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Monday, April 19, 2004

19 April 04

TO: Alliance for A's Members

FROM: Janice Sidley (for background, see UD, April 8)

SUBJECT: NIPPING G.I.S. RUMORS IN THE BUD



Hi guys.

Given the recent high-profile graduate student unionization stories coming out of places like Columbia University (where, the New York Times reports, students are preparing to go on strike), it's perhaps not surprising that rumors of various serious protest actions at American universities and colleges generally would be circulating.

One rumor of concern to our organization has it that some graduate student employee organizations are talking about engaging in a form of civil disobedience short of an all-out strike that has come to be known by the acronym G.I.S., which stands for Grade Inflation Stoppage. In this form of resistance, participating instructors would award their students the grades they earn.

In some forms of this rumor that have reached my ears, the plot gets more nefarious: A conspiracy is alleged, between instructors and university administrators (who, as we know, are constantly trying to deflate grades), in which in exchange for suddenly deflating grades through grade inflation stoppages, instructors would receive from administrators the benefits, salary increases, whatever, that they've been militating for.

Let me take this occasion to state unequivocally that there is absolutely no substance to these rumors. Yes, many universities are actively attempting to undermine grade inflation, and we have enough work on our hands, goodness knows, deflecting those efforts. But no - grade inflation stoppage is a work action whose time has definitely not come. If you must worry, worry about the above-board steps being taken by many of our best universities to deprive students of the GPA's which they want and for which their parents are paying.

Courage!

Janice