Final Grade in Gov 99 To Be Based on Thesis

The Government Department has decided not to abolish all grades in Government 99. Its new policy will base marks entirely on the senior thesis.

At mid-year, seniors in Government 99 will be graded either "Satisfactory" or "Unsatisfactory" by their tutors. At the end of the year, the final grade will be an exact translation of the thesis rating into a letter grade.

According to a department memorandum that will circulate on Tuesday, the new policy will go into effect in January. Isaac Kramnick, head tutor in Government, said that the solution reflects the Government Department's unanimous recommendation that all grades be abolished. But in order to establish a totally ungraded course, the Committee on Educational Policy told the Department that a vote by the Faculty would be necessary.

Faculty Would Agree

The College currently requires departments to give a separate grade for senior tutorial. Though Kramnick felt sure that the Faculty vote would have been favorable, he said that bringing up the issue before a Faculty meeting would have delayed the measure until the fall of 1966.

"The whole point of the change is not to count the thesis twice," said Kramnick. Tutors now will not have to give a second grade which amounts to the thesis anyway," he added.

Frank Likes Change

Barney Frank, tutor in Government, said that the solution "was the best the Department could have made within the limits set by the Faculty." He supported the elimination of the tutorial grade and added that the Faculty should look at tutorial grades in general, since different departments have different systems of grading.

Seniors in Government appear to be divided in their views of the change. Jo-Ann M. Hoeppner '66 said that the grades formerly given were based on little beside the thesis. Another Cliffie argued that there is "no other basis" for grading than a thesis. On the other side, one senior cited the fact that graduate schools want grades. Ira D. Silverman '66 said "I would like to retain my tutor's appraisal of my work."

The following scale of equivalents will be used in translating the thesis grade into the final letter grade: Summa and Summa minus  A Magna plus  A- Magna  B plus Magna minus and Cum plus  B Cum and Cum minus  B-