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With Coronavirus Disrupting College, Should Every Student Pass? With Coronavirus Disrupting College, Should Every Student Pass?
(32 minutes later)
Carlos Polanco was living in a dormitory just two weeks ago, taking classes and thinking mostly about getting good grades and life after graduation. Now he is back in Clifton, N.J., home schooling his 12-year-old sister, doing household chores and worrying about the health of his relatives in the Dominican Republic.Carlos Polanco was living in a dormitory just two weeks ago, taking classes and thinking mostly about getting good grades and life after graduation. Now he is back in Clifton, N.J., home schooling his 12-year-old sister, doing household chores and worrying about the health of his relatives in the Dominican Republic.
“It would be amazing if I could just focus on my classes,” said Mr. Polanco, a junior at Dartmouth College, “but I have a lot of people depending on me.”“It would be amazing if I could just focus on my classes,” said Mr. Polanco, a junior at Dartmouth College, “but I have a lot of people depending on me.”
Students like Mr. Polanco, who have returned to a home life disrupted by the coronavirus, have been pushing their institutions to set aside grades during the outbreak, arguing that online classes are often a poor substitute and that the chaos caused by the virus falls hardest on those with the least resources.Students like Mr. Polanco, who have returned to a home life disrupted by the coronavirus, have been pushing their institutions to set aside grades during the outbreak, arguing that online classes are often a poor substitute and that the chaos caused by the virus falls hardest on those with the least resources.
Over the past few days, colleges across the country have begun to respond, with schools as varied as Ohio State, Columbia and Carnegie Mellon adopting a seemingly endless variety of pass/fail or credit/no credit systems, at a scale not seen since the protests against the Vietnam War disrupted classes in the late 1960s.Over the past few days, colleges across the country have begun to respond, with schools as varied as Ohio State, Columbia and Carnegie Mellon adopting a seemingly endless variety of pass/fail or credit/no credit systems, at a scale not seen since the protests against the Vietnam War disrupted classes in the late 1960s.
Some universities will still offer the option of letter grades, while others have dropped them altogether. But that’s not good enough for some students, who are seeking a “universal pass” — meaning that nobody would fail, regardless of performance and whether they can continue to take online classes, and that letter grades would be abolished.Some universities will still offer the option of letter grades, while others have dropped them altogether. But that’s not good enough for some students, who are seeking a “universal pass” — meaning that nobody would fail, regardless of performance and whether they can continue to take online classes, and that letter grades would be abolished.
The idea has acquired petition campaigns on scores of campuses and even an acronym among the cognoscenti: UP.The idea has acquired petition campaigns on scores of campuses and even an acronym among the cognoscenti: UP.
“The reality is, there are people who will not pass their classes, there are people who will not finish the semester, who will not graduate on time,” Mr. Polanco said. “The most vulnerable will be drastically harmed.”“The reality is, there are people who will not pass their classes, there are people who will not finish the semester, who will not graduate on time,” Mr. Polanco said. “The most vulnerable will be drastically harmed.”
But some institutions, and even students, have resisted proposals to give everyone equal marks, saying that the idea gives “gut courses” new meaning. It is possible to work hard, they say, even when your world has been turned upside down.But some institutions, and even students, have resisted proposals to give everyone equal marks, saying that the idea gives “gut courses” new meaning. It is possible to work hard, they say, even when your world has been turned upside down.
The debate is of particular concern to students trying to raise their grade-point averages in their final year or two of college to qualify for law, medical or business schools. Some fear it will hurt their chances if their college careers end with a “pass” instead of high marks.The debate is of particular concern to students trying to raise their grade-point averages in their final year or two of college to qualify for law, medical or business schools. Some fear it will hurt their chances if their college careers end with a “pass” instead of high marks.
That dynamic is playing out for Lydia Burleson, a junior majoring in English at Yale. Administrators there have instituted an optional pass/fail, allowing students to choose whether they want a letter grade. But undergraduates have started a “@NoFailYale” Facebook page, where many are calling for a universal pass policy.That dynamic is playing out for Lydia Burleson, a junior majoring in English at Yale. Administrators there have instituted an optional pass/fail, allowing students to choose whether they want a letter grade. But undergraduates have started a “@NoFailYale” Facebook page, where many are calling for a universal pass policy.
That would be problematic for Ms. Burleson, who said she struggled during her first year of college because her high school in rural Texas did not prepare her for the academic and social demands of an Ivy League school. But she has matured, she said, and this semester she is taking 5.5 credits, instead of the normal four or five, hoping it will be her breakthrough year.That would be problematic for Ms. Burleson, who said she struggled during her first year of college because her high school in rural Texas did not prepare her for the academic and social demands of an Ivy League school. But she has matured, she said, and this semester she is taking 5.5 credits, instead of the normal four or five, hoping it will be her breakthrough year.
