2019-20 April 1

123 thoughts on “2019-20 April 1”

1. Please give us the option to have a grade. By switching to universal S/U, you will be hurting just as many students, if not more. Find some other way to ensure that students that opt to have S/U grading will not be looked badly upon. We don’t have to copy the ideas of other ivy league schools, let us come up with a better, more creative solution for these issues. Many students are unaware that this grading change vote is even happening right now, and have not had their voices heard. Instead of hastily making a decision that affects the lives of hundreds of students, think things though this time. Throughout this pandemic Cornell keeps making hasty decisions and then has to revise them, which creates even more stress for students. Think this decision through carefully, and tell students you are considering it. Make the situation widely known, and give EVERY student the opportunity to provide their input. We don’t need to come to a decision right now.

2. I think a universal S/U would be an ideal option for those who are particularly stressed out during this current time. I live in New York City, right near a hospital that is currently filled to the brim with COVID-19 patients and just seeing that has put an emotional strain that no amounts of therapy could help. Furthermore, I live in an underprivileged neighborhood, and similar to many of my low-income peers, I am unable to be afforded the same privileges such as having my own study space, or even a quiet place to complete my online classwork. I understand that many students were going to use this semester to boost their GPAs- I was too, but being at home has completely changed the circumstances for me and I do not think I would be able to maintain the same work ethic I had while I was at Cornell because the two environments are drastically different. Furthermore, these letter grades cannot be equitable because everyone is in a different environment from that of Cornell, unless students have chosen to stay in Ithaca. Being at Cornell is an equalizer as people have access to the same resources, but being at home is not the case. It will also be difficult to maintain the academic integrity code when students are doing work at home, and I believe that this provides an unfair advantage to those with resources. I ask that the faculty senate consider those who are in a worsened environment and possibly not focuses on their education currently because, in these current circumstances, some things are more important than a letter grade.

3. This is a delicate manner. Whether students receive grades or not affects every student differently. For some students, not getting grades will not affect them at all. For other students, not getting grades could minimize their chances at attaining graduate school scholarships, and could lead students to change their entire career path just because of the financial issues tied to not having a GPA this semester. A student going through an extenuating circumstance can simply take one S/U, some S/Us, or all S/Us, and these S/Us will not be discriminated against, as a Cornell Faculty member mentioned during this conversation, since we are living in a pandemic. Regarding Medical School admissions, many of them are starting to implement policies in which students who attained S/Us despite having the choice of a grade will not be penalized, as is the case for UC Berkeley. I strongly believe most medical schools will take this stance. Seems like Mayo Clinic, University of Toronto Medical School, and NYU also hold this stance. For some students, not having grades this semester especially if they are a graduating senior could mean being a potential medical school student, to being discouraged to apply or not gaining entry because they did not have the GPA they could have had if this semester became mandatory S/U. This is especially for students who did not start off their Cornell career on good footing, particularly true for minority students or low-income students. Considering S/Us will not be stigmatized and considering this is such a delicate manner, it should be in the hands of the student to decide what is best for their future and what works best for them financially. I hope professors vote in favor of OPT-IN S/U. Thank you!

4. Students want the opportunity to grow, especially those who have just begun to find their footing at Cornell, and so we ask that the university provides Cornellians the opportunity to do so by preserving their agency. This pandemic is drumming up a storm of uncertainty around the lives and futures of our fellow students. The more flexible the university is in its response, the more effective it will be in alleviating stress than it would be by reducing options with a one size fits all policy. Instead, the personal freedom of students should be expanded: The deadline to decide on S/U vs a letter grade or to withdraw from a course without a W should be extended to after final grades are released.

5. It was brought up in the meeting that Student Assembly voted for universal pass/fail. However, Student Assembly members do not represent a broad range of career paths. A student’s decision of what grading option they prefer is highly dependent on which career path they choose and what point on the path they are at. The opinions of the student assembly members may not necessarily be a representative sample of the entire student body, as most of them are pursuing careers in liberal arts or do not plan to apply to graduate school. Why should a small group of people, who I do not share future plans or career goals with, contribute to making a major decision that will directly impact all of our futures?

