<p>Actually, I was under the impression that profs are supposed to return papers, graded and (not always) commented on. I believe the point of papers is not just to give students a grade but also to help them with their writing. Keeping the papers undermines that goal. At many colleges, profs tell students to give them a self-addressed and stamped envelope so that their term papers and bluebooks can be mailed to them at the end of the year if they so choose. It the students do not pick them up, the profs are expected to keep them for a year or so in case a dispute arises over grades.</p>