![[Alumni Petition] Further Extension for Thesis Deadlines](https://media.ipetitions.com/media/petition_images/e3f6f1f8-6597-4c3e-913e-61f850ee5161.webp)
To senior administrators and campus leadership,
No one could have predicted the extent of the cultural disruption and devastation the COVID-19 crisis would leave in its wake, or, for that matter, its specific effect on college students and campus life. It goes without saying that ramifications of the virus have impacted families, communities, and almost every aspect of the working day for faculty, staff, and of course, students.
While all community members have undoubtedly been effected by these changes, the BA Class of 2020 has had to endure a particular sequence of bitter realities. The spread of the virus has forced many seniors to leave Simon's Rock--an institution that has served as a home and safe haven for many--much earlier than expected.
Further, the potential delay or cancellation of a commencement for a class that has never had the opportunity to walk across a stage in High School is only an added blow to an already tumultuous and painful academic year. We must acknowledge that this moment is a historic one. Since its inception in the 1960's, no class at Simon's Rock has had to persist through a global pandemic and juggle the rigorous academic expectations that our community is so proud of with the equally demanding burdens of social distancing, quarantine, fear, and death.
The Alumni Community thanks you for the swift action Senior Leadership and Administrators took in response to the first request for an extension organized by the Senior Class. However, through conversations with student leaders as well as feedback via social media and other platforms, its become apparent that the senior class needs more time. We are collaborating with the Senior Class of 2020 to ask that you please further extend the deadline for final drafts of Senior thesis. In these unprecedented times, we ask for unprecedented accommodations in recognition of the struggles this class is undergoing.
As alumni who have completed the thesis process and the academic requirements to receive a degree from Simon's Rock, we know better than most that even with an extended deadline, completing a year long project amidthese conditions is a task beyond what we were asked to accomplish, so it would be inequitable to expect that their academic experience be put in jeopardy due to factors they had no control over. We eagerly await your decision.
Respectfully,
The Alumni of Simon's Rock
Updates
April 15, 2020
I have been in contact with members of the administration to clarify the specific academic hardships facing our seniors. While a formal response remains pending, the documentation of these ongoing challenges continues to be a priority for our communication strategy.
April 15, 2020
The consistent support for this request reflects a profound recognition of the unique challenges faced by our graduates. This momentum confirms that our community values the academic integrity and personal well-being of every student.
10 Comments
I can't say I know what SRC students are going through personally, but I know the students I TA at another school have been having a hard time concentrating and turning in work on the level that they used to before the pandemic. I feel that it's unfair to expect them to be able to output at the same level that they did prior to the quarantine.
I completely agree that extensions should be granted and thesis grading should be flexible. As someone who is living in NYC, I can really see the destruction and difficulties this virus is causing. My last few months as a senior were some of the best moments of my life and really shaped my ability to handle post grad life. Now that many students won’t be getting this experience, the administration and professors should be working with students on a case by case bases to help make realistic and caring goals and deadlines for thesis. I know it’s hard for the professors too. Much love to thesising seniors and their advisors!
I think it’s absurd that an extension has not yet already been granted. As an alum who completed her thesis and final semester under unusual circumstances, I fully believe it would be unconscionable to not grant thesising seniors additional time to complete their thesis, out of arbitrary academic practices that really only exist in academia. In the middle of unprecedented anxiety and stress in addition to time needing to be have been taken for travel, caring for loved ones, possibly difficult unexpected living situations, to not treat students with empathy and care indicative of further erosion of Simon’s Rock leadership. Support your seniors, now.
Thesising was the first year long project I took on and I needed about every day of it to make it something my advisors and I could be proud of. Can’t imagine this happening during the home stretch. An extended deadline is a called for and feasible measure to lessen the blow.
Many students caught up in this crisis are having to deal with extra financial burdens, some others are having to deal with homelessness and other home-related problems. This is on top of the obvious issue that working with thesis advisors is itself more difficult due to the obstacles in communication present. The way I understand things going, it is unreasonable to hold students in this crisis to the same standard that all other students would ordinarily be held to, because the circumstances are just that different, and it is not something students have any control over whatsoever.
Please dont do this to them.
