How Not To Grade A Pregnant Student

Professor Edward Feldman of the UC Davis vet school has resigned his position as chair of the UC Davis vet school's Department of Medicine and Epidemiology.  The reason?  He justifiably caught a ton of flack after asking the 3rd year vet school class presidents to send the following email to their classmates:

Dear Colleagues,

One of our classmates recently gave birth and will be out of class for an unknown period of time. This means she will undoubtedly miss one, or more, or all quizzes in VMD 444. Dr. Feldman is not sure how to handle this and has requested the class give input and vote. He has provided us with 6 options on which to vote and is open to any other ideas you may have. Most likely a CERE poll will be up next week and a voting will close no later than Wednesday. If you have other suggestions please email them to Dan or I ASAP. We will alert you to the opening of voting. Below are listed the options that Dr. Feldman has suggested. Please reserve comment on these options and provide us your opinion on them by voting when the time comes. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

a) automatic A final grade

b) automatic B final grade

c) automatic C final grade

d) graded the same as everyone else: best 6 quiz scores out of a possible 7 quiz scores (each quiz only given only once in class with no repeats)

e) just take a % of quiz scores (for example: your classmate takes 4 quizzes, averages 9/10 points = 90% = A)

f) give that student a single final exam at the end of the quarter (however this option is only available to this one student, all others are graded on the best 6 quiz scores and the % that results)

Please let us know if you have other thoughts on how to handle this situation and please keep your eye out for the upcoming vote. Thank you for your time and consideration,

Your Presidents

Comments

[1limericks.blogspot.com]

How do professional school professors (or law professors, specifically) typically handle student absences arising from pregnancy, medical conditions, or other situations in which the student might have justification for being gone for significant and unknown periods of time?

My guess, from simple observation, would have been that relatively little accommodation is given -- short variances on the times for final examinations of quizes, but not much leeway in order to preserve the possibility of blind grading. I've wondered how students with delivery dates at the wrong time in the semester, or those without the resources to immediately have full-time paid childcare could manage it. Are some students effectively forced to withdraw from the semester?

[Ralph Clifford]

I always make this a problem for the Administration. I ask the Dean/Assoc. Dean what I should do and then follow the instructions to the letter.