{"id":471194,"date":"2021-05-04T14:50:58","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T18:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=471194"},"modified":"2021-05-04T14:51:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T18:51:00","slug":"5-signs-the-quality-of-a-college-degree-isnt-what-it-used-to-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/5-signs-the-quality-of-a-college-degree-isnt-what-it-used-to-be\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Signs The Quality Of A College Degree Isn\u2019t What It Used To Be"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F5-signs-the-quality-of-a-college-degree-isnt-what-it-used-to-be%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=471194&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-531636572.jpg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"  style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p><span>After the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, American universities made the unprecedented decision to shutter their campuses and send students home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>To account for the disruption brought to students\u2019 lives, many universities instituted pass-fail grading policies, relaxed their admissions requirements, and enacted other temporary adjustments to traditional measures of student performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Many of these changes, however, are turning out to be far more than temporary. Some universities are stretching their lax admissions policies for the next several years. Others are claiming that grading students\u2019 work based on merit is \u201cwhite supremacy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Here are five examples of skepticism toward objective performance in schools that point to a decline in American higher education.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Stanford University \u2014 No MCAT necessary for medical students<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Stanford University decided that they would <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.campusreform.org\/?ID=15444\"><span>admit<\/span><\/a><span> students to medical school without the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As the Association of American Medical Colleges <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/students-residents.aamc.org\/taking-mcat-exam\/taking-mcat-exam\"><span>describes<\/span><\/a><span>, the MCAT \u201cis a standardized, multiple-choice examination created to help medical school admissions offices assess your problem solving, critical thinking, and knowledge of natural, behavioral, and social science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Though the Association of American Medical Colleges <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanforddaily.com\/2020\/07\/15\/school-of-medicine-makes-mcat-optional-amid-covid-19-testing-disruptions\/\"><span>resumed<\/span><\/a><span> examinations in late May 2020, Stanford Medical School \u2014 which is currently <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/best-graduate-schools\/top-medical-schools\/stanford-university-04007\"><span>ranked<\/span><\/a><span> fourth among best medical schools for research \u2014 allowed students to apply without exam scores for the following four months \u201cin fairness to all applicants.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Stanford also lightened its standards for graduate school applicants in other departments. For instance, physics applicants were able to skip the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Graduate Student Council co-chair Kari Barclay <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanforddaily.com\/2020\/07\/21\/graduate-schools-make-changes-to-standardized-testing-admission-requirements-in-light-of-covid-19\/\"><span>hinted<\/span><\/a><span> that many students and faculty at Stanford supported the lesser requirements for reasons other than the pandemic: \u201cIn the COVID era, what we\u2019re seeing is that the inequalities that existed beforehand are exacerbated. From my perspective and those [of others] I know, we recognize that objective measures are never entirely objective.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>One more addition to the list of reasons to avoid COVID-19: the medical school resident shoving a ventilator down your throat may not be as qualified as one may assume.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>University of Virginia \u2014 Two more years of lowered admissions standards<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>The University of Virginia extended its test-optional policy to the year 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Though it had waived its SAT and ACT requirements for high school seniors applying in 2021, the University of Virginia \u2014 which is ranked <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/best-colleges\/uva-6968\"><span>twenty-sixth<\/span><\/a><span> among national universities and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/best-colleges\/rankings\/national-universities\/top-public\"><span>fourth<\/span><\/a><span> among public colleges \u2014 announced that it would remain test-optional for the next two years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe believe this is a reasonable and humane response to one pressure that our prospective students are facing as a result of COVID-19,\u201d University of Virginia President Jim Ryan said in a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.virginia.edu\/content\/uva-extends-test-optional-admissions-two-years?utm_source=UTwitter&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_campaign=news\"><span> statement<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cWe want students to focus on things they can control: doing their best in school; cultivating their curiosity; contributing to their families, schools and communities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Ryan hopes that the lax policy will make admissions more \u201caccessible and equitable\u201d for applicants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>To commemorate two years of test-free admissions, University of Virginia founder Thomas Jefferson \u2014 who <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/founders.archives.gov\/documents\/Jefferson\/98-01-02-1374\"><span>wrote<\/span><\/a><span> in 1820 that \u201cto penetrate and dissipate these clouds of darkness, the general mind must be strengthened by education\u201d \u2014 did two spins in his grave.