This year’s arts graduates will walk the virtual stage with new degree honours after the Faculty of Arts has overhauled its graduation class distinction system.
Following Senate approval on January 20, instead of the old Class 1/2/P standings, students’ degree parchments and transcripts will now include “with Distinction,” “with High Distinction,” or nothing at all.
This change happened partly because the old distinction system created an obvious hierarchy that “served to embarrass some students,” said Justin Zheng, arts student senator.
“The Class 2 and Class P standing don’t have very positive connotations to them. The titles of Distinction and High Distinction — or just not having a handle — allow the faculty and university to recognize students for their academic achievements without penalizing everyone else who may not have achieved that standard,” he said.
Under the previous system, arts students with an 80 per cent average or higher on at least 48 upper-level credits earned Class 1 standing. Those between 65 and 79.9 per cent earned Class 2 standing and the rest receive Class P standing — a pass.
The old distinction system did not showcase the inclusive values of the Faculty of Arts, according to Associate Dean Academic Stefania Burk.
“We feel that all our graduates have merit, and the Class P standing in the old system didn’t reflect that,” she said.
The highest standing in the new system has a more challenging GPA threshold. To be of Class 1 standing, students merely needed an upper-level average of 80 per cent or above. Now, to get the title of High Distinction, students must have an average GPA of 85 per cent or higher on all attempted upper-level credits. The 85 per cent threshold matches the GPA requirement for the Dean’s List.
Regardless, according to the proposal to Senate that Burk helped write, “both ‘with Distinction’ and ‘with High Distinction’ will serve as a point of pride for Arts graduates.”
Another reason for the new graduation distinction system was that the system was outdated, with only the Faculty of Arts still following it.
“Students have never asked for [a new system], and there’s always so much going on in the Faculty of Arts,” said Burk.
She added that the idea of new graduation distinctions that were also printed on the degree parchment came up last year, when Senate ruled to put majors on arts degree parchments. Previously, Class 1/2/P standings only appeared on transcripts.
Zheng said the changes would help recognize graduates’ achievements.
“When you walk across the stage, it’s nice to receive a diploma or a degree parchment that recognizes the hard work that you’ve put in to graduate,” he said.
“Whether you’ve achieved that 80 per cent or above, getting that piece of paper is an important symbol of your accomplishments at the university.”