The change is official. We won the pass/fail option for this semester. Keep watching the administration to ensure they follow through.
April 21, 2020
Final supporters
We face unprecedented challenges from Covid-19. These challenges include finding childcare because of school closures, caregiving for loved ones affected by the virus, finding new housing, and adapting to online education. Allowing these challenges to negatively impact students' grades and future employment opportunities is unfair. Permitting pass/fail grading this semester would level the playing field so we can hit the ground running come fall.
Updates
March 22, 2020
The momentum is undeniable. This level of support proves how many of us are struggling with the status quo.
Reached 100 supporters
March 22, 2020
24 Comments
Every single class should be pass/fail, and it should be mandatory (including legal writing). Option pass/fail is not equitable. Students with disabilities who may not have needed accommodations in person may be struggling at home. Part-time students may have been laid off. These are uncertain and scary times, and we need this.
I fear I will not have the opportunity to study for exams I would have had if I still had childcare. Balancing attending online classes and caring for my 18 month old is not working. I hardly have the time to complete work for class let alone outline and study. I don’t know how I could possibly take a timed exam in my small apartment with a toddler running around who has no one else to supervise her.
I agree that it should be mandatory pass/fail. I would feel differently if the semester started as online. The transition mid-semester, in addition to the work/life challenges covid-19 is throwing our way justifies the pass/fail standard. Many law schools have already made this decision, including Harvard and Stanford, so this request is not outside the norm.
3L at SU Law. This is an unprecedented time and it is not appropriate for us to be expected to operate as normal. Grade equity would do a lot in easing stress caused by this pandemic.
Mandatory pass/fail is the only equitable solution, and scholarship eligibility should be adjusted to reflect this unique situation. We shouldn't be kicking students out because there was an outbreak and it wasn't possible for them to adhere to the grade requirements for maintaining their scholarships. Everyone should be allowed to keep their scholarships, tbh.
When thinking about whether to adopt a P/F grading system, the school should focus on what the likely adverse effects will be on the most vulnerable students. e.g. parents, working students, care takers, etc. If the school determines that a minority group of students are likely to be adversely effected by COVID, the school should do whatever it can to accommodate those individuals regardless of any other individuals who might not be adversely effected. Even in a hypothetical case where there is only one single person who is adversely effected by COVID, in the interest of compassion and fairness, the school should accommodate that individual.
This transition hits everyone so differently that it would be completely unfair to issue grades to anyone under the circumstances.
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The change is official. We won the pass/fail option for this semester. Keep watching the administration to ensure they follow through.
April 21, 2020
Final supporters
We face unprecedented challenges from Covid-19. These challenges include finding childcare because of school closures, caregiving for loved ones affected by the virus, finding new housing, and adapting to online education. Allowing these challenges to negatively impact students' grades and future employment opportunities is unfair. Permitting pass/fail grading this semester would level the playing field so we can hit the ground running come fall.
Updates
March 22, 2020
The momentum is undeniable. This level of support proves how many of us are struggling with the status quo.
Reached 100 supporters
March 22, 2020
24 Comments
Pass/Fail with scholarship continuity is likely the least-worst option for fairness this semester - and should definitely include legal writing for many of the same reasons. The writing assignments take considerable time and concentration - which are in very short supply right now as people try and figure out whether they still have a job, childcare, teaching their kids at home unexpectedly, and the list goes on.
Every single class should be pass/fail, and it should be mandatory (including legal writing). Option pass/fail is not equitable. Students with disabilities who may not have needed accommodations in person may be struggling at home. Part-time students may have been laid off. These are uncertain and scary times, and we need this.
I fear I will not have the opportunity to study for exams I would have had if I still had childcare. Balancing attending online classes and caring for my 18 month old is not working. I hardly have the time to complete work for class let alone outline and study. I don’t know how I could possibly take a timed exam in my small apartment with a toddler running around who has no one else to supervise her.
I agree that it should be mandatory pass/fail. I would feel differently if the semester started as online. The transition mid-semester, in addition to the work/life challenges covid-19 is throwing our way justifies the pass/fail standard. Many law schools have already made this decision, including Harvard and Stanford, so this request is not outside the norm.
3L at SU Law. This is an unprecedented time and it is not appropriate for us to be expected to operate as normal. Grade equity would do a lot in easing stress caused by this pandemic.
Mandatory pass/fail is the only equitable solution, and scholarship eligibility should be adjusted to reflect this unique situation. We shouldn't be kicking students out because there was an outbreak and it wasn't possible for them to adhere to the grade requirements for maintaining their scholarships. Everyone should be allowed to keep their scholarships, tbh.
When thinking about whether to adopt a P/F grading system, the school should focus on what the likely adverse effects will be on the most vulnerable students. e.g. parents, working students, care takers, etc. If the school determines that a minority group of students are likely to be adversely effected by COVID, the school should do whatever it can to accommodate those individuals regardless of any other individuals who might not be adversely effected. Even in a hypothetical case where there is only one single person who is adversely effected by COVID, in the interest of compassion and fairness, the school should accommodate that individual.
This transition hits everyone so differently that it would be completely unfair to issue grades to anyone under the circumstances.
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Pass/Fail with scholarship continuity is likely the least-worst option for fairness this semester - and should definitely include legal writing for many of the same reasons. The writing assignments take considerable time and concentration - which are in very short supply right now as people try and figure out whether they still have a job, childcare, teaching their kids at home unexpectedly, and the list goes on.