February 4, 1975
Prof Auctions Grades, Gets Buyers
Come exam time, most
students throw away idealistic
notions of learning and bear
down on the real business of
school: grades.
An economics professor at
Denver University capitalized
on this competitive syndrome
by injecting some free market
theory into his class last
quarter. He sold grades to the
highest bidder.
Professor Mike Rock raked
in almost $2,000 in a grade
auction where the average A
went for SBS, B for $55, and C
for $35.
Nearly 90 per cent of the
students present in the class
participated in the auction of
grades right up until the day
after the bidding when the
professor revealed that it was
a hoax.
In a recent interview. Rock
said, "In retrospect, I wish I
hadn't done it, precisely
because it was depressing to
see how easy it is to
manipulate students."
The bizarre tale unfolded
like this.
One day last quarter the
economics professor walked
into class and said, "Look, you
people have won...l'm going
to sell grades. Grades will go
to the highest bidder. If you
people are so happy with the
market process, why don't we
just let the market dictate who
gets what."
Rock told the class he would
sell a certain number of A's,
B's, C's and D's, that
payment was due within three
days and that those who didn't
want to buy grades had the
option of taking a "withdraw
passing" grade.
An impartial auctioneer,
another faculty member, was
brought in by Rock as he told
students that he himself could
not "in good conscience" sell
the grades. The auctioneer
stood up in front of the class
and began, "What are the
bids for an A?" The first bid
was $45. The bidding went on
and the grades were all sold.
Several members of the
class objected to the selling of
grades and proceeded to go to
the department chairman,
deal of the business school,
and acting deal of student life.
Some objected to the
proposed grading system
mainly because it was not in
the original contract of the
class. Others said that it was
blackmail to pay for the class
twice.
Another business major
who consulted a lawyer, said
that he was not opposed to the
selling of grades as long as it
was "student initiated", but
was opposed to the fact the
Rock told them they had to
buy grades. That was
"coercion," he said.
One other shrewd business
student, noting that a number
of students were absent from
the auction, bought up all of
the C's and D's. He planned to
advertise them in the campus
newspaper and sell them at a
profit.
After paying SB6 in cash for
The GuOfwrftan
an A, another student asked
Rock, "Do you think you're
going to get another teaching
job in this country? You're
going to be blackballed from
every university in the
country."
Students in the class were
>o convinced that Rock was
serious that many stopped
studying for the final exam
and others tore up their
papers.
On the last day of class,
Rock explained that he had not
been serious. "How could you
be so absurd as to believe you
could get away with some
thing like this?" he asked
them.
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Quaker Visitors
Douglas and Dorothy
Steere's interest in Quaker
education grows out of more
than 45 years experience with
Friends Colleges and other
Quaker educational concerns.
Douglas Steere taught
philosophy at Haverford
College from 1928 until his
retirement as T. Wistar Brown
professor in 1964.
He is widely known as the
author of more than seventeen
books, most of which deal with
prayer and the devotional life.
Among some of the better
known titles are: Prayer and
Worship, On Beginning from
Within, Doors Into Life, Time
to Spare, On Listening to
Another, Work and Contem
plation, On Being Present
Where You Are, Mutual
Irradiation: A Quaker View of
Ecumenism, On Speaking Out
of Silence.
Douglas Steere is a
renowned lecturer, having
presented series of lectures at
the following seminaries:
Episcopal, Chicago, Hartford,
Union, (New York), Princeton
and at the following universi
ties: Harvard, Rochester -
Colgate, Carleton, Tokyo,
Johannesburg.
He has also been active in
the service of Quakers by
undertaking missions to Scan
danavia, Germany, Poland,
Finland, Norway, South Afri
ca, Kenya, India and Japan.
For the years 1965-70 he
served as chairman of the
Friends World Committee. He
was also chairman of the
Page 5
Board of Directors of the
Pendle Hill School of Religion,
and was presiding clerk of
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's
Ministers and Elders.
His interests have ranged
beyond Quaker circles to
include service with the World
Council of Churches as a
member of its Commission on
Responsibility of the Christian
Church for Prevention of War.
From 1963-65 he was the
Quaker observer - delegate to
the Vatican Council 11.
While at Guilford, Douglas
and Dorothy Steere want to
focus on informal conversa
tions with students and
younger faculty, especially.
They also plan to visit some
classes in addition to
participation in the
FOUNDERS DAY convocation
of February 19th. Their rich
experiences with Quakers, in
the American academic life
and in many other cultures
with a special interest in the
religious life offers the
Guilford community a rare
opportunity for continued
growth and understanding.
Faculty and staff are invited
to schedule conversations,
class visitation, meals and
other appointments with
either one or both the Steeres
through David Stanfield, ext.
40, or directly with the Steeres
while they are on campus.
They will be staying in the
Bryan Hall apartment.
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