Prospective At-Larges:
Senate of College Councils will begin accepting applications for the 2009-2010 Senate
At-Large Position on Monday, June 8, 2009. Applications for early decision are due Friday,
August 28th by 5:00 p.m. to the email utsenate@gmail.com. If applying first round, you must be available to attend interviews held on Sunday, August 30th.
All regular decision applicants MUST have their applications turned in by Friday,
September 4th by 5:00 p.m. to the email utsenate@gmail.com. Interviews for regular decision
are the weekend of September 5th.
If accepted, you must be able to attend the Senate Orientation
on Sunday, September 6th. President Powers will be the keynote speaker at the event
if his schedule allows.
Best of luck to everyone. If you have any questions feel free to email or call me.
Daniella Martinez
Membership Director
daniella.mtz@gmail.com
956.337.2651
Plus/Minus Grading: What is it?
Starting in the Fall of 2009, the University will switch from its current system to a plus/minus system.
Current System:
| A | 4.0 |
| B | 3.0 |
| C | 2.0 |
| D | 1.0 |
| F | 0.0 |
The New System:
| A | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.67 |
| B+ | 3.33 |
| B | 3.0 |
| B- | 2.67 |
| C+ | 2.33 |
| C | 2.0 |
| C- | 1.67 |
| D+ | 1.33 |
| D | 1.0 |
| D- | 0.67 | F | 0.00 |
Senate's Stance: The Bottom Line
"Plus minus grading is happening, starting Fall 2009. The Senate of College Councils has been actively involved in the issue since Spring 2007. Throughout the planning process, Senate worked hard to represent the student voice, and remains committed to advocating for students during the implementation process."
Make your voice heard at PlusMinusGrading@gmail.com
Will the plus/minus system be grandfathered?
No. Come Fall of 2009, all students (current and incoming) will be under the new grading system
Will my GPA be Affected*?
No. Effects on GPA will likely even out, and the effect on top students is as likely to be positive. In any case, given that all of our peer institutions use plus/minus grading, this change would increase the equity of comparisons for students from different universities.
Will the Plus/Minus System be Optional for Professors?
No. Starting Fall 2009 all UT Austin students will be evaluated on the plus/minus grading scale.
Why is the University Switching?
1. Plus/minus grading allows for more accurate representation of students’ performance.
2. Plus/minus grading makes it easier to assign grades in borderline cases
3. Plus/minus grading may be used to reduce grade inflation.
4. All 11 of our peer institutions (the group of large public universities that UT Austin uses for comparison purposes) use some form of plus/minus grading.
5. The new system will help with transfer student discrepancies.
6. The more grade options we have means that students are awarded grades appropriate to their performance in a course.
*Information taken from the Faculty Council motion on Plus/Minus Grading*
The plus/minus grading issue has a long history at the University, dating back to 1979. More recently, here’s what has happened:
Late February to Early March 2007: A draft motion supporting plus/minus grading began circulating among the Educational Policy Committee of Faculty Council
April 11, 2007:Senate Resolution SR 312 is unanimously passed in the Senate Assembly, opposing plus/minus grading.
April 26, 2007:Senate holds two open forums to discuss and debate plus/minus grading.
May 16, 2007:Faculty Council votes on a resolution advocating plus/minus grading in a special meeting; the resolution passes
June 20, 2007:President Powers signs and approves Faculty Council’s resolution for plus/minus grading.
October 18, 2007:Senate holds an open forum on plus/minus grading to listen to concerns, answer questions, and to gather student feedback.
October 25, 2007:Senate passes SR 405 supporting the creation of an Honorary A+
Fall 2009:Implementation of plus/minus grading.
Welcome to our new and improved Web site! Created with the help of UT’s Office of Public Affairs, this site allows you to explore—with ease—everything the Senate has to offer to the University of Texas at Austin community.
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