It’s difficult to find something new and exciting to say about a process that is neither new nor exciting….grading. At least last year it was new. I’m not sure it has ever been exciting. Maybe it was before I started working here. Maybe my arrival caused it to lose all it’s glamour. Sorry about that. I did scrounge around in my typical glamour-killing mode to discover something I could get everyone to rally around for grading this semester. It’s not pretty but I found it: POWER SHUTDOWNS! Only in Facilities could I find something even less glamorous than grading. I am so thankful for Facilities for so many reasons, lack of glamour being only one. They always come through for me.
There will be power shut-downs beginning December 26th. This means that if you miss the grading deadline of December 24th there is a good chance you will technically not be able to submit your grades until very late. I talked to my partners in the grading process, the Graduation Certification Office and their hair was standing on end at the horror of any grades coming in late. By the time I finished talking to them I felt the same way. Here is their story—see what you think!
The Graduation Certification Office, known as GCO from now on, will need to run their Suspension/Probation report earlier than usual (due to the POWER SHUTDOWNS). They will also need to run the process to graduate students for December earlier. Grades submitted after December 24th will not be included in these reports. This will affect a student’s academic status, possibly his financial aid AND his ability to graduate in December. Students not being able to graduate in December will not be able to start at another school in the spring as planned. All of this makes my concerns about sending out grade reports with missing grades pretty inconsequential. These GCO people have real worries.
Remember, only one person turning in the grades for only one class after December 24th can affect 20-75 students! This can snowball (trying to be season specific here) very fast. Grades are due by noon on December 24th. We will start running the grade reports to mail out to the students shortly after the deadline and will not be running updated ones until January 2nd. The GCO will start running their reports around the same time. We need ALL the grades in by noon on December 24th. I know it’s ugly, but we DO wear evening gowns and tuxes while we are working so that helps a little!
Deborah Benjamin
Registration & Records
12/17/2007 |