On Monday, Senior Vice President for Academics Wilsie Bishop emailed students announcing that the ETSU Academic Council has decided to offer undergraduate students a pass/fail option for the spring 2020 semester.
The option, in response to COVID-19 and university courses moving online, allows students the option to request a pass/fail grade for the semester until June 15. Students who wish to accept their letter grade may. This option does not apply to graduate students.
“Many of you expressed interest in having the P/F option given the circumstances that have unfolded as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak,” Bishop said in the email. “Your feedback as well as the guidance from your elected student leaders helped to shape this process.”
The option allows students to forgo a normal letter grade and take a grade of “pass” or “fail.” The option may be attractive to students who are dealing with significant stress caused by COVID-19, such as loss of work, financial instability or worrying about taking care of family. A pass/fail option may allow students to alleviate some of their stress and not take incomplete or withdrawal grade for the class.
Students who wish to take this option will first have to make the request with their academic advisor. Then, the request will be sent to the student’s dean for approval. Bishop stated in the email that students should carefully consider the option as it could impact “financial aid, admission to professional programs, or licensure.”
Yale University and the University of Southern California are some of many universities across the country that have given students this option in response to COVID-19.
Student Government President Aamir Shaikh was part of the council meeting when the decision was made and said that SGA played a role in moving the decision along.
Shaikh said he wrote and presented legislation to SGA March 24 after hearing student concerns over grades this semester. SGA passed the legislation with an informal vote, and it was sent to Bishop. She asked him to share the outcome with her and the other university deans, and this working group passed their recommendation to the Academic Council.
“We did our research, and we put together a thorough recommendation,” he said. “So we were confident when we submitted it on Friday.”
The SGA president wants students to carefully consider taking the pass/fail option, but he is glad students can use it if they need to.
“We know it’s not an easy situation,” he said. “Either way, there’s implications in choosing one or the other, but we want students to have that flexibility to make that decision, depending on their circumstances and their future.”
Shaikh said ETSU student Jaden Siddle’s recently organized petition for the pass/fail option on Change.org was influential in SGA’s action.
Siddle said he is glad ETSU listened to students.
“It’s a victory for all of us struggling with handling all of the stress of completing assignments timely and managing all the emails along with staying safe and quarantined to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” he said. “It shows that ETSU is concerned for our education and well being. That makes me proud to be a Buccaneer.”
Siddle sent a message to all those who signed the petition online when the announcement was made.
“Victory!” the email said. “This would not be possible without your help. Congrats ETSU Students, We did it!”
