AttendancePresent: Kevin, Tola, Justin, Kai, Sean, GaoExcused: Veda, Isaac, Ella, Tarini, EminUnexcused: N/A
- Key Updates
● Credit Overloading Survey received administrative approval and is ready fordissemination.● Plan established to present survey and action items at the next GBM.● Upcoming dean meeting (Student Center, in-person) confirmed for Tuesday at 12 PM.
- Credit Overloading Survey
Background● The committee began drafting this survey in October 2025. It aims to collect studentfeedback on current credit overloading policies, which differ by school and graduationyear.Key differences discussed:● WSE upperclassmen: up to 23.5 credits (advisor approval required).● KSAS upperclassmen: up to 21 credits.● Class of 2028/2029 (WSE): capped relative to previous max credit load.
Survey Content Includes:● Graduation year● Transfer status
● Primary school (KSAS/WSE)● Overloading experience● Awareness of policy● Perceived academic flexibility● Research participation and whether research would increase if overload were loosened● Free response section
Rationale for Research Question:● Committee discussed potential advocacy for increased flexibility specifically for researchcredits, as this may be more administratively feasible than a broad credit cap increase.
Survey Logistics:● Dissemination Date: February 16● Open Period: 2 weeks● Data Analysis Begins: March 6● Plan to create visual summaries and present results at March meeting.
Dissemination Strategy:● Initial email blast● Instagram promotion● Consideration of reminder email (discussion on balancing visibility vs. inbox fatigue)Committee agreed to include clear action items in a presentation slide rather than draft a formalbill.
Course Transparency InitiativeSean presented a proposal to revive historical course transparency practices once used atHopkins (1968–2005), including publication of grade distributions.
Historical Context:● Past course guides included detailed grade distributions by course.● These were student-run and discontinued within the last 20 years.
Proposed Tool:A student-built, SGA-backed website that:● Publishes anonymized aggregate data (e.g., % below a B by course/section).● Uses student-submitted transcripts processed locally on-device.● Extracts only structured grade/course data (no full transcript storage).
Privacy & Technical Overview:● Transcript parsing occurs locally via PDF parsing library.● Only structured JSON data (course, credit count, above/below B) transmitted.● Raw transcripts are not stored.● Emails stored separately for access verification.● Website access gated to verified submitters.
Student Interest Data:Sean collected preliminary survey data (n ≈ 24–25 students):● 92% would use the service.● 92% believe it would have positive effects.● 83% would voluntarily submit transcripts.
Concerns Raised:
● Privacy and FERPA compliance● Administrative approval feasibility● Risk of grade inflation or student comparison stress● Long-term maintenance and backend stewardshipSean stated intent to:● Open-source the code● Pilot for one semester● Transition maintenance to future CS-affiliated SGA membersCommittee agreed this proposal will likely require significant GBM discussion time
New Initiative Proposal● Student-built, SGA-backed tool to increase transparency by publishing anonymizedgrade distribution data (e.g., % of students below a B by course/section), usingstudent-submitted transcripts with privacy protections.
Next Steps● Finalize survey presentation slides for GBM
● Disseminate survey February 16● Promote via email and social media● Analyze survey data beginning March 6● Prepare dean-facing materials for March meeting● Refine Course Transparency proposal before full SGA presentation