She was working three jobs — as a dining hall manager, writing tutor and gym attendant — until the virus hit. She is still getting paid and living off-campus in New Haven, Conn. Despite the crisis atmosphere, she believes that she is still capable of getting good grades.She was working three jobs — as a dining hall manager, writing tutor and gym attendant — until the virus hit. She is still getting paid and living off-campus in New Haven, Conn. Despite the crisis atmosphere, she believes that she is still capable of getting good grades.
“I have not been working 70 hours a week to not feel confident,” Ms. Burleson said. “I want those grades. I’ve been working for those grades for the majority of the semester. So yeah, I will ask for grades if the option remains available to me, which is still up in the air.”“I have not been working 70 hours a week to not feel confident,” Ms. Burleson said. “I want those grades. I’ve been working for those grades for the majority of the semester. So yeah, I will ask for grades if the option remains available to me, which is still up in the air.”
Although some schools were quick to adopt a form of pass/fail, it has been an item of heated debate among faculty senates and student representatives on other campuses. At the University of California Los Angeles, the student government held a seven-hour virtual meeting on Tuesday night to debate the topic, eventually endorsing a pass/no record system, but with the option for individual students to “unmask” their letter grades.Although some schools were quick to adopt a form of pass/fail, it has been an item of heated debate among faculty senates and student representatives on other campuses. At the University of California Los Angeles, the student government held a seven-hour virtual meeting on Tuesday night to debate the topic, eventually endorsing a pass/no record system, but with the option for individual students to “unmask” their letter grades.
Robert Blake Watson, the student body president, participated in the debate from his home in Louisville, Ky., until it ended at 4 a.m. Mr. Watson, who plans to go to law school in the fall, said that as a matter of compassion, he had favored a mandatory pass/no record policy, so that choosing not to get a letter grade would not potentially stigmatize disadvantaged students.Robert Blake Watson, the student body president, participated in the debate from his home in Louisville, Ky., until it ended at 4 a.m. Mr. Watson, who plans to go to law school in the fall, said that as a matter of compassion, he had favored a mandatory pass/no record policy, so that choosing not to get a letter grade would not potentially stigmatize disadvantaged students.
“If you become ill with Covid-19, you’re being evicted from your apartment, you have lost wages,” he said. For those who want letter grades, “the problem is,” he said, “who are they getting that letter grading at the expense of?”“If you become ill with Covid-19, you’re being evicted from your apartment, you have lost wages,” he said. For those who want letter grades, “the problem is,” he said, “who are they getting that letter grading at the expense of?”
Still, many universities that have adopted a pass/fail system have tried to preserve the option for letter grades in some way.Still, many universities that have adopted a pass/fail system have tried to preserve the option for letter grades in some way.
At Berkeley, passed/not passed is now the default, but students are being given a choice of a regular grade. The University of Michigan has announced that undergraduates will receive either a pass or a notation of NRC, short for “No Record Covid,” on their transcripts. They will also be able to request a conversion to letter grades.At Berkeley, passed/not passed is now the default, but students are being given a choice of a regular grade. The University of Michigan has announced that undergraduates will receive either a pass or a notation of NRC, short for “No Record Covid,” on their transcripts. They will also be able to request a conversion to letter grades.
Ohio State’s university senate adopted a pass/no pass option for elective courses, and is allowing individual colleges to decide whether to extend it to courses required for majors, a move students have pushed for.Ohio State’s university senate adopted a pass/no pass option for elective courses, and is allowing individual colleges to decide whether to extend it to courses required for majors, a move students have pushed for.
“These courses tend to be more difficult and play a larger role in your career,” said Roaya Higazi, the university’s incoming student body president, who added that it has been difficult to get access to the software she needs to take classes from her home computer.“These courses tend to be more difficult and play a larger role in your career,” said Roaya Higazi, the university’s incoming student body president, who added that it has been difficult to get access to the software she needs to take classes from her home computer.
Updated Aug. 31, 2020 Updated Sept. 1, 2020
The latest on how schools are reopening amid the pandemic.The latest on how schools are reopening amid the pandemic.
