'Work hard' needs work

Let's hope the Indiana University Student Association's Project "Work Hard" has a little more thought behind it than the failed "Vote Hard" Initiative. IUSA's next rambunctious move is a three-part plan to make educational life better for students.\nThe plan calls for free distribution of The New York Times on campus, extended library and Student Recreational Sports Center hours and a GPA increase for an A+ from 4.0 to 4.3. At the moment, the newspaper distribution is under a trial run. IUSA is pushing for the other two initiatives. \nWhile IUSA's collective heart seems to be in the right place, some parts of this plan are stronger than others.\nFirst, raising the Grade Point Average distributed for an A+ from 4.0 to 4.3 would succeed in nothing but furthering grade inflation. Many classes are not centered on individual merit but on a curve -- meaning that whatever the highest grade is in the class, the rest are adjusted accordingly. So if the smartest kid in the class starts to get a 4.3 instead of a 4.0, the other students would move up the scale as well. Now factor in the professors who are against giving 'A+'s, and the change wouldn't be significant. Beyond that, graduate programs that adjust for a 4.3 will still be doing the math for other undergrad programs that use a 4.0. IU's future lawyers will look no better than those from other schools still on a 4.0 plan.\nAs far as the extended hours part goes, IUSA needs to take a serious look at the demand and cost of the programs before going full-throttle in pushing for them. Undoubtedly, many people would use the library for longer hours -- sometimes it is just impossible to get research done before close. But, how much does it cost to keep the library staffed for those extra hours?\nFor the SRSC, if the demand is there, extended hours would be a worthy option. The same questions apply here, though. If the new initiatives raise fees for students, it would be better to keep things as they are. A great option for funding the extra costs may be to sell that beautiful Corvette.\nOverall, congrats to IUSA for trying to get something relatively reasonable done. But, before you launch into these new initiatives with fervor, consider all of those who will be affected and if the plans will make a real difference. Show us the statistics that prove that a high demand is in place for extra hours or a G.P.A. change. Just don't do something for the sake of it.\nDo the research first.\n-- Jessica Halverson for the Editorial Board