Minutes of 11.19

On Thursday, the Senate tackled a draft of a Cum Laude proposal, copied below. While there seemed to be fairly broad agreement about the prescreening of candidates, the last steps in the process remain more controversial, with some senators favoring a faculty vote on the screened list, and others favoring a faculty discussion with the comittee finalizing the list. At issue is what to do at "the margin" where in some years it is difficult to distinguish between the kids who are near the cut-off. Please share your thoughts on that remaining issue, either through comment, new posting or the poll in the sidebar.

The draft resolution reads: Cum Laude Selection Process Proposal
November 19 Draft

The Senate resolves that a Cum Laude committee be established. The committee will be responsible for prescreening the candidates for Cum Laude induction, presenting the slate of candidates for review and feedback, and making the final decision on those candidates at the margin where faculty feedback might make the difference.

In accordance with the Cum Laude Society Manual, the committee shall remain a “small minority of faculty” which we interpret as approximately 10% of the faculty. The Cum Laude society defines “Legitimate criteria for electing faculty members” as “election to Phi Beta Kappa as a student in college or university, membership in CLS as a student or faculty member in another school, distinctive contribution to the cause of scholarship in the school, or completion of distinguished scholarly work.” We recommend soliciting volunteers who meet those criteria, with the Upper School Director picking five or six from that list.

The process for selection begins with the top one-third of the senior class and one-fifth of the junior class, according to a ranking by un-weighted GPA. The committee will review the records of these candidates and remove those with documented, serious violations of school rules—especially those involving lapses of integrity—after the freshmen year. This pre-screened list shall be presented to the faculty with reminders of criteria for membership in the society.

Each student selected for induction (a) should have taken a rigorous course of study, incorporating at least 50% of the honors courses available to the student; (b) must have demonstrated academic integrity and good character throughout their Upper School years; and (c) should have attended school an average of at least 94% of all days in which school is in session each year. (Attending school functions such as field trips and special programs counts as attendance at school.)

Society guidelines permit us to elect up to 20% of the senior class and 10% of the junior class. Students inducted as juniors may be removed as seniors if they no longer satisfy the criteria for induction as a senior. Students are not eligible for induction during their first year of attendance at Hawken. Inductees are recognized in a special program in April.

Where students at the margin (or near the cutoff for inclusion) have very similar records, the committee shall make the final selection, guided by the feedback faculty offer. The decision of the committee shall be final, and not subject to public review.