Student Senate's Academic Affairs Committee is proposing an amendment to the Carnegie Mellon University Students' Rights policy. The proposed amendment is intended to assist students in their ability to assure for themselves an honest and unbiased education at Carnegie Mellon. The proposed amendment would be the third right of students included in the policy, and reads: "The third right of students is to be evaluated on the basis of their reasoned answers and appropriate knowledge of the subjects and disciplines they study, not on the basis of their personal beliefs." This amendment would be in addition to the first right of students to pursue their education so long as they remain eligible members of the Carnegie Mellon community and live up to the University's academic standards, and the second right of students to be treated as members of the student body and to be allowed all of the privileges that come with that title.

The proposed clause has developed because of concerns from students on campus. Belief-based discrimination is not a large problem on campus, but a few complaints have been brought forth.

"We wouldn't have been pushing for this amendment in the first place if we didn't believe it was a concern at Carnegie Mellon," said Long Pham, fifth-year senior and chair of the Academic Affairs Committee.

The new clause is nothing new, though. All the information about this right exists in the current student handbook, The Word, but it is spread out over many sections. In the proposed amendment, these rights have been clarified and summarized for the benefit of students. The committee felt the need to better articulate students' rights, given the ambiguous language and lack of unity in the handbook's information on this topic. Students who wish to learn about their rights would be able to consult the third amendment, instead of having to extract the information from multiple sections of The Word.

"If a student feels unfairly graded… and they still feel like the professor's biased against them, as a student, I wouldn't know what to do," said Tepper/HSS sophomore Tanvir Suri. "Most other students wouldn't know what to do."

Through this amendment, the committee hopes to ease the process of student action in situations of unfair grading.

"We are trying to make it easier for students… [who are] trying to find some help, so all we're doing is summarizing, putting some of the main points in an easier format to read," said MCS/CIT junior Esther Yu. "We're not creating anything and we are definitely in no way trying to offend or say anybody's political views are wrong."

The Senate's Academic Affairs Committee is seeking to stop possible discrimination against students based on their political views, and the amendment is intended to strengthen students' academic confidence and make them more aware of their rights. The proposed amendment will not limit academic rights, but instead enunciate more clearly the rights of students.

"We don't really want to make any drastic changes, this is just to consolidate a policy," Suri commented. "We're not trying to attack professors, we're not trying to help students increase their grades biasly."

In response to a question of the future improvements to student life because of this proposed amendment, Pham responded: "We hope there's greater awareness and students wouldn't be afraid to express their thoughts freely, and that the spirit of scholarly inquiry would be promoted in the classroom."

Even if the proposed amendment is added to the students' "bill of rights," the committee still emphasizes the need for students to go to their advisors immediately if an academic situation arises. With the addition of the proposed amendment, though, students would be able to take their copies of the Carnegie Mellon University Students' Rights with them in addition to their graded course work.

"We're just trying to make it simpler for students, 'cause that's what we're here for, we're here for the students," said Yu. "We're just trying to make their lives better."

According to the Academic Affairs Committee, the initial response from professors was favorable; the professors are supportive of students' rights and their academic freedom. Nevertheless, the Academic Affairs Committee is communicating closely with administration and faculty about this amendment. They are also having revision sessions with the University Education Council. Any other suggestions or comments about the amendment should be directed toward the Academic Affairs Committee of the Undergraduate Student Senate by contacting Long Pham or by visiting their website.

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