BUZZ
A petition launched by a freshman at Harvard University argues that campus leaders’ efforts to reform grade inflation at the Ivy League institution is racist.
The lobbying comes as a Harvard faculty consider capping the number of A grades they give out in each class. That proposal came after a report published last fall found that 60 percent of all undergraduate grades are now As.
The petition calls on Harvard to reject the proposed reforms, arguing they are “flawed” and “racially harmful in effect.”
“We center racism as a core concern, contending that although the policy is framed as neutral ‘differentiation,’ it functions as a system of ranking and sorting that mirrors and reinforces existing racial and socioeconomic hierarchies,” the petition states.
“Because first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students and students of color are disproportionately affected by structural inequities long before arriving on campus, the policy would compound those disadvantages rather than correct them.”
The petition was launched two months ago and has 144 signatures as of April 23.
Campus Reform reported April 21 that an open letter that accompanied the petition stated “Harvard has moved towards harming students with marginalized identities and continues to do so with this policy.”
A Faculty of Arts and Sciences vote on whether Harvard will amend its grading policy is scheduled for early May, Harvard Magazine reported.
The biggest change would be a 20 percent cap on A’s in every course with four additional A’s permitted for each class, regardless of size, the magazine reported. Instructors would be able to opt out and revert to a pass/fail grading rubric rather than letter grades, it added.
If approved, the policy would be implemented for the 2027-28 school year.
MORE: Harvard faculty propose capping A grades to combat inflation
