Returning final work

Editorial: Phase II registration

For students already wounded by not getting into their top-choice classes, yesterday?s Phase II registration served them a healthy portion of salt. The inefficiencies of Phase II registration become immediately evident upon taking one?s place at the back of the line snaking through Moulton Union beginning at sunrise.

Editorial: The Amethyst Initiative

Since it was drafted in July, more than 120 college and university presidents have signed the Amethyst Initiative, a statement that calls for a public discussion about the 21-year-old drinking age. College presidents who have signed the statement are not asking for a specific change in policy; instead, they hope to stimulate "an informed and dispassionate debate over the effects of the 21-year-old drinking age." The signatories represent schools ranging from Ohio State University to Hamilton College?but Bowdoin is absent from the list.

Editorial

This piece represents the opinion of The Bowdoin Orient editorial board.

May 2, 2008

During the semester, most students can expect to receive thoughtful and frequent feedback from professors on their coursework. However, as students prepare to turn in the most substantial assignments of the semester, many of them know that they will never see that work again. These hefty end-of-semester assignments are often returned only in the form of a grade on a transcript. While the College has encouraged students to value learning for the experience, not just the grade, this no-return practice seems out of place. A simple letter grade does not provide the same opportunity for learning and growth as assignments returned with professors' comments do.

Of course, students always have the option of individually soliciting graded assignments after the end of the semester. However, we urge professors to take the initiative; returning final assignments should be the rule, not the exception. We understand that submitting grades to the Registrar on time is a top priority for professors, but students deserve to see the progress that they have made over the course of the semester.

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