Grade Probes Face Barriers

Two College administrators performing independent investigations of comments made by Thomson Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield Jr.'53 said this week they may run into problems.

Both Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III and Dean K. Whitla, director of the Office of Instructional Research and Evaluation, said this week that they are looking into the matter.

Epps said he will likely issue a letter with results sometime after spring break.

"I want to do mine in a comprehensive way," Epps said yesterday. "You have to provide historical context, and have to show the events of the time."

Over the past few months, Mansfield has linked grade inflation to the increased enrollment of Black students in the 1960s and '70s. He told Harvard Magazine that inflation occurred because "many white professors were unwilling to give C's to Black students, so they also wouldn't give C's to white students."

Both Epps and Whitla have said they disagree with Mansfield's statements on the basis of their own anecdotal evidence. Mansfield, who says his statements are based on personal observations, has said he would like to see grading figures from the time.

"I think Harvey is not right," Whitla said. "The real important thing is to show some evidence."

But the task of peeling back twenty-five years of history will not be easy, both men acknowledge. Whitla said the University's own records pose the biggest obstacle to an investigation.

There are no cards or databases for easy access of old grade reports, Whitla said. The reports were filed alphabetically, written by hand, and don't allow for an ethnic or racial breakdown because they give no indication of the student's background, according to Whitla.

In fact, Whitla said ascertaining the race or ethnicity of students may be nearly impossible for time periods when such questions could not be asked on admissions applications.

But Epps said yesterday he has a way around it.

"You can do ethnic breakdowns," said Epps. "All you have to do is look at the Freshman Register."

Whitla prepared the data that appeared in Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Lawrence Buell's January letter to the Faculty on grade inflation. He declined to release data to The Crimson until he could secure the permission of Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles.

Whitla, however, noted that a large rise in grades between the 1968-69 and 1969-70 school years had only a coincidental connection with a similar rise in Black enrollment.

He said Faculty legislation that liberalized pass/fail policies caused a jump in grades of nearly one point on the 15-point scale. And the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. helped to jump-start a minority recruiting effort that brought large numbers of Blacks to the College, he said.

Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons '67 did not return repeated phone calls yesterday

In fact, Whitla said ascertaining the race or ethnicity of students may be nearly impossible for time periods when such questions could not be asked on admissions applications.

But Epps said yesterday he has a way around it.

"You can do ethnic breakdowns," said Epps. "All you have to do is look at the Freshman Register."

Whitla prepared the data that appeared in Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Lawrence Buell's January letter to the Faculty on grade inflation. He declined to release data to The Crimson until he could secure the permission of Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles.

Whitla, however, noted that a large rise in grades between the 1968-69 and 1969-70 school years had only a coincidental connection with a similar rise in Black enrollment.

He said Faculty legislation that liberalized pass/fail policies caused a jump in grades of nearly one point on the 15-point scale. And the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. helped to jump-start a minority recruiting effort that brought large numbers of Blacks to the College, he said.

Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons '67 did not return repeated phone calls yesterday