Although the Office of the Registrar announced last fall that final grade reports would no longer be mailed home, which triggered a campus-wide sigh of relief, mid-semester grades will still be sent out next week, Registrar officials said Wednesday.
Associate registrar Lora Spaulding and grading and academic records specialist Jennie Brackett emphasized that the decision to make paper final grade reports available only upon written request did not affect mid-semester reports.
"Mid-semesters are going to go out regardless of whether or not you've filled out that request form," Brackett said. For students to understand this distinction, Spaulding added, it is important for them to realize that while final grades are factored into the student's University grade point average, mid-semester grades are not written in stone.
"It's up to the students on how they perceive how important that information is," Spaulding said. "Let them use their judgment if they want to take it seriously or not."
Brackett also pointed out that the mid-semester grades sent home - all grades for first-year students and deficiency reports for upperclassmen receiving D's and F's - are still addressed to the student.
"They're always sent to the student's attention - they're not directed to the parents," she said. "That's why we need to have the deadline for grades prior to spring break, so students are aware of their status before they come back."
Timing is also crucial because the last day to drop a course is March 19, Brackett said.
"It is a good indicator for the student to know how they're doing at that point in the semester because the last day to drop is looming," she said.
While students may write off mid-semester grades as a wake-up call at best, they remain a daunting and essential task for the Registrar's office. Professors are required to submit all first year and all deficiency grades by Friday at 3 p.m., but it is up to the individual professor's discretion whether or not to post additional grades on IrishLink, Spaulding said.
The office will mail out the reports early next week.
