During the COVID-19 pandemic, most schools shifted to an online format. In light of the emotional toll this transition took on students and continuing factors of COVID-19, the CSU system elected to offer students the option to convert their classes to a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) option. Not only did this option allow students to breathe during the stressful transition to online learning, but it also accounted for declining mental health during the long isolation and the stress response many of us have had experiencing daily life in a pandemic.

The CSUs are no longer required to offer a CR/NC option, and as such, CSUMB has reverted to offering CR/NC for only some classes. I could not find a list of classes that offered CR/NC, and faculty/administration did not answer this question when asked at the Associated Students Town Hall meeting on December 2nd, 2021. Additionally, the deadline to apply for a CR/NC option was September 7th, a mere two weeks after the beginning of the semester. Furthermore, withdrawal from classes is no longer an option this late into the semester.

COVID-19 has affected students both directly and indirectly. Whether exposed to COVID or not, students have been inundated with emails regarding contact tracing, have had to deal with canceled classes due to symptomatic professors, and have dealt with the emotional repercussions of family and friends contracting the virus. Additionally, students who have contracted COVID-19 have to balance their school work and personal lives while also handling the ongoing physical effects and exhaustion associated with COVID.

In addition to COVID-19, the CSUMB campus transitioned to Canvas, an online platform for all of its online classes. Not only were many current students unfamiliar with this method of online learning, but many professors also experienced a steep learning curve while transitioning from iLearn. This transition made many online classes confusing and disjointed, with many professors dumping all course materials into a single module, and some hybrid classes simply opting to stop using it halfway through the semester.

These factors should be taken into consideration, and the CR/NC option should be extended to students for all classes similar to last academic year, with a petition option for after final grades post.

Without a CR/NC option, new students, transfer students, and even continuing students who have been affected by the Canvas transition and the ongoing effects of COIVD-19 may be forced to quit school due to housing, financial aid, and the ongoing mental health struggles associated with GPA concerns.