Here at Western Washington University in Bellingham (25 miles south of the
Canadian border on I-5), our Faculty Senate has taken up the topic this
quarter of *grade inflation.*  This in the context that "faculty have lost
authority" in this case to assign grades as they really feel they should be
assigned.
 
Interesting case in point:  last year I had a bit of a run-in with the
adjunct person (a downtown lawyer) who was teaching one section of "my" LE
course.  (Well and notice how possessive I am of it!)   About the second day
of class two women asked me if there was space available in his class; I
said I didn't know, why do you ask, as you are enrolled in my class now.
 They said, "Oh we hear it is easier."    When I discussed this with the
adjunct, he was not friendly about it, really, said he would change his
grading only if my boss for this department (I have a bifurcated
appointment) told him to.  Well, that blew over.  Now this week my boss says
that we have a new adjunct lined up.  I said, I would like to talk to him
about standards.  My boss said, "Yes, Dan, but not your standards."  Because
with my standards too many students are having to retake the course or are
circumventing it by taking at the community college, or by wanting adjunct
sections, or they are complaining that it is "too much work."  We have, that
is, inadequate throughput.
 
So of course the question is, who sets the standards.  Does my boss here,
who does not purport to know anything about the class?  Does the adjunct,
who has no frame of reference at all?  Or do I?
 
And what is this myth that "these are the best students we've ever had"?  Of
course there are some very good students, but, hey, I've been teaching this
stuff for 20 years now, and it is bad in the 200 level trenches.  It's like
shovelling boulders.  A good start for a lot of students would be if they
could learn to follow the instructions on how to take the class.  Then maybe
we could discuss some aspects of word choice, punctuation, spelling,
sentence structure, paragraph development, appearance of the paper,
numbering the questions; then we could understand whether there is some
comprehension of the issues, the applicable law, and the result.  They want
to drive the car without even knowning how to open the door!  The class is
difficult.  There must be something wrong with the class.  Consider working
harder.  Oh.
 
Rant rant.
 
Dan Warner