E-mails grow as grade fight flares

The recent spate of lengthy emails on the University's grading policy from USG president Alex Lenahan '07 and Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel have been informative and discussion-provoking, if not persuasive, students said in interviews Sunday night.

Others said, though, that they would appreciate some brevity on what they admit is a complex issue.

"I guess one could argue that they could have been a little more to the point, but they seemed to contain a good amount of research — data as to why each individual held their point of view," Lear Janiv '07 said, adding that "I don't think it's really changed anyone's ideas fundamentally."

Lenahan's four emails in the past two weeks — long, detailed and set in dark blue 18.5-point type — have assailed the grading plan and urged students to talk to their professors about it. All were over 400 words; two were sent within 20 minutes of one another. Malkiel's one email — a 3,817-word explanation and defense of the policy sent Sunday morning — was longer than all of Lenahan's emails combined. Malkiel told the 'Prince' in an email that she has "no intention of sending another email about grading."

Lenahan declined to give an estimate of how many replies he has received from students but said the response to his emails has been large and positive.

Though student appreciation for the lengthy letters varied, many said an email was the appropriate forum for Lenahan to make his points.

Whitney Chapman '09, who said she "agree[s] with Dean Malkiel" and is too busy to read Lenahan's emails, understands why he sends them. "Besides him coming up to me and talking to me personally, I can't think of another way that he could [express his point of view,]" she said.

Students, however, took a less charitable view of Malkiel's email.

"I think Malkiel's email could have been more concise, because I definitely could not get through the entire thing," Andre Veiga '07. He added that Lenahan's emails, on the other hand, were "very well-written" and "not too long."

Some said the glut of information on all sides has left their heads spinning.

"I don't actually know what the truth is," Laurie Frey '09 said. "It'd be easier if the emails were shorter, but I'm sure it's hard to make it concise. There's so much information that I don't know what's what."

"I feel like in the last couple of weeks, the issue has been very complicated and I feel like I'm so behind," Alma Moedano '08 said. "[The emails] are really long and it's hard to distinguish their arguments. I skimmed through one of the early ones, but there have been so many that I couldn't tell you which ones."

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But, Moedano added, the issue is an important one.

"[The policy is] really important, and my own opinions have wavered because of things I've heard," she said. Princetonian staff writer Tatiana Lau contributed reporting to this article.