While I agree that grade inflation in college is a legitimate concern for higher education ("Nearly half of college grades are A's, study finds," July 15), the article overlooked one important contributing factor to these inflated grades: late withdrawal dates.
For example, University of Utah students in the fall of 2011 will have until October 21 to withdraw. Students at BYU will have until November 7. Penn State University will allow its students to withdraw up to December 9 — the last day of classes.
Students who are scoring poorly in a course often drop it rather than jeopardize their grade point averages. Such policies benefit institutions since tuition for a withdrawal is non-refundable, and students are all-to-happy to take 75 percent of a class before deciding whether or not to have it "count."
It is no wonder that grades seem inflated under such circumstances. While teachers are clearly part of the problem, there is plenty of blame to spread around.
David Lunt
Cedar City