To the Editor,

I, like almost all other Simmons students this year, began the semester by receiving the syllabi for each of my classes. The first thing I noticed, was that between 10% and 30% of my final grade in every one of my classes was determined by class participation, as determined by in classroom discussion, questions, etc. In essence, an ‘appropriate’ quantity and quality of speaking up.
I will readily admit that as an extrovert I had no personal issue with this requirement, but I wonder at the impact it may have on some of my more shy classmates.
Class Participation must not be the only way you can measure a students ongoing processing of material, and active listening in the classroom setting.
One way on an individual basis might be for a student to talk to their professor and see if there is any way they could do some extra work or submit lecture notes to prove they are active and personally engaged in the class, but that solution is a bit of a catch twenty-two.
A student who is shy enough that they would be suffering the most by this grading rubric, might likewise be the most likely to be uncomfortable with confronting their professors and acting as an advocate for themselves.
A big emphasis of Simmons (and a big draw for me) is their focus on inclusion and diversity, on celebrating both what makes us unique, and what we have in common. But were is the line between telling shyer students that we accept them just they way they are, but that if they want a good grade they need to participate in a way that they might find stressful and be uncomfortable with?

Jennifer Ives