Commencement credit regulations to be enforced

Close will now truly only count in horseshoes, as seniors will need the full 31.5 credit requirement to walk at commencement this year.

Previously, as long as students came close to fulfilling the University requirements, they could "participate in Commencement exercises," Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser said.

"The 'new' rule is not really new. It's been in the books for as long as I've been at Tufts," Glaser said.

The rule states that in order for liberal arts students to participate in Commencement, 31.5 out of the 34 credits necessary to graduate must be completed in the College of Liberal Arts. Engineering students need to complete 34 out of 38 credits.

"This rule was not enforced in the past," Glaser said. "We will be enforcing it now and we have the ability to enforce it. The rule is important as it gives integrity to the Commencement exercise, but it also allows for some flexibility for those who just fall a bit short."

The various departments within the undergraduate program have not expressed any immediate concerns about the administration's decision to enforce the old and sometimes forgotten policy.

"The new policy has not had any real effect on our department," Economics Department Chair Gilbert Metcalf said. "I doubt many students will be affected by this policy. With sufficient publicity, students should not be caught by surprise."

Political Science Department Chair Vickie Sullivan agreed. "I have not yet seen panic from seniors regarding this resolution," she said. "I expect that there may be a few majors who are right on the line now."

In the fall, an e-mail was sent out to all seniors asking them to submit their degree sheets by a November deadline, which was ignored by many students.

The change in the Commencement policy, however, had nothing to do with students ignoring the deadline, Glaser said.

"Most students do get their degree sheets in on time. Many others don't for good reasons," such as leaves of absences and study abroad programs, Glaser said. "And then there are those who simply ignore the deadlines. These people complicate out efforts to certify degrees and plan Commencement."

"So far I have only seen one student who may have difficulty. Otherwise, all the students who came to have their degree sheets signed did not have or foresee any problems," International Relations Department Chair Christiane Zehl Romero said.

Most seniors do not anticipate any trouble either. "I don't really see it as much of a problem because with all the distribution credits you need and the requirements for your major, most people end up having that many anyway," senior Lisa McNally said.

One option for students who are just short of the required amount of credits needed to graduate is to take summer school classes, but department chairs do not anticipate a significant rise in summer school enrollment.

"There may be a few [students who enroll in summer school to fulfill graduation requirements], but it won't have much effect," Metcalf said. "We have quite a few students enrolling in summer school courses in economics already. Most, however, are enrolling in lower-level classes."

Romero also emphasized that summer school has always been a popular option for students who need to finish up their college work.