   1. Definitely agree if they take the student assembly vote seriously I will be livid. The student assembly is not for the people or representative in the slightest bit!

      1. I definitely agree. It is unfair to count these students as a representation of how ALL Cornellians feel. Bring these issues to the entire student population and let us decide for ourselves. ALL Cornell students should have a say in the matter. Many students have no idea that there is even any possibility of the current grading scheme changing, and throwing something new upon them without asking for their input will not be taken well. Especially something that impacts many, many people’s futures.

6. A major concern raised at the faculty senate meeting today was the question of whether graduate and medical schools would accept S/U grades if the policy is not mandatory. As the pandemic begins to grow, so, too, does the compassion and understanding of graduate programs. There is evidence that they will accept pass/fail grades even if the policy was optional rather than mandatory. For example, Columbia, UC Berkeley, NYU, University of Toronto, and Mayo Clinic have made such statements. It is becoming increasingly difficult to believe that any medical school or graduate program would look down upon an opt-in S/U grade while we are in the midst of a global pandemic that is bringing the most powerful nations of the world to their knees. For this reason, a grade of S/U will not be stigmatizing if students have the option.

7. As someone with a rocky start freshman year due to being home sick, this semesters grades are crucial for me to improve my academic performance for grad school. I have worked so hard this year, taking the most credits I ever have, in order to improve not only my grades but my academic understanding of course material. I’ve worked so hard and for the possibility of my choice to be completely disregarding is both stress inducing and very worrying for me at this time. I ask of you to support our right to choice.

   1. I am in the same situation as you, but I believe in order for everyone to have equitable experiences, a universal S/U would be the best way. You (presumably) have more semesters in which you could improve your grades, and your grades should not be the only motivation you have to learn the material for a class. A mandatory S/U would help those who have already lost their right to choose during this heartbreaking pandemic.

8. Graduate and medical schools have such strict gpa thresholds and narrow ranges that even 0.1 below the median will majorly decrease an applicant’s chances.
   Med/grad schools will not be more relaxed with this threshold/range as there are so many applicants applying that they could very easily take another applicant from elsewhere or Cornell that has a higher GPA.
   This goes hand in hand with the demonstrating academic improvement argument. We cannot take away the promise of academic improvement. That would put students at jeopardy with fulfilling their careers and dreams.
   As mentioned before, many of the students who struggled with lower GPAs in their early Cornell semesters came from high schools that did not prepare them as well for Cornell’s rigor. These students often come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Taking away an opportunity for academic improvement would make many disadvantaged students even more disadvantaged.

   1. Graduate schools and medical schools do a holistic review of applications. Presumably, you have other things going for you than your GPA?

9. All students are at different points in their careers. Seniors taking easier classes will want letter grades to boost their GPA. Underclassmen taking harder classes will want universal S/u to shield their GPA.

   Dr. Saccamano and Dr Machowski have it precisely correct: the primary reason why students want opt-in P/F is because we see ourselves being penalized by a P or F; thus if we don’t see students being penalized by P or F, we should go Mandatory P/F. Also in the case of mandated S/U, most students applying to medical or graduate programs should have post-graduate exam scores like GRE and MCAT to demonstrate mastery of material in important classes. But perhaps we should consider gathering more information about how grad/med schools plan to proceed in order to judge this accurately and make the best decision for the students.

   With that said, graded online classes 1. leave too much leeway for academic dishonesty and 2. may pose challenges to disadvantaged students who cannot work from home. These grades are therefore may not be an accurate representation of our ability, whether that be in an individual’s favor or not.

10. Please consider the state of the country and thus the university as a whole. The issue is not individual-focused. We are in a state of global crisis in which the main issue is not a student’s right to choice or to boost their GPAs but a highly uncertain and turbulent environment for many students. Factors including sickness, financial uncertainty, family responsibilities, and poor home working environments are unfortunate side effects of the current situation. It is the duty of the university to take into account the severity of this situation and apply guidelines which are most appropriate for the majority of students in this situation. At this difficult time, grades should not be the focus, while learning can be. This can be implemented with mandatory S/U or P/F policies.

