



On the blindfold policy and what it means
I recently spoke with a friend who teaches law at another school that also offers online classes. Their Dean specifically advised the faculty against blindfolds, not out of leniency, but (really) because they simply don't work. All they do is add stress to students who are already reciting under pressure. Other schools have looked at this idea and passed on it. That should tell us something.
Last April, I shared my letter to Dean Ulan on the blindfold policy. One term later, and I still got no response (and the policy is still enforced without signs that it will be reviewed). So I sent the follow-up email, and I'm sharing the original letter again for those who missed it.
I'm not sharing this to pile on the administration. SBCA got a lot right by going online, and I said so in the letter. But policies only get reviewed when someone raises a hand. If you think a rule is heading backwards (like this one or any other), say so, in writing, respectfully and on the record. The worst that happens is silence. I know that first-hand, and I'm still writing.
P.S. For the curious, magicians have been "blindfolded" on stage for a century, and Amazon sells the see-through kind for a few dollars: https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Ridge-Magic-Blindfold-Mentalist/dp/B003QSZ4JK
Not a recommendation, folks, just proof that a policy that's easy to beat isn't protecting integrity.