President Machen may veto grading change

<p>Bernie Machen may be flexing some executive muscle.</p>

<p>Weeks after the University of Florida's Faculty Senate approved a plan to expand the university's grading scale, UF President Machen has thus far refused to implement it and may in effect veto the proposal.</p>

<p>The Senate recently approved a plan to expand the grading scale, adding "minus grades" to the scale like most of the state's universities and many of UF's peers across the nation. Under the current scale, students may receive a "B" or a "B+," for example, but they cannot be given a "B-."</p>

<p>Supporters say changing the scale will give faculty a valuable tool to grade more precisely. While Machen may agree with the change in principle, he says he's concerned that the Faculty Senate didn't seek enough input from affected parties, including students. As such, Machen says he's seeking that input on his own and will only then decide whether to implement the plan after he gets more information.</p>

<p>"I will either support the Senate's recommendation or not based on the recommendation we get," Machen said Tuesday. "I will make up my mind after listening to the additional input that frankly I haven't heard yet."</p>

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<p>hmmm, ive never heard / was unaware of the school grading in such a manner. i have heard of core grades without +'s or -'s, but never only without -'s. i wonder what the rationale is behind it. What preference do the current students have? I assume the average GPA would drop with this going into effect.</p>

<p>that's funny... </p>

<p>In yesterday's Alligator, he said he will review it (hear everyone's argument), but, some argue, will most likely not veto the plan to use minus grades</p>