Ohio's Miami U Debates Honors Reform: Is Cum Laude Latin For BS (Bull****)?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- About a fourth of Miami University's graduating seniors leave the Ohio campus with Latin plaudits on their degrees each year -- either cum laude (with honor), magna cum laude (great honor) or summa cum laude (highest honor). Grade inflation seems to be behind the escalation in brilliant scholarship, and grade inflation seems to be driving a move to reform the system. Officials are considering a plan to cut down the number of Latin honors -- to about 17 percent of grads -- and equalize who gets them. There are concerns that students who take easier courses of study are racking up the laudes, while those wrestling with the toughest academic disciplines are less lauded.

The University Senate has passed a resolution that recommends granting Latin honors based on class rank rather than overall GPA, and the ranking would determined divisions within the university. For example -- and this is a hypothetical -- a magna cum laude history major would be ranked against the other history majors, not the physics majors or education majors.

John Skillings, Miami's associate vice president of academic affairs, told the Miami Student campus newspaper that the goal is a balanced depiction of academic achievement.

"Grades are different in different disciplines. We need equity cross-campus."

Anna Turner has dug into the issue at the campus newspaper and her report is here. She reported that the school's administration does not see grade inflation as a problem. But some faculty members see the reform as a way to curb grade inflation.

The issue of Latin honors has arisen at other campuses across the U.S. Stanford University says grades are probably more important than honors, and the notes that employers looking to hire recent grads "care far more about the actual numerical GPA than the Latin honor attached to it."

Jill Miller Zimon: Did She Just Ask The Question Ohio's Journalists Ignored?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- JMZ at Writes Like She Talks is wondering if the news media was fed a suspicious research study by a group that has a lot at stake in Ohio's charter schools.

"From the Plain Dealer (and from the Columbus Dispatch blog for when the PD piece archives out), we learn that a study finds Ohio proficiencies to be too easy. Now, what’s really interesting is that it’s the Thomas B. Fordham Institute that’s finding this conclusion. They’re big on charters (one of their statements in their mission statement says, “We advance the reform of American education by:…sponsoring charter schools in Ohio and building their academic excellence:…”. What I don’t get is…if the proficiencies are so easy, why are so many students in Ohio’s charters doing poorly on the tests? "

A good question, Jill. Turns out that researchers at Miami University looked into that question two years ago. They checked scores in 609 Ohio school districts and 131 charters. They said the charters were indeed faring poorly when compared to the public schools.

"It is generally concluded that a large majority of community school buildings are performing at a level that is unequivocally below the level of performance of the traditional public school buildings."

Ohio Campus Stop For Dee Dee Myers: Hints At Clinton Zipper Trouble

OXFORD, Ohio -- Former White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers made a lecture stop at Miami University earlier this week and seems to have dropped a political bomb on Bill Clinton, her old boss. She said Democrats should not delude themselves into believing the "issues" between Bill and Hillary are cleared up: "They're not."

Dee Dee's sister, Betsy, is the chief operating officer of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's Democratic presidential campaign. That makes it noticeable when Dee Dee alludes briefly but bluntly to a shaky spousal relationship between Bill and Hillary, a relationship that has been tested by the former president's sexual unfaithfulness. Dee Dee was the Clinton campaign press secretary when Bill's Arkansas fling with Gennifer Flowers boiled over and nearly wrecked his chances. She was gone by the time of Monica Lewinsky, but obviously knew Clinton had zipper problems. It could be that Dee Dee wanted to aid Obama -- who by all accounts is happily married -- by mentioning that things are still not solid between between the former first couple. She seemed to warn that Democrats should not forget Bill Clinton's roving eye as they enter 2008 presidential primary season with Hillary leading the polls, that disaster could be a bimbo away.

Peter Bronson, a conservative columnist at the Cincinnati Enquirer, captured the essence of what Myers said as she lectured jointly with Scott McClellan, a former Bush II White House spokesman:

"Myers had more doubts about another President Clinton than McClellan. 'Never underestimate the ability of Democrats to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory,' she said. Hillary 'is a woman who is married to Bill Clinton,' she said. 'Democrats think those issues have been resolved. They're not.'"

A link to the complete version of Bronson's column is available through the Miami University public affairs office Web portal. Myers did not directly mention Bill Clinton's zipper problem, but her meaning came through loud and clear with the code words "those issues."

Betsy Myers, who is one of the Obama campaigns top officials, was a White House deputy assistant and served as director of women's initiatives during Bill Clinton's presidency. She left a post at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government earlier this year to take a post in the Obama campaign. Inquiring minds can only wonder about the Miami University remarks: Did one Myers sister sound a warning to help the other sister's candidate?

Ohio's Miami University: State Rep. Tom Brinkman Loses Lawsuit To Block Same-Sex Benefits

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A state appeals court in Butler County says Republican State Rep. Tom Brinkman has no legal standing to challenge Miami University's policy of offering health care benefits to domestic partners of the school's gay employees. The 12th District Ohio Court of Appeals issued a unanimous 3-0 decision that dismissed the case. Judge James A Brogan wrote: "We conclude that Brinkman's status as an Ohio taxpayer does not give him standing to challenge the university policy of providing health insurance benefits to same-sex domestic partners of its employees."

Brinkman is an ultra-conservative who represents a state House district that covers Cincinnati's east side and suburbs. He reportedly is considering a run for Ohio's 2nd Congressional District, a seat now held by GOP U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt. He is term-limited out of the legislature in 2008. Brinkman has been a leader in Ohio's anti-gay rights movement, and a judge in Hamilton County has publicly accused him of trying to alter petitions that would have placed a local anti-gay rights referendum on the ballot in Cincinnati. The judge, Robert A. Ruehlman, described Brinkman's conduct as crooked.

The appeals court ruling was a victory for gay rights and Ohio's state university system. Campuses around the state offer similar benefits and contend they are a recruiting tool to lure in or retain talented faculty. The schools could have been forced to drop the benefits by an adverse decision. The case was based on Ohio's November 2004 state constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage -- Brinkman's argument was that providing same-sex benefits for gay couples is discrimination against non-gay couples. He contended they are not eligible because Miami University declines to recognize their heterosexual domestic partnerships.

Miami University began providing benefits to domestic partners three years ago. School officials say the benefits cost about $100,000 a year and estimate about 30 people receive them. Lambda Legal fought the Brinkman challenge in court and has more about the case on its Website. Lambda represented two professors, Jean Lynch and Yvonne Keller, and contended Miami's policy had no direct impact on Ohio taxpayers because the benefits were not paid with state funds.