Like other Wichita State students, sophomore Katie Wiggins said she has mixed feelings about the university’s plus/minus grading system.

“If we’re going to do a plus/minus system, we need to make sure it’s fair across all of our studies and it’s not affected by an individual professor who says, ‘I don’t feel like giving you an A,’” Wiggins said.

During Wednesday’s Student Government Association meeting, SGA read and passed a resolution that recommends removing the plus/minus system. It passed unanimously.

In part, the resolution states, “the plus/minus system puts Wichita State University at a disadvantage to other Board of Regents schools in the state which do not use the same grading method.”

While the resolution does not explicitly remove the plus/minus system — only the Faculty Senate has that authority — it does start dialogue about the system, said Dalton Glasscock, SGA’s academics committee chairman.

“It just shows that we have a united front as a student body moving forward that we oppose that system and just encourage the Faculty Senate to respect our recommendations — at least start that dialogue to be able to get it removed,” he said.

Glasscock said the academics committee did heavy research into the system in the fall after students voiced their concerns. Among the findings, the committee found that when Faculty Senate approved the plus/minus system in 2008, it passed by one vote.

“That one vote determined the entire academic experience of students at Wichita State,” Glasscock said.

In addition, Glasscock said the academics committee took a poll of SGA senators and their grade point averages as part of the research. Glasscock said that of the 30 or so SGA senators, two would see a decrease in GPA, two would have the same, while all other senators would see a GPA increase if the plus/minus system was removed.

Glasscock said he was ecstatic to see the resolution pass.

“I think the students are going to be very appreciative of these decisions,” he said. “I think we sent a very clear message about the will of the student body.”

Glasscock said he plans to present the resolution to Faculty Senate at its next meeting, held on the second and fourth Monday of each month in 126 Clinton Hall from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Student Body President Joseph Shepard said the plus/minus system has affected several students’ standing in organizations. With scholarships and voicing opposition, the resolution is the right thing to do, he said.

“I’m really glad to see that Student Senate is in support of it,” Shepard said. “I’m really looking forward to Faculty Senate and seeing what they have to say.”

Wiggins said removal of the plus/minus system could give her more incentive to work for an A, rather than being happy with a B+.

“It would give me less excuses to say, ‘Oh, I just got a B minus it’s OK,’” she said. “It might motivate me a little harder to get my A instead of just being OK with just B pluses.”