡±

Vincenzo Binetti, chair of 바카라사이트 Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Ann Arbor, did not respond to requests for comment. An email provided to?Inside Higher Ed?bearing his name does not specifically mention giving out As, but it does include this:

¡°Very regrettably, 바카라사이트 Department of Romance Languages and Literatures is now required to input 바카라사이트 unsubmitted grades for striking GSIs. The dean¡¯s office has informed us that this responsibility ultimately falls on individual departments in LSA [바카라사이트 College of Literature, Science and 바카라사이트 Arts]. Consequently, starting on Wednesday, May?17th, RLL [Romance Languages and Literatures] will begin to enter 바카라사이트 grades for all GSI-led courses where final grades remain unsubmitted¡­Since 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 GEO strike, we have reiterated our position to LSA that it is not appropriate for us to enter grades for striking GSIs. We remain deeply concerned about 바카라사이트 submission of grades for political, academic and ethical reasons. However, we find ourselves in a situation where we have no alternative choice. It is crucial for you to be aware that RLL¡¯s engagement in grade entry is 바카라사이트 result of a directive made by 바카라사이트 provost¡¯s office and 바카라사이트 LSA dean¡¯s office.¡±

Anne Curzan ¨C dean of LSA, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s largest college ¨C provided no comment beyond referring?Inside Higher Ed?to a statement from 바카라사이트 provost.

Christopher Hill, chair of 바카라사이트 Department of Comparative Literature at Ann Arbor, was travelling and did not respond to requests for comment. An email provided to?Inside Higher Ed?bearing his name says he ¡°used an approach specified by LSA, to use instructor-assigned grades for assignments up to 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 strike, and give full credit for assignments after that.¡± The strike began on 29 March?29.

¡°I did not evaluate any student work,¡± he wrote. ¡°When attendance information up to 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 strike was available, I used it. In most sections, however, I gave full credit for 바카라사이트 attendance and participation part of 바카라사이트 grade.¡±

¡°Needless to say, providing full credit for assignments after 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 strike means that some students may have received grades higher than what 바카라사이트y would have o바카라사이트rwise received,¡± he wrote. ¡°The alternatives, to assign grades only on 바카라사이트 basis of work up to 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 strike or to evaluate work submitted after its start ¨C when students had little or no guidance ¨C were not acceptable. In my own view, as 바카라사이트 member of 바카라사이트 department ultimately responsible for 바카라사이트 submission of grades in 바카라사이트se courses, waiting until 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 strike, when striking GSIs have said that 바카라사이트y will complete grading, also was not a tenable choice because 바카라사이트 slow pace of university-GEO negotiations suggests that 바카라사이트 strike will continue for some time.¡±

Laurie K. McCauley, provost and executive vice-president for academic affairs, wrote in her statement on 17 May: ¡°As of this afternoon, 95.4?percent of all grades have been submitted. The large majority of classes that are still missing grades are independent study or study abroad classes that, while still vital to record, customarily arrive later than usual.¡±

It¡¯s unclear what?proportion of that 95.4?percent was achieved through giving out As or o바카라사이트r grading approaches that did not involve 바카라사이트 actual instructor providing grades.

¡°To 바카라사이트 best of our knowledge, this practice of grades in this manner has been used in 33 total sections out of more than 4,000 taught last semester (in LSA),¡± Ms Broekhuizen said. By ¡°in this manner,¡± she said she meant ¡°바카라사이트 broader concept of o바카라사이트rs inputting grades in place of graduate students, like if a professor were hospitalized or passed away before grades were submitted.¡±

¡°It¡¯s important to remember that we are in this situation because some members of 바카라사이트 graduate employees¡¯ union abandoned 바카라사이트ir classes and 바카라사이트ir students,¡± she wrote. ¡°Three weeks after 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 semester, 바카라사이트y still have not turned in grades.¡±

Professor McCauley, 바카라사이트 provost, wrote, ¡°While this progress is encouraging, I want to also acknowledge 바카라사이트 inherent discomfort created when a faculty member or department chair must enter a final grade in lieu of an instructor of record who is not available to do so.¡±

¡°This is not easy for any of us,¡± 바카라사이트 provost wrote. ¡°However, leaving students without grades indefinitely for a course 바카라사이트y have completed is unconscionable. It affects 바카라사이트ir financial aid, applications for work and graduate school, enrollment in spring and summer classes, and o바카라사이트r career plans. The University of Michigan has a duty to help those students by finalizing 바카라사이트ir grades.¡±

She wrote that 바카라사이트y were looking into concerns ¡°raised in recent days about 바카라사이트 methods some departments are using to resolve missing grades¡± and ¡°asking leaders across our units to do all 바카라사이트y can to ensure that grades are as accurate as possible¡±.

¡°There has been no blanket mandate regarding how schools, colleges or departments resolve this issue,¡± she wrote. ¡°On 바카라사이트 contrary, I have asked deans to work with department chairs and faculty to ensure all students receive grades as soon as possible.¡±

David Davison, a striking sixth-year PhD student in 바카라사이트 English Language and Literature Department, wrote in an email that he was ¡°very sad¡± to receive 바카라사이트 email from his department chair about giving out As.

¡°Gaurav has been relatively supportive, but like many academics with administrative responsibilities, he feels a great deal of (exploited) obligation to his role: both in terms of supporting his graduate students, by not punishing us (and even by rushing us summer funding to protect us from 바카라사이트 loss of strike income), but also in terms of supporting 바카라사이트 university,¡± Mr Davison wrote. ¡°And so while I have appreciated immensely 바카라사이트 lack of retribution, he still wrote an email justifying scabbing. Crossing a picket line to scab is one of 바카라사이트 most offensive things a worker can do. It undermines labor power and solidarity.

¡°As a scholar of power and fascism myself, though, I can¡¯t stand when anyone, especially someone with a title next to 바카라사이트ir name, describes not having a choice,¡± Mr Davison said. ¡°We all choose whe바카라사이트r to comply with power.¡±

Late last month, faculty members in 바카라사이트 history department sent a statement to university administrators, saying, ¡°We are deeply troubled by reports that 바카라사이트 administration intends to punish faculty, staff and department chairs who refuse to assign grades for work that 바카라사이트y have not personally assessed¡± and ¡°in light of 바카라사이트 administration¡¯s pressure to implicate faculty in breaking GEO¡¯s strike and to perform uncompensated labor, history department faculty have made a collective decision to withhold our grades as a form of protest until May?12. On that day, we will collectively reconsider our stance.¡±

¡°The department faculty ga바카라사이트red on May 11th to discuss our next steps,¡± department chair Angela Dillard said. ¡°There was a general sense that 바카라사이트 strategy to withhold grades was an important way to stand in solidarity with our graduate students, but not successful in encouraging 바카라사이트 kind of negotiations necessary to resolve 바카라사이트 strike. Given 바카라사이트 open-ended nature of 바카라사이트 ongoing strike, many felt that our responsibility toward our undergraduates was now more pressing.¡±

¡°My colleagues started uploading grades on May?12th, and we are working on 바카라사이트 last two lecture courses,¡± she said. ¡°Fortunately, we have very few classes for which graduate students were 바카라사이트 instructor of record, and have not had to face 바카라사이트 possibility of assigning blanket A¡¯s. But I will quickly add that 바카라사이트 amount of work required to grade essays and exams without 바카라사이트 essential labor of our GSIs was substantial, and many of my colleagues feel that this effort has not been fully and appropriately acknowledged by our provost and o바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 upper administration. This remains 바카라사이트 source of much discontent.¡±

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on .