Auburn University is notorious for being one of the most difficult schools in which to receive an A, according to CBS News, which listed it as the toughest grader in the South.
The grading system at Auburn was established long ago as one that does not include pluses and minuses.
However, there are some who feel the University’s grading system is strange.
Constance Relihan, associate provost for undergraduate studies and English professor, said she believes if Auburn implemented a plus and minus grading scale, concentrating in class would become difficult.
“Do you want to be focused on learning the material, or worrying about whether your grade is going to be a B or a B plus?” Relihan said. “It’s naïve to think that students are never going to worry about grades, but I’d rather students focus on material rather than worrying about their plus or minus on a grade.”
For some professors, the grading system here does not accurately reflect a student’s potential.
“A student who gets a 79.5 in my class has the same grade on the transcript as a student who gets an 89.4,” said Liliana Stern, assistant professor of economics. “But that’s a 10-point difference.”
Liliana said she feels by having a “finer grading system,” professors are able to better represent a student’s abilities.
“If you are looking for a job and someone sees A pluses across the board, then they know you are an outstanding student,” Liliana said. “Because an A plus is a 4.3, whereas a 4.0 just means you were an A student, not the top of your class.”
Michael Stern, associate professor of economics and department chair, said he agrees with Liliana because he feels Auburn needs to catch up with other universities.
“Auburn needs to stay current with its peers,” Michael said. “With so many of its peers having pluses and minuses for a long, long time, it too needs to make them an option.”
While the views on the grading system vary, many Auburn staff and students said they have no idea when or why it was established this way.
“I’ve been here since 1990, and we didn’t have pluses and minuses back then either,” Relihan said. “If the University wanted to change the grading system, someone would have to develop a formal proposal. It would then go through a committee of University senate, a full senate and then the press for approval.”
Although Michael said he favors reforming the system, he admits if Auburn decided to implement a plus and minus system, the damage would be severe for graduate students.
“Our graduate school has a 3.0 requirement or they will suspend you,” Michael said.
Michael said in the current grading system Auburn has, graduate students benefit because their high C’s show up as a B on their transcript, whereas in a plus and minus system, a high C will show up exactly as it is.
Relihan said there has been “some thought” put into determining whether pluses and minuses should be implemented only at the graduate level. However, she said she feels there are other factors to be considered.
“We also have to think what would adding those pluses and minuses do?” Relihan said. “How many more complaints would we get in the future?”
Relihan works for the grievances office and said she has received no specific complaints about the grading system, but students often complain about the grades they receive.
Liliana and Michael said they feel it is difficult for them to deal with so many end-of-the-year complaints about grades, as well as not accurately reflecting a student’s work on their transcript.
“It’s hard for professors to say that someone who got a 50 should receive the same grade as someone who got a 70, who should receive the same grade as someone who got a 90,” Michael said.
Liliana said she feels, the amount of complaints she receives at the end of the semester from students begging to raise their grade has greatly increased in her time at Auburn.
“If we did have a pluses and minuses system, professors would receive benefits because you would not have all of the students begging at the end of the semester for one-tenth of a point,” Liliana said.
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