Voca E Marshall-Wythe School of Law' FOUNDED 1779 Vol
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College of William & Mary Law School William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository Student Newspaper (Amicus, Advocate...) Archives and Law School History 1988 The Advocate (Vol. 20, Issue 4) Repository Citation "The Advocate (Vol. 20, Issue 4)" (1988). Student Newspaper (Amicus, Advocate...). 269. https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/newspapers/269 Copyright c 1988 by the authors. This article is brought to you by the William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository. https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/newspapers The voca e Marshall-Wythe School of Law' FOUNDED 1779 Vol. xx No.4 Thursday, October 20, 1988 Twelve Pages Policy Changes Not Moot ourt Making The Grade by Steve Zweig "The new system is Uniform Grade Curve'! manifestly unfair to the pnson Lowe also suggested it Student Bar Association at the top of the decile. was time for Marshall-\\ythe members voiced reservations When you're being judged by faculty to adopt a Sf!t grade about a proposed change in employers, it makes a big curve, and offered ~ B/ B the class ranking policy at a difference whether you Clm say mean as a grade curve goal. meeting September 9. Ca!ling you're in the top eleven the proposal "manifestly percent or the top twenty There is a mandatorv B unfair," SBA President Jeff percent," Lowe said. mean in all classes at UV ; law Lowe opposed the change "I'm not sure this W'ly is school, according to UV,: law while mo t of those present any better. In a number of school registrar Virginia Haigh. endorsed a new GPA ways it's substantially worse," There is neither a mand atory calculation method to eliminate Lowe added, and said he nor a suggested grade curve at rounding disparities in grade would be present at the nexi Marshall-Wythe, according to pluses and minuses. faculty meeting to voicl his Associate Dean of The proposal, presented discontent. Administration Connie The Final Rounq of the oral arguments of the Bushrod T. Washington to the SBA by Professor In addition, GPA's w,)uld Galloway. But she added Moot Court Tournament were held Sunday, Oct. 16. Distinguished Walter Felton, chairman of the be calculated by assigning that the faculty. is free to set up oral advocates Sara Beiro (3rd place oralist), Jeanne Swanick (1st standards informally among place oralist) , and Dan Perry (2nd place oralist) revisit the killing fa culty's Academic Status points from one to twelv(; for grounds. Not pictured is Bill Van de Weghe, who placed fourth in the Committee, would rank grades F through A. themselves. oral competition. students in the bottom 90 Currently, rounding errors Out of rune area law implicates academic freedom SBA representatives percent of the class according provide a student with, for schools surveyed by The and that such a proposal debated a proposal to divide to their decile (ten-pel cent exam pie, a B- and a 8, a Advocate (Duke, Gt:orge would meet with strong up the class for ranking increments). Students in the · slight numerical advantage over Mason, Georgetown, Gl'orge purposes into 5 [Jercent . arn e decile would sharE the one with a B+ and a C+, Washington, UNC, University resistance from the faculty. "It creates more problems . What groups, instead of deciles. but same rank, instead of each even though the effect~ on of Richmond, UVa, \Vake D ~ i ng a signed a unique ~an1c , Uut;' orA :.huuld tvdmiCdlly Fores.t, :Inn Washington and if everybody in a class bet'S a the reservations remained: "It as is currently the practice. be the same. The new Lee), only two George 50, it would be unrealistic to might hurt a guy competing for a job against somebody The system would r. tain algorithm, if adopted, will Mason and Washington and impose a B curve. That's not with similar qualifications from absolute ranks for the top 10 eliminate such disparities. Lee - have neither adopted a intellectual hoqesty m my a school of the same percent of the class, in order Unqualified endorsement of suggested nor a manJ atory mind," said Felton. reputation. A guy in the top to keep an accurate couni for the proposal seemed to be the grade curve in all classes "There is not a great eleven percent might still be selection to law review and general consensus at the At UNC, there is a diversity in what faculty is better off than a guy in the Order of the Coif. meeting. standardized curve for the first doing [in giving grades]," top 15 percent," said third year r--------------------------.. years only, while curves ir. the Felton added. He also said he upper classes are suggested was not aware of informal representative