In my classes, I fail students who use a staple instead of a paper clip to secure their papers or are guilty of one of several other violations of MLA format. I take on the tyrannical role for purely pedagogical reasons because I want students to learn that seemingly insignificant errors can have serious repercussions.

For example, yesterday the dean talked to me because she had a conceren about some of the materials I submitted for my evaluation. She wanted to know if she had missed something because it did not appear that I was fulfilling the departmental requirements for the film class that I am teaching this semester.

Comparing the assessment requirements developed by the English department to the requirements listed for my class, it is clear that the dean did not miss anything. I am giving neither the required midterm nor final exam for the course. And this is a serious problem.

I could argue that the problem is semantic; not substantive. First of all, the required research project is an acceptable final exam. And during the last revision of the course, I included the midterm assessment as one of the quizzes. It’s the same assignment regardless what I call it.

For Shakespeare, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” but such is not the case on a syllabus.

Fortunately, the evaluation process at Schoolcraft College is not punitive. I do not need to worry that I have harmed my chances of being promoted at the end of the semester. Nor will a letter of reprimand be put in my file. Instead, I will make sure that I properly label my assessments when I next teach the course.

However, at some colleges this error would have likely prevented me from being promoted to Associate Professor. If I were still on probation, the fact that I do not follow departmental policy could be grounds for not granting me tenure and I would therefore lose my job.

“But the error is so simple,” some might argue. “Ignoring departmental policy is serious,” others would counter. Both points of view are correct.

Once students have completed their manuscripts, I hold conferences so that I can identify any fatal errors. In the same way that I was given a chance to explain to the dean what she might be missing, students in my classes are given the opportunity to correct any errors before the final deadline.

My ultimate goal is to help students learn proper academic documentation; not to fail them for small errors. Yet my students need to realize that there are situations where no second chance is provided; situations where a staple really does result in a failing grade or when a promotion is denied because a research project is not a final exam.

–Steven L. Berg, PhD