By Cameron Enders, Out and About Section Editor
The fall 2024 semester marks the start of a new business department grading policy that requires all business and accounting professors to start giving out C-minuses again.
The new grading scale makes a C-minus range from 70 to a 72.99 grade and Cs now start at a 73, whereas the old grading scales would have students get a C from a 70 to a 76.
Business students will now need a minimum grade of 73 to receive a passing grade that is in line with the university’s requirements for demonstrating mastery in a course.
“We decided we wanted to be standardized with the rest of the university,” Dr. Carol Bartlo, chair of the business department, said.
The university’s grading policy does include a C-minus grade that equates to a 1.7 GPA but not a specified grade range. Rather, that range is consistent with the grading of most classes at the university.
“We just decided to become more aligned with that for equity purposes,” Bartlo said. “And you know it causes some confusion because our grading scale did not include the C-minus, so we had a very large C range, so just for consistency we decided to add back the C-minus.”
News of the change was not relayed formally to students in an email or newsletter. Instead, it was left to professors to include in their syllabi and students to read on their own.
“Students are required to read the syllabus; in fact in my classes, I give that syllabus quiz that they have to read the syllabus. And say ‘I understand the syllabus’,” Bartlo said. “Which every student should do that’s like their contract.”
“My personal belief is that adequate information about this change is provided first day. Here’s the syllabus, here’s the grading scale,” said Dr. Aaron Joyal, an assistant professor of business.
“Any grade they have they keep,” Bartlo said when asked about if the new policy would affect students’ past grades.
While the change won’t affect past grades, it does impact the grades students will need to receive to get credit for their major’s core classes.
The business department requires a minimum grade of a C in several core classes for a student to graduate with their degree. And this will now require students to receive a minimum grade of 73 rather than a 70.
“In the 10 years I’ve been here, I can probably say there have only been a handful of students that I’ve had where they’re right on that okay C-minus cusp,” Joyal said. “So right now with the absence of any data I am going to hold off on making any changes.”es.”