Pass/Fail in a Pandemic: What the heck are we supposed to do?
by Natalie Peek
Following an email from Daniel Myers, Provost, many students responded positively to the option of taking classes for major and minor credit pass/fail -- but a growing movement of students feel this pass/fail expansion is simply not enough.
Enter AUniversal Pass.
In a petition released late last week, AUniversal Pass outlined their goals, "Anything short of a universal action plan will discriminate against the most marginalized students. Internet access, privacy, living in the same time zone as professors, and being quarantined in safe homes are all privileges.”
To clarify, there are many definitions rolling around, and grading jargon can be confusing, so here’s a quick definition list.
Graded classes are those that are graded A-F, and in American University classes the grading scale is as follows: A=4.0, A-=3.67, B+=3.33, B=3.0, B-=2.67, etc.
Pass/fail for classes means that students who receive a grade higher than a “C” pass and therefore no effect to the GPA occurs. A fail impacts the GPA like an F would.
Universal pass/fail means that every student would therefore be graded on pass/fail, there is no voluntary choice for A-F.
Universal pass means that all students receive a “pass” for their classes.
Colleges like Johns Hopkins and Williams have implemented a Universal Pass/Fail, and ensure that their students’ transcripts state that there was no option. A common fear is that employers and graduate programs will look unkindly towards students who choose a pass/fail option because the choice implies that they didn’t see themselves doing well, no matter the circumstances beyond their control.
Administrators at Williams state their reasoning is to take the option out since access to wifi, needing to provide for family, and “other circumstances impacting academic performance,” which could be anything from heightened anxiety or depression to housing concerns, are legitimate reasons affecting students’ performance. This ensures that students would not feel singled out for needing to choose pass/fail. Students from Williams have reported “a sense of relief” that this decision is “out of our hands now, the gamble is now the University’s choice.”
Initially, AUniversal Pass wanted American University to take things a step further: a Universal Pass like what was proposed through the No Fail Yale campaign. Sarah Soliman and Faith Lewis, seniors at AU, got the initiative off the ground with a petition for students, clubs, faculty, and staff to sign for a universal pass system.
Now, Lewis states that since universal pass has not yet been implemented at any universities, she and Senior Ayla Gurbuz are instead pushing for language that “makes it clear that failing a student during this pandemic is highly discouraged.” While an ideal situation would still be for a blanket pass, due to the stressors of the pandemic and the often socio-economic, racial, disability, sexual orientation and documentation status lines with which they fall, a universal pass/fail system would still be better than the opt-in system currently in place.
Dean Jessica Waters has agreed to discuss this initiative with AUniversal Pass this Thursday.