11. I think it is a rather passive mindset to say that we must do universal pass/fail so that students who choose it are not looked down upon by graduate schools and employers. Any organization that would penalize a student for whatever comes of this semester has issues of their own, and I don’t see why we are uprooting Cornell policies to cater to these hypothetical organizations that most likely would (and should) get criticism for judging students in this way. We CAN have the best of both worlds here. Students can get the opportunity to succeed and earn the grades they deserve (and are essentially paying huge tuition amounts to receive, to be frank) AND Cornell can pour resources into making sure disadvantaged students are supported in their decision to choose pass/fail and are stood up for as they leave Cornell. We have more power than we think!

12. Please give us the opportunity to work for letter grades, if we so choose. During these crazy times, it would be nice to have something to focus on besides the pandemic, and to have a goal to work towards. S/U doesn’t provide the same internal motivation or satisfaction. There is no way that students will be driven to do classwork without a grade. In addition, as a transfer student, I’ve had far fewer semesters to build a GPA, and was really counting on this one. This will severely limit our access to opportunities in the future (merit aid, grad school, internships all have GPA cutoffs).

13. There are those who support student choice because they want it to be competitive, for graduate school and other reasons. There are those who support a Universal Pass. Meet those two in the middle:
    Guarantee no grade lower than a C for those who want letter grades, as long as students submit completed work.
    Drop the median grade for classes, don’t show median grades at all, at least those students who want an A can have their A and look good in their transcript.
    Those who are taking classes for S/U, guarantee them an S.
    Let all students get their credits.

14. This coronavirus is not a joke as we are expecting now over 100k-250k deaths. Today we reached the most deaths in a day around 1000+. It’s only going to get worst and we are nowhere near flattening the curve. Peoples lives are changing daily. Everyone will be impacted by this one way or another. It’s only a matter of time. We are too complacent as we have never experienced something like this before. This is our new reality that we have to face. Family is more important than grades. I’m a believer that Universal Pass is the way too go. Do the right thing before it’s too late.

15. In such times of uncertainty, it is important to hold certainty in the areas of life which we still have control over. One of these areas is our grades, a reflection of the time and dedication we put into our learning and education. For me, and I am assured I do not stand alone, being forced into having to take classes S/U feels like something is being taken away from me and my classmates that we have the potential to control.
    Although there is speculation that grad schools and med schools will discriminate against those who opt in to take classes S/U there is no way we can guarantee this, and I do not think this argument is a valid excuse to take away our autonomy in regards to a grading option.

16. I am a senior at Cornell University. I just finished listening to this faculty senate meeting and appreciated listening to all the varying perspectives on this topic. I wanted to write to each of you to express my concern, from a student perspective on some of the points brought up in the meaning.

    As most of you know, my senior year has been cut short. This news hit me and other seniors extremely hard, but I admit the decision to move classes online was necessary. However, I do not believe adopting a universal S/U is.

    Currently, the pandemic has left me stranded in Ithaca, alone in my apartment, struggling to pay rent, gain access to food, and filled with worry about my family members in NYC who are very old. I am okay though. I keep telling myself that things will go back to normal, that once classes start up again, I will stop feeling so depressed. Everyday I wake up with worry and fear, sometimes at 3AM sometimes at 8AM. I find myself forcing myself to get out of bed each and everyday. The one thing that seems to encourage me to get out of bed is my knowledge of the bright light that will shine on April 6th when classes resume. However, I fear with universal SU, I will be so devastated that my last semblance of college will be taken away from me. Quite frankly, if my ability to choose letter grades for this semester is revoked, I will fall apart. After discussing this with many of my senior friends, it seems that this is a common thought for all. We are excited to continue classes and earn our last grades as college seniors.

    In my freshman year of college, I had a 3.05 GPA. I was devastated by this, yet I found myself pushing myself to learn how to adapt to Cornell’s rigorous environment. Through therapy and the support of my professors and family, I found myself not only adapting academically but as a person who can advocate for herself. Last fall, my GPA for the semester was a 4.15. I was incredibly happy to see how far I had come 3 years later. This semester I have continued to work extremely hard in my classes. I put in an extreme amount of effort, knowing that this would be my last chance to pursue an education at such an incredible university. I have been motivated by the prospect of increasing my overall GPA from a 3.59 to a 3.67, hoping to gain medical school admissions.

