Editor,
I am writing with regard to the decision made by the math department mid-semester to disallow calculators for the final exam for Math 162, given that the purchase of a calculator was required.
This is a breach of contract. The syllabus for this course, like all syllabuses, is a written contract between students taking the course and the math department, of whom the instructor is a hired representative. Nowhere does the syllabus state that calculators are not allowed. Of the many professors with whom I have discussed this matter, each agreed that this unilateral change is a breach of contract.
Students of Math 162 for fall semester 2005 were required to purchase a particular calculator to enroll in the class. This unilateral breach of contract not only irresponsibly applies a $100 punitive measure to students who enrolled in Math 162, but also hampers their success academically in comparison to other students. This comparison is seen most clearly in any comparison of grades for students in a previous semester, for which UNM will not provide grade equity, and which can be observed further in the grades of students from TVI.
One last remark on the calculator cost - $100 is a substantial investment, especially for a college student struggling with ever-increasing departmental fees, tuition hikes, etc.
The decision by the math department not to honor its contract with students of Math 162 was not made until after the tuition refund drop date, thus preventing students from recouping not only the $100 calculator cost, but also the cost of four semester units of credit.
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Moreover, any change in textbook will also not be a recoverable cost for students. The math department should make an effort to be more cognizant of the situation such unilateral decisions put those students in who are required to take courses offered by the math department.
My fellow classmates in Math 162 sections and I do not believe that a unilateral breach of contract to change academic strategies mid-semester is a cure for addressing the long-standing issues of students' course failure rates and associated faculty issues.
You may find it of value to hold focus groups to allow students, both the successful and unsuccessful, to provide you with insight into their experiences before choosing such arbitrary means to address the aforementioned issues - especially since it is the students who ultimately pay the price in such situations.
To the math department: Please help UNM students enrolled in Math 162 courses - and the math department and the University itself, by way of reputation - to succeed by reversing your unilateral decision to disallow calculators in final exams, calculators that your department, in its contract with students of Math 162, required those students to purchase. Please cure this breach of contract.
Erica Capling
UNM student