Steven Mulrov "What about no only and not bindinb on agreements among faculty grade~?" professors, according to UNC members teaching the same asked first year representative dean Karen Haywood. At classes to correct discrepancies Robert Bua. Lowe said he both Duke and Georgetown, in their grading methods, but thought a policy of no grades the standard is only a guideline the very fact that students might not present a difficulty and is not binding on were raising concerns to students seeking jobs in the professors, according to "recreates a freshness of "immediate vicinity" but that registrars there. awareness among all the employers elsewhere would At the four other schools faculty of the impact on need more details in making hiring decisions. "We're not at urveyed, grade curves a T.? grades" on students' career mandatory, ranging from a C+ opportunities. that stage yet," said Lowe. at the University of Richmond Powell, Pix, Kegs to a B at UVa. Wh:!t this Alternatives Discussed means at those schools, for In other SBA business, example, is that if most While expressing his Graduation Committee students in a class earned a 50 opposItIon to a set grade Chairman Robb on a test, the professor would mean, Felton said his' Storm said he would know be obligated to give them a committee would consider the soon whether former U.S. grade based on the standard, idea and any other ideas Justice Lewis Powell would whether it be a C+ or a B. students might suggest between accept the class invitation to now and the time the faculty "Perhaps changes in be its speaker at graduation decides on a change near the grading should first er:1anate ceremonies. He suggested that end of the semester. He left from the faculty," said Lowe. the next class extend it open the possibility that the "It seems to me tha: the invitation "well before the end committee would prop )se no faculty should first get together of the second year" . to avoid change, if students were and come up with something scheduling conflicts. .. It' not a solution to k ave it against it. Continued on Page Three [grading] arbitrary and just Lowe said an adva ntage correct grading [with the decile of the current system i that it Inside this system]." provides an incentiv;; fo r Issue Second year representative students to keep wo rkir ! aft er Matilda BroduD:: expressed the their fi rst :lD.d secorrd -';e3.rs. Teachers ....... p.Z same concern. "Let s have a since they know that t r:~y c a~ Rescription ........p.5 set curve .. because we have move fr om a lower ran '.;, to a to compete with UVA higher one, while group Malone ........ p.6 from Grace attendees Marcia Asquith (2L) an d Dave Montgomery (2L) graduates," Brodnax said. ranking might appear set in trip the light fantastic betwee n th e refills at the open bar. FBI ........ p.7 But Felton said a stone" and remove that ma ndatory grade curve incentive. FFG Pix ......p. l0 Page Two Thursday, October 20, 1988 The Advocate Reach Out And Teach Someone by Caryl Lazarro comments on the match. "I 'like my tutor. 1. feel like I'm learning a lot with her. I've Each M onday .l nd got more confidence now than Wednesday after Property I did before. She knows that class, first-year Mona Meeker I can do more. Sometimes I heads toward to the 1:1ain you need a little push. She campus to settle down wi'h a knows that 1 know moe than pile of books in the basement 1 think ] do." Mona ccnfirms of the B)Tne dormitory, once this: "Sometimes, she comes the site of the law school in with her homewOl F. and library. No, Mona's not just says, 'these are all wron't; but another confused first-year ilien we go ilirough the . .}, and looking for a quite place to they're all right." study. She is a tutor ir the Second-year student J ~rome Rita Welsh Adult ~kills Self is responsible for b;inging Program. For the past five the literacy program I,) the weeks, Mona, along with :25 or attention of Marshall-' Vyilie. so other Marshall-Vvythe "Essentially, it just madl sense students has spent two hOIlTS a for law students to be tutoring week tutoring adults !:l a people and helping them learn variety of educational areus. how to read," she explained. The program, narned for its "I've had ' friends who have original director, began in 1975 been involved and they got me with only 24 students but has interested. I realized that with grown to serve about 165 Law Students in the students each semester. The Community it would be a great participants can receive project for us. I c ' l ,~ked 2L Jerome Self helps get law students involved in the community by tutoring in the Rita Welsh Adult Skills tutoring in basic reading, around \';ili different pr( .grams Prog ram ° • wn tmg and conversation, in the community ..