Several students said yesterday, however, that the results of the referendum do not indicate shortcomings in the grading procedure, but rather the average student's desire not to be judged on grades.

"Eighty percent of the school receives average or below average grades," said one student who asked to remain anonymous. "Clearly, it is in their best interest not to let recruiters see their grades," he added.

B-School officials emphasized that the referendum was not meant necessarily to resolve problems with the process but to generate discussion on several long-standing concerns.

In addition to the grades question, the referendum included other issues about the shortcomings of the recruitment process.

"Grade concerns and other apprehensions about recruitment meetings are by no means new developments," Sheets said. "We can begin to solve the problems though, only when we focus attention on them," he added.

Seventy-three percent of B-School students favored a resolution to prevent recruiters from scheduling interview sharing class meetings. In the past, students have often been forced to miss classes to interview with recruiters.

And 93 percent of the school supported a move to prevent a recruiters from soliciting information from a student about his classmates.

Judy C. Tisdale, a recruiter for the ROLM corporation of California, said yesterday that recruiters rarely try to discover information about a student from his classmates.

In addition, she said that grades are usually of much less importance as a job qualification than work experience.

O'Conner said the student government is considering holding second referendum on recruiting issues after his spring's recruiting