Policy Regarding Oral Exams

Policy Regarding Oral Examinations

approved 8/30/02

No faculty member or student should provide refreshments before or during oral examinations. The rationale for this rule is

• A party atmosphere is inappropriate for the decorum of the event which should have some degree of seriousness. 

• When it becomes an obligation or a tradition, it puts an inappropriate additional strain on the student whose focus should be on his/her presentation, not on the menu for the event. 

• It could be loosely interpreted as a kind of "bribe"--who could have the heart to fail someone (or to be too hard on him/her) who had just fed us so well?!