Mr. Polanco, the Dartmouth student arguing for a universal pass policy, said that at schools with semesters, rather than on a quarter system like his, students have already put in several weeks of work, so they wouldn’t pass based on nothing. But even if they were failing before the coronavirus shut down campuses, he said, it shouldn’t matter, and the focus on grades is beside the point. “In reality, we go to school to learn, not really to receive a grade.”Mr. Polanco, the Dartmouth student arguing for a universal pass policy, said that at schools with semesters, rather than on a quarter system like his, students have already put in several weeks of work, so they wouldn’t pass based on nothing. But even if they were failing before the coronavirus shut down campuses, he said, it shouldn’t matter, and the focus on grades is beside the point. “In reality, we go to school to learn, not really to receive a grade.”
Administrators at his school aren’t so cavalier. So far, they have rejected the idea of passing everyone, as well as another student proposal that everyone who passes a course would get an A or an A-minus, to preserve their standing for scholarship or graduate school applications that rely on grades.Administrators at his school aren’t so cavalier. So far, they have rejected the idea of passing everyone, as well as another student proposal that everyone who passes a course would get an A or an A-minus, to preserve their standing for scholarship or graduate school applications that rely on grades.
“Our faculty believe deeply that the A signifies outstanding work,” Joseph Helble, the provost, wrote to students, explaining why the school had decided on a credit/no credit model instead. Adopting other models, he said, “would undermine that commitment.”“Our faculty believe deeply that the A signifies outstanding work,” Joseph Helble, the provost, wrote to students, explaining why the school had decided on a credit/no credit model instead. Adopting other models, he said, “would undermine that commitment.”
The concern that professional schools might look askance at a “pass” grade from undergraduates might prove to be overblown. A Yale spokeswoman said the university’s professional schools would not hold pass/fail grades against applicants, whether the choice to forgo letter grades was theirs or the institution’s. And the medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, said it would accept pass/fail marks “without prejudice” for classes taken during the pandemic.The concern that professional schools might look askance at a “pass” grade from undergraduates might prove to be overblown. A Yale spokeswoman said the university’s professional schools would not hold pass/fail grades against applicants, whether the choice to forgo letter grades was theirs or the institution’s. And the medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, said it would accept pass/fail marks “without prejudice” for classes taken during the pandemic.
“It has always been our practice to consider grades in the context of numerous other aspects of the application, and an international crisis certainly provides a unique and compelling perspective,” said Dr. David Wofsy, the medical school’s associate dean for admissions, in an email.“It has always been our practice to consider grades in the context of numerous other aspects of the application, and an international crisis certainly provides a unique and compelling perspective,” said Dr. David Wofsy, the medical school’s associate dean for admissions, in an email.
Veteran college professors say the last time they can recall such turmoil on campus was during the Vietnam War, particularly after the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970, when the National Guard fired on students during a protest against the U.S. invasion of Cambodia, killing four and wounding nine. Amid widespread strikes, classes were suspended across the country, and some universities allowed students to switch to pass/fail marks.Veteran college professors say the last time they can recall such turmoil on campus was during the Vietnam War, particularly after the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970, when the National Guard fired on students during a protest against the U.S. invasion of Cambodia, killing four and wounding nine. Amid widespread strikes, classes were suspended across the country, and some universities allowed students to switch to pass/fail marks.
“I don’t think anything like this has happened since then, so 50 years ago, half a century,” said Rick Danheiser, a chemistry professor and the chair of the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which was one of the first schools to adapt its grading system to the pandemic.“I don’t think anything like this has happened since then, so 50 years ago, half a century,” said Rick Danheiser, a chemistry professor and the chair of the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which was one of the first schools to adapt its grading system to the pandemic.
The M.I.T. iteration is pass/no record, meaning that if a student fails a course, it is wiped from the record, with a note placed in transcripts indicating that the semester was subject to a significant disruption, as context to medical, law, business and other schools.The M.I.T. iteration is pass/no record, meaning that if a student fails a course, it is wiped from the record, with a note placed in transcripts indicating that the semester was subject to a significant disruption, as context to medical, law, business and other schools.
“The reality is that the performance of students this semester is not only going to reflect the mastery of a subject,” Prof. Danheiser said, “but also could be impacted by differences between students due to their different health situations, the health of their loved ones, different access to technology, different home situations.”“The reality is that the performance of students this semester is not only going to reflect the mastery of a subject,” Prof. Danheiser said, “but also could be impacted by differences between students due to their different health situations, the health of their loved ones, different access to technology, different home situations.”
“We felt it would be unfair and not equitable,” he said, “to try to proceed under the conditions of this global crisis with business as usual.”“We felt it would be unfair and not equitable,” he said, “to try to proceed under the conditions of this global crisis with business as usual.”
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting. Kitty Bennett contributed research.Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting. Kitty Bennett contributed research.