University Professor Decides to Increase Students’ Grades Because They’re Women

When you think of professors, you usually think of them as being smart.  Or at least I hold that stereotype.  No more.  Just look at what this University of Akron professor wrote down and sent out to students.  At the end of the semester, he described three reasons why students’ grades might end up higher than they expect.  In fact, he said their grades like be raised “a level or two.”

Well, that’s nice.  I’m not sure a professor ever told me that my grade could miraculously improve…  But maybe that’s because I’m not a woman.  Here are the three reasons why Dr. Liping Liu’s students might be pleasantly surprised at their report cards:

1. Female students (it is a national movement to encourage female students to go to information sciences)
2. Students who had earned scores in exams (especially final exams) demonstrating a higher performance than their calculated ones
3. Students who attended class but missed reporting attendance (as long as I can tell)

Wait, what? Female students get extra points simply for being female?  The male students didn’t love this memo.  One senior named Samiyyah Ceasor complained about this rule.  “I guess you could say it’s a noble thing to do, like you want to incorporate more women into the field. However, at the same time, it’s completely unacceptable and no professor should.”

Ya think?  Well, I agree at least with his conclusion — but not the part about giving girl unearned grades “noble.”

Turns out — shockingly — that the university administration actually agrees.  The university’s College of Applied Science and Technology has fewer than seventy students (out of almost five hundred).  Yet, still, this is too far for them to go to attract female students.

The university has verified that there were no adjustments to grades based upon the gender of individuals in the class. While the professor’s stated intention of encouraging female students to go into the information sciences field may be laudable, his approach as described in his email was clearly unacceptable. The University of Akron follows both the law and its policies and does not discriminate on the basis of sex. The professor in question has been advised accordingly, and he has reaffirmed his commitment to adhering to these strict standards.

Well, that’s nice.  But can’t we all just agree that some fields are attractive to men and some are attractive to women?  Imbalances in gender percentages are not inherently indicative of prejudice.  It’s time colleges accept this hard truth.

Image Credit: PXHere

Hat Tip: IJR