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Arizona State University \u2014 Grading students is \u2018white supremacy\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>A professor at Arizona State University <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/campusreform.org\/?id=17079\"><span>believes<\/span><\/a><span> that grading students on merit represents \u201cwhite supremacy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Writing instructor Asao Inoue argued in his book<\/span><i><span> Labor-Based Grading Contracts: Building Equity and Inclusion in the Compassionate Writing Classroom<\/span><\/i><span> that educators should assign \u201cfinal course grades purely by the labor students complete, not by any judgments of the quality of their writing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhile the qualities of student writing is still at the center of the classroom and feedback, it has no bearing on the course grade,\u201d writes Inoue. \u201cWhy take our judgments of quality out of the tabulation of course grades and progress in a course? Because all grading and assessment exist within systems that uphold singular, dominant standards that are racist, and White supremacist when used uniformly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cGrading, because it requires a single, dominant standard, is a racist and White supremacist practice,\u201d he continued.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Inoue <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AsaoBInoue\/status\/1268685732631068672\"><span>quipped<\/span><\/a><span> on social media that in order to help black students develop \u201cpositive racial identity,\u201d educators \u201cgotta destroy grading, destroy the White habits of language that make all standards of language in classrooms, not to ignore them but to stop thinking they are THE keys to success and good communication, critical thinking, etc.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Democrats in Georgia who doubt the ability of African-Americans to procure voter IDs have officially been one-upped in the race to normalize the \u201csoft bigotry of low expectations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>University of Pittsburgh \u2014 Passing grades for missing assignments<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>The University of Pittsburgh changed its grading policy to let students with incomplete or missing assignments receive a \u201cG.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The school \u2014 which had previously transitioned away from pass-fail grading \u2014 will allow students to receive letter grades for assignments that were never submitted during the spring 2021 semester.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIf you run into problems trying to complete a course, we will be modifying the \u2018G grade\u2019 (incomplete for extenuating circumstances) process to facilitate taking a bit more time to complete a course, if needed,\u201d said Vice Provost Joseph McCarthy in an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/officeoftheprovost.cmail20.com\/t\/ViewEmail\/j\/E93FB1519E71E2682540EF23F30FEDED\/B6280FBA7550F32E0367819F23434F99\"><span>announcement<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cThis new process will allow a \u2018fallback grade\u2019 to be recorded in cases where a student has done enough to achieve a passing grade in a course but would like more time to finish some well-defined final assignments. As with all G grades, you will need to work out those details with your instructor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Many professors supported the new policy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cYou need to recognize that what constitutes \u2018A\u2019 work in the pandemic is different from what constitutes \u2018A\u2019 work in normal times,\u201d commented international affairs professor Ilia Murtazashvili. \u201cPeople should be able to get an \u2018A,\u2019 even if they\u2019ve been at 50 percent ability to do their work or less the past year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Rumor has it that \u201cG\u201d is short for \u201cgiving American economic supremacy to China.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>University of California-Riverside \u2014 Everyone gets 100%<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>A University of California-Riverside gender studies professor <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/campusreform.org\/article?id=16538\"><span>nixed<\/span><\/a><span> his course\u2019s final exam and handed all of his students perfect scores.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI canceled my students\u2019 final and just gave them all 100 on it,\u201d Professor Brandon Andrew Robinson \u2014 operating under the username \u201cDrKittyGirl\u201d \u2014 boasted on Twitter. \u201cAnd I structured my winter classes around not having a final. I don\u2019t know, maybe we should just abandon the construct that is the final.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI mean, is there any studies or proof that shows that finals are good? Or actually do something?\u201d he continued.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Williamson Evers \u2014 former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush \u2014 explained the dangers of canceling finals to Campus Reform.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cNo-finals is part of the erosion of standards in American higher education,\u201d said Evers. \u201cStudents are all too eager to slough off required reading or skip lectures. Cumulative finals are important for giving students an incentive to do the work. If college diplomas don\u2019t mean hard, disciplined academic performance, then why not just give them to every child at birth?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Rather than canceling gender studies finals as \u201cDrKittyGirl\u201d recommends, perhaps academics should scrap gender studies departments altogether?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>member<\/i><\/span><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, American universities made the unprecedented decision to shutter their campuses and send students home.To account for the disruption brought to students\u2019 lives, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2277299,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-531636572.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"5 Signs The Quality Of A College Degree Isn\u2019t What It Used To Be","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-471194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-531636572.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"5 Signs The Quality Of A College Degree Isn\u2019t What It Used To Be","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2277299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}