The methods used to inform students of their grades - and whether to send grade reports to tuition-paying parents - have been the subject of much debate over the past few semesters. Grades have traditionally been mailed to students' permanent addresses, but some students, including members of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, are pressuring Tufts to end this practice.
In an administrative effort to reduce spending, Tufts did not mail out grade reports in the fall of 1999. Paper and first-class postage for mailings cost an estimated $5,000. Parents were unhappy with the move, and passed on vehement complaints to the University; grade reports have since been reinstated.
But some students say they should be able to control where their grade reports are sent, citing a right to privacy, especially since parents are not necessarily paying the bills.
"There's something to be said for sending the reports where the bills go. If the student is paying the bill, then the parents don't have the right [to see the grades]," said Senate Trustee Representative Jesse Levey, who has been outspoken on the issue.
A TuftsDaily poll of 104 students conducted last Sunday found that 70 percent of those surveyed think that reports of their grades should be mailed to their permanent address. An overwhelming majority of respondents, nearly 82 percent, believe that their parents have a right to know their grades. Most said that their parents pay for their education and therefore have a right to know how their children are performing academically.
"I don't mind letting my parents know. They're paying for it, and they care," freshman Pam Aghababan said.
In the fall of 1999, many students joined their parents in rejecting Tufts' policy change. For some it was more than a question of convenience; without the official hard copy, students were forced to spend two dollars on an official transcript to send to insurance companies, which created additional work for administrators.
Although grade reports are sent to a student's permanent address, they are addressed to students, not parents, in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The FERPA mandates that university records for students over the age of 18 remain private. Tufts is not allowed to release personal information to a student's family unless he or she consents. But grade reports for the fall semester can arrive after students have returned to school, and students who do not live at their permanent addresses for the summer rarely receive the mailings.
Tufts does not grant family members access to academic progress unless a student is on academic warning or is having medical problems - an agreement which students sign upon matriculating. However, many report that their parents open their mail anyway, defeating the purpose of addressing the envelope to the student.
The Senate is asking the administration to enable students to specify the address to which the paper copy should be sent.
"[This way] students can change the address away from parents waiting to open their kids' mail," Senate Services Committee Chair Melinda Coolidge said.
In the Daily poll, 67 percent of students said they would favor a proposal to have grade reports sent to students' school addresses. But almost all students surveyed, 101 out of 104, said that they share their grades with their parents.
"I share my grades with my parents so it shouldn't matter if they receive a copy of them, but I think it should be my choice to have them mailed to my parents' home," freshman Katrina Elio said.
An alternative proposal would let students sign release forms authorizing the University to send grade reports to their parents. Others have suggested granting parents access to the SIS website with a password, reducing administrative costs. Dean of Academic Services and Student Affairs Kristine Dillon said that this does not seem feasible because authenticating the passwords would be difficult.
Grade delivery was a contentious issue over winter break this year when SISOnline problems delayed their dissemination. Previously, students were able to access grades through an 800-number, but that service was discontinued, and many became frustrated that it took so long to find out how they had done in their classes.
The poll suggests that 45 percent of students were unsatisfied with the way they received grades last semester. Many cited the time it took for grades to be posted on SISOnline as a reason for their dissatisfaction, and several mentioned that they were unable to get grades because they did not have Internet access.
Administrators say there is not much they can do to speed up the process of releasing grades, as they cannot be verified and posted until professors submit them. "Grades are only valuable if accurate," Dillon said. "Many [professors] feel strongly about the amount of time they have to turn in grades."
Plans are in the works for allowing professors to submit grades online through a secure site by next year, which would speed up the grade posting process. The administration is also looking into granting earlier access to SISOnline, but this could only be done if it can be ensured that posted grades are correct.
The Senate hopes to have the reporting process changed by the end of the spring semester. Dillon says that it may take longer because FERPA requires Tufts to notify parents of its enforcement of the law, and the appropriate time to communicate this message would be when other letters go out to parents at the beginning of the academic year.
