Students, faculty and academic staff will all have the opportunity to vote on a proposed change to the UW-Platteville grading system.

The non-binding referendum will ask voters to give input on changing the current whole-letter system to the use of “half” grades like AB and BC, or a system using pluses and minuses. Any approved change would not take effect until fall 2009.

UW-P uses letter A, B, C, D and F to represent grades earned. UW-Superior is the only other UW System university to use the whole-letter system.

The final decision on whether a change will be made will be the responsibility of Chancellor David Markee. Markee will receive recommendations from each of the senates. The referendum will be non-binding, meaning governance bodies are not required to voice approval for the majority vote in their recommendations to the chancellor.

A date has not been set for the referendum, Robert Hasker, professor of computer science and software engineering, said. It will be held online and students, faculty and staff will be able to vote using their network username and password.

“What we’re really asking is ‘who is interested in a change and what change will it be?’” Hasker said.
There will also be an informational session where people will be able to ask questions. No date is set for that session.

A change to the grading system was first proposed to Faculty Senate by Phillip Parker, associate professor of environmental engineering, last spring. An ad hoc committee was formed with two members of Faculty Senate and one member each from both Academic Staff Senate and Student Senate.

Markee said that UW-P has used the whole-letter system for all of his 13 years as chancellor. He also said the system was being used when he enrolled as a freshman in 1960.

Hasker went to Student Senate on Sept. 15 to present the proposal and ask for approval to include students in the referendum. Devine Nzegwu, Student Senate vice president, said Student Senate approved student inclusion by a 22-0-1 vote.

“There were some student senators that were concerned about how it would impact student GPAs,” Hasker said.

“As a student, I think it helps those students who may struggle in school,” Nzegwu said. She said her main concern was whether any change was going to be made mandatory for faculty and staff.