Ec. Department Changes Honors Requirements

The economics department has recently changed the way GPAs for honors are calculated for the College's largest concentration.

The policy--effective immediately for all economic concentrators, including seniors--states that courses in related fields will not longer be considered when determining a student's concentration GPA for honors.

Some students who performed worse in concentration courses than related courses said that they are upset that the new policy is retroactive and affects graduating seniors. But professors said the new policy should not affect the overall number of people getting honors.

"There's a big outcry, but it's a small percentage change in honors calculations," said Andrew Metrick, assistant professor of economics and head tutor for the department.

"Evaluation is an incredibly subjective activity," he added. It's up to the economics department to decide who should get honors."

Many students said that they are angry that the department has not officially announced the change yet. Some concentrators are finding out about the change this week while talking to senior tutors.

"It's really awful that the economics department didn't notify seniors prior to their ability to change their class schedules, or that they didn't grandfather in students who had planned their schedules around the old rules," said a senior concentrator, who declined to be identified.

Metrick said the rule was changed because comparing students who took most of their courses in economics with students who took many of their courses in related fields is an unfair and unequal process for evaluating students for honors status.

If the change drives down GPAs overall in the concentration, the department said it will redraw the lines for granting summa, magna and cum degrees so that about the same number of students will receive honors degrees, Metrick said.

"As many people will be helped as will be hurt," he said.

Jeffrey Williamson, Bell Professor of Economics and chair of the department, said the department made the change to better determine who the best economics students are.

"We have thought that in the past, we were perhaps giving honors awards, prizes and such, to the wrong people," he said.

Three other popular concentrations, English, Government and Psychology, do count courses in related fields in calculating honors GPAs.