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FACULTY VOTES AGAINST GRADUATION POLICY CHANGE

By SAEED AHMED

A proposed policy change to allow students, with six hours or fewer left toward graduation, to participate in the Commencement exercises fell four votes short of being adopted last month.

At a meeting held November 15, 1995, the faculty council voted 48-44 against the implementation of this less stringent graduation policy.

If adopted, the policy would have permitted graduating seniors with a grade point average of 2.0 or better and with no more than six semester hours -- either in their major or in the core curriculum -- remaining toward the completion of their academic requirements to march in the graduation ceremony.

The students would then have to make up the remaining hours through summer classes at Morehouse in order to receive their diploma.

"I voted no' [because] I thought six hours was a little too high," said Richard Winstead, Professor of Economics & Business Administration. "I would be more inclined if it was one course short."

Winstead believes it is "insufficient planning" that leads to such issues arising "as graduation draws near."

"I still like to encourage students to do more effective planning, so that at crunch time, the students know what are the requirements, and how far short they are," he said.

For others, like Dr. Norma Harris and Dr. Anne Baird, the decision to vote against the proposal was because, as Dr. Baird pointed out, "it redefines the meaning of graduation."

"Commencement is a ritual, and for a ritual to have meaning, it needs to stand for something,"explained Dr. Harris, Professor of English. "[The policy] cuts the value for those who have achieved what it stands for."

"The bottom line is if you already have a standard, why change it," added Dr. Timothy Moore, Professor of Psychology. "Keep it consistent."

Both Dr. Harris and Dr. Moore conceded they are more in favor of the policy as it currently stands, and for exceptions to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

"I don't think exceptions threaten the ritual," Dr. Harris said. "But it opens up a lot of loopholes if we set it up as a policy."

The proposal was first floated by the Committee for Academic Planning (CAP) -- a faculty-student body responsible for reviewing and recommending changes in existing academic policies -- where it was adopted by a 9-7 vote.

"I think it's a good measure that'll be beneficial to Morehouse students," explained SGA President Kwame Manley, a Senior English major. "When students march as a class, they feel a cohesiveness ... which, I think, is better for the long term stability of the class."

Walter Pierce, a CAP member who abstained from the vote, pointed out that parents' concerns also played a factor in the CAP decision.

"For some parents, it'll be the only chance to watch their sons march," the Senior History major contended. "And since Morehouse doesn't have a summer graduation, some parents feel that it is an unnecessary hassle to make the student come back a year later to march for requirements completed the previous summer."

For graduating seniors, the faculty decision to vote down the CAP recommendation drew forth varied response.

Some, like Robert Brown, felt the faculty made the right decision.

"Graduation is a special event and Morehouse shouldn't provide an escape hatch for students who hadn't planned properly," asserted the Senior Political Science major.

Most students, however, viewed the decision negatively.

"I think it's a small concession to make, given that other universities offer the same thing," said Roland Hankerson, a Senior International Studies major. "We are not getting away with anything; we still have to make up those hours."

Aaron Abdus-Shakur II, a Senior Accounting major, also expressed similar sentiments.

"You gotta go to summer school anyway to get your diploma," he said. "It's not like you can go to a job interview and say,'Um, I don't have a diploma but here's a picture of me marching across stage."

The issue is far from resolved. Some faculty members have stated that given the narrow margin in the faculty vote, the proposal may be up for further deliberation as early as the next faculty meeting in December.

"I think it's an issue where we need to consider all the angles before we vote again," said Dr. Baird. "I did vote against it, but I could be persuaded to change my mind, and I think a lot of faculty feel that way."