    After speaking with many of my pre-medical peers, it seems we are all terrified of losing this semester’s grades. I understand the push for universal S/U and this argument that it would allow for disadvantaged students, like myself to not feel as though opting to take an S/U class is a disadvantage. However, I can tell you with the utmost confidence that a universal S/U is not the correct choice. Either way, if we mandate universal S/U or continue with optional S/U, people will be at a disadvantage compared to others.

    With universal S/U, people will be at a disadvantage no matter what when it comes to graduate schools. During the senate meeting, I heard many saying that graduate schools can overlook this matter, but honestly it does not seem feasible. How can a graduate school make up for an increase in GPA? How can a graduate school compare my circumstances in the spring of their senior year of 2020 mid pandemic to those who did not face a similar circumstance in their senior spring? When I apply to medical school in two years, I will be competing against people who graduated in Spring 2021, Spring 2020, people who graduated in Spring 2019, people who graduated in Spring 2018 and tons of others with varying graduation years. Medical schools cannot simply look at my transcript and say they will give me what I will miss if I have to take S/U. They will not be able to say oh, she was going to do great in her classes let’s add points to her GPA. Instead, I will be at a disadvantage compared to all the others who didn’t have to experience this lack of opportunity to increase their GPA when things were finally going well!

    Each student has different motivations and reasons to support their stance on this topic, but I want to bring light to the fact that both policies have its pros and cons with regards to leaving students at a disadvantage. BUT the opt-in policy gives us the choice.

    The pandemic has taken away everything from students like myself, my income which serves as my rent money and food money, my family’s health (my brother is currently sick with COVID-19), my friends, my safety as I sit in my Ithaca apartment learning about the crime rates increasing in my neighborhood, my friends, and my last semester at Cornell. So please, I beg you, do not choose for us, do not take our last chance to make decisions. With students being in all different parts of their academic careers, it seems only fair that those who feel they want to take S/U classes can make the choose and those who need letter grades to keep them feeling sane to allow them to choose to receive them.

    I beg you as a senior who has interacted with many students to please consider keeping S/U opt in. Students are already under so much stress and change, please give us some resemblance of normality. I fear, from talking to my peers, that if a universal S/U occurs, not only will we be at a disadvantage in pursuing admission to graduate school, but also in suffering through a school environment that encourages students to give up in the face of adversity. Many of my peers say if S/U occurs that they will simply watch Netflix during their zoom lectures, guess on assignments and give their education a 25% commitment. I simply, like many of my peers, cannot handle this in a time of uncertainty. I need my school to motivate me and provide an active learning environment where I can excel and gain achievement through letter grades.

    Thank you again for doing everything you can to ensure that the students are represented.

17. Please choose Post Grade Opt-In Pass/Fail

    As a transfer student, I have already had to make up for lost time at Cornell. Implementing a Universal Pass/Fail would take away another opportunity to be rewarded for hard work. It is not equitable to remove choice from students who want to continue to perform in spite of adversity. I have professors who still want group work as part of the curriculum, and I fear that a Universal Pass/Fail would make group members unreliable because the incentive to try will be gone.

18. Grades this semester will have a significantly different meaning this semester. The students who get the A’s will just be those who cheat the most. I have no faith in academic integrity being upheld in this online class format.

19. Student Assembly Resolution 59: Support of the Universal S/U Grading System for the Remainder of the Spring 2020 Semester.
    https://assembly.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/sa_r59_-_support_of_the_universal_su_grading_system_for_the_remainder_of_the_spring_2020_semester.pdf

    This resolution supports the Universal S/U Grading System for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester, due to unprecedented burdens that come with being home during the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. In addition, it also seeks to have any grade that is D- or higher to be graded as S.

20. Student Assembly Resolution 59: Support of the Universal S/U Grading System for the Remainder of the Spring 2020 Semester.
    https://assