Education Briefs

Princeton devises new strategy to battle grade inflation

To fight against the 30-year trend of increasingly high grades in American universities, Princeton might begin rationing the number of A's that can be distributed during a semester.

Princeton faculty will vote later this month on a system that will limit the A-, A, and A+ grades to no more than 35 percent of the school's total grades.

A's have been awarded 46 percent of the time in the last several years at Princeton, and despite the administration urging faculty to crack down on grade inflation, those numbers have continued to rise.

Grade inflation is a problem for many colleges. After being criticized several years ago for allowing 90 percent of its students to graduate with honors, Harvard cut back on its honor degrees. It has not, however, ordered faculty to lower or limit grades.



TSU president defends actions

After state auditors examined Tennessee State University (TSU) president James Hefner's recent expenditures, a few Super Bowl tickets have been causing an uproar.

The auditors charge that Hefner used his position to obtain the tickets at the expense of the state school.

The audit released last week by the state comptroller's office found that Aramark Corp. -- the school's food service company, headed by chairman and chief executive Joe Neubauer (E '63) -- had picked up Hefner's $200 tab to attend the 2001 Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla.

Hefner tried to cover up the free tickets by saying he had reimbursed Aramark for the tickets, but then changed his story several times after being confronted.

In the face of criticism, including calls for his resignation, Hefner denied the wrongdoing alleged by the state auditors. "For now, let me just say I deeply regret if anything I have done has cast this office or TSU in unflattering light," he said.



Risqu‚ poster campaign meets administrative acclaim at Bowdoin

Students on Bowdoin's Brunswick, Maine campus awoke recently to more than just budding trees.

Plastered all over campus were pictures of naked Bowdoin female students of all body types. Only their bodies were displayed, as the pictures had been shot from the neck down.

This campaign -- the work of a Bowdoin women's group -- attempted to address body image issues with a technique sure to draw attention and dialogue.

Dean of Student Affairs Craig Bradley said he supported the group's actions as an effective means to help students stop obsessing about their bodies, a position the school's administration strongly supports.

Bowdoin is not the only school seeking to diminish an unhealthy perfectionist attitude that pervades its student body.

Colleges across the country are devoting ever-increasing time and energy to ensure undergraduates' personal growth and emotional well-being.

This ranges from everything including free counseling, massages, free distribution of New Age music and even dogs to cuddle with during exam period.

-- Compiled by Patrick Gordon from the New York Times and CNN.com.