Hang in there, seniors! Take it one day at a time and push through <3
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To senior administrators and campus leadership,
No one could have predicted the extent of the cultural disruption and devastation the COVID-19 crisis would leave in its wake, or, for that matter, its specific effect on college students and campus life. It goes without saying that ramifications of the virus have impacted families, communities, and almost every aspect of the working day for faculty, staff, and of course, students.
While all community members have undoubtedly been effected by these changes, the BA Class of 2020 has had to endure a particular sequence of bitter realities. The spread of the virus has forced many seniors to leave Simon's Rock--an institution that has served as a home and safe haven for many--much earlier than expected.
Further, the potential delay or cancellation of a commencement for a class that has never had the opportunity to walk across a stage in High School is only an added blow to an already tumultuous and painful academic year. We must acknowledge that this moment is a historic one. Since its inception in the 1960's, no class at Simon's Rock has had to persist through a global pandemic and juggle the rigorous academic expectations that our community is so proud of with the equally demanding burdens of social distancing, quarantine, fear, and death.
The Alumni Community thanks you for the swift action Senior Leadership and Administrators took in response to the first request for an extension organized by the Senior Class. However, through conversations with student leaders as well as feedback via social media and other platforms, its become apparent that the senior class needs more time. We are collaborating with the Senior Class of 2020 to ask that you please further extend the deadline for final drafts of Senior thesis. In these unprecedented times, we ask for unprecedented accommodations in recognition of the struggles this class is undergoing.
As alumni who have completed the thesis process and the academic requirements to receive a degree from Simon's Rock, we know better than most that even with an extended deadline, completing a year long project amidthese conditions is a task beyond what we were asked to accomplish, so it would be inequitable to expect that their academic experience be put in jeopardy due to factors they had no control over. We eagerly await your decision.
Respectfully,
The Alumni of Simon's Rock
Updates
April 15, 2020
I have been in contact with members of the administration to clarify the specific academic hardships facing our seniors. While a formal response remains pending, the documentation of these ongoing challenges continues to be a priority for our communication strategy.
April 15, 2020
The consistent support for this request reflects a profound recognition of the unique challenges faced by our graduates. This momentum confirms that our community values the academic integrity and personal well-being of every student.
10 Comments
The thesis process is hard enough under normal conditions. Trying to finish while the world is falling apart is just cruel. Give these kids a break already.
I can't say I know what SRC students are going through personally, but I know the students I TA at another school have been having a hard time concentrating and turning in work on the level that they used to before the pandemic. I feel that it's unfair to expect them to be able to output at the same level that they did prior to the quarantine.
I completely agree that extensions should be granted and thesis grading should be flexible. As someone who is living in NYC, I can really see the destruction and difficulties this virus is causing. My last few months as a senior were some of the best moments of my life and really shaped my ability to handle post grad life. Now that many students won’t be getting this experience, the administration and professors should be working with students on a case by case bases to help make realistic and caring goals and deadlines for thesis. I know it’s hard for the professors too. Much love to thesising seniors and their advisors!
I think it’s absurd that an extension has not yet already been granted. As an alum who completed her thesis and final semester under unusual circumstances, I fully believe it would be unconscionable to not grant thesising seniors additional time to complete their thesis, out of arbitrary academic practices that really only exist in academia. In the middle of unprecedented anxiety and stress in addition to time needing to be have been taken for travel, caring for loved ones, possibly difficult unexpected living situations, to not treat students with empathy and care indicative of further erosion of Simon’s Rock leadership. Support your seniors, now.
Thesising was the first year long project I took on and I needed about every day of it to make it something my advisors and I could be proud of. Can’t imagine this happening during the home stretch. An extended deadline is a called for and feasible measure to lessen the blow.
Many students caught up in this crisis are having to deal with extra financial burdens, some others are having to deal with homelessness and other home-related problems. This is on top of the obvious issue that working with thesis advisors is itself more difficult due to the obstacles in communication present. The way I understand things going, it is unreasonable to hold students in this crisis to the same standard that all other students would ordinarily be held to, because the circumstances are just that different, and it is not something students have any control over whatsoever.
Please dont do this to them.
Hang in there, seniors! Take it one day at a time and push through <3
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The thesis process is hard enough under normal conditions. Trying to finish while the world is falling apart is just cruel. Give these kids a break already.