Petition to Amend Loyola's Spring 2020 GPA/ Grading Policy

Everyone has had to adapt and overcome in this incredibly extraordinary pandemic environment, but I question what message we are sending our boys by punishing those who remained focused on the few factors they could control (e.g., grades/schoolwork) despite having to contend with many other factors well beyond their control. Second among the core tenets of the Loyola proposition is a bargained-for education -- the current proposal to exclude this semester from cumulative GPA eviscerates that critical element of the Loyola value proposition. Lastly, there is a valid option (the hold harmless option) that allows for address of truly special situations. While I agree we should have concern and consideration for those who are particularly challenged and impacted by this extraordinary pandemic, it is equally important not punish those boys who need the benefit of this semester's grades.

The boys have worked hard this semester under super challenging circumstances, and that work deserves to be recognized.

I whole-heartedly agree with the equitable options presented in this petition, which are more in line with Loyola values and approaches being taken also by colleges and universities. For example, Notre Dame, Claremont and other schools are allowing students to accept their final grade in a class or opt for a pass/fail grade after seeing their grade and any class where pass/fail is chosen is not counted towards GPA, all decisions made without the need for any petition/explanation. This balances the various important personal, academic, administrative, and well-being interests/concerns, including encouraging students to end the semester strong; having students get the benefit of their sustained, strong effort; avoiding penalizing students; trusting our students to make the right decision for themselves if circumstances impeded their ability to put their best foot forward; and giving our students the benefit of the doubt and allow them to choose the pass/fail option for any class without penalty or need to explain/justify their decision.

Please give students the option to have Spring semester grade as part of their overall gpa or if they elect not to, maybe as pass/fail. Many other schools and universities are doing this and our boys have worked very hard. Taking this option away removes all incentive to continue working hard to achieve the excellence and perseverance Loyola is known for. Understand this is a challenging time so thanks for your re-consideration.

My son who is a junior would benefit from a hold harmless policy. He has worked very hard and deserves a solid chance at good university

Thank you for organizing!

I currently do not have any Loyola students, However, as a Loyola Graduate i would hope that hard work would be rewarded with actual letter grades. I have a high school daughter at another school and her school is giving students the option of pass/fail or letter grades. My daughter works hard and is choosing letter grades. I mentioned to the President of the school what Loyola was doing and he was very surprised and thought it was a horrible idea. anyway my two cents.

One of the problems with the grading policy is that Loyola has decided to inflate the GPAs by rounding up grades and then deciding that they cannot include these grades in the cumulative GPA. The solution is fairly simple. Have faith and confidence in the hard earned GPAs for the young men. Take the grades as they existed when the distance learning started and if the student earned a higher grade since that time, he should be awarded that grade. If circumstances exist that did not allow the student to perform equally in this environment, then the grade would stay as is. This is the hold harmless policy and it is fair and equitable. It takes into account all circumstances, both good and bad.

My son has scholarship opportunities for college that will be much needed since I have now been laid off due to covid 19. He has worked really hard this semester so he is able to boost his gpa to the requirement needed for his scholarship. Without the calculation of his spring semester grade, he will not qualify for the scholarship. Please note that this affects the students. Now my son will be in a situation where he cannot attend his dream college.

I totally support this petition. Thank you!

I fully agree with this petition. Thank you!

I support this petition. Without the long commute and other distractions, all of the boys should be doing better, not worse. This policy punishes the hard workers and benefits the slackers.

gpa ⬆️ ⬆️

I completely agree with the reasonings outlined in this petition and hope the school will consider these factors again.

I am a student and I have worked really hard during this semester under the circumstances. I would like my spring semester grades added to my cumulative gpa. Thank you!

As a parent of two Loyola graduates, the new grading policy undercuts the efforts of students who in adverse conditions continued to apply themselves. This is will have long term detrimental effects as students unable to work or volunteer pour themselves into their work. A different policy can be instituted for students who lack the resources needed to fully engage remotely such as counselors addressing this issue on a student by student basis. the school is also creating a disincentive to co ti je working hard in an online environment - which may need to continue longer than anyone hopes.

6 years ago Featured

So much has already been taken away from these children because of this unprecedented situation. Don’t we owe it to them to at least give them something positive, which in this case would be the opportunity to boost their GPAs, to present the most favorable view of themselves to universities?

I agree with this proposal. It makes no sense to penalize those students who are motivated to achieve their academic goals and maximize their chances of being admitted into the their colleges of choice. At a time where many of our kids' extracurricular activities have been cancelled, I predict that their GPAs will be more impactful than normal for college admissions next year.

I strongly support the requests outlined in this petition. Thank you!

I think it’s a good learning lesson for the kids - do well and you can improve your GPA. If you don’t do better than your current grades, no harm comes of it. DU is allowing kids to decide on whether to take the grade or go Pass/Fail AFTER their grades are given at the end of the quarter. I realize some kids have challenges with online learning but going pass/fail doesn’t harm them. However, going pass/fail does harm others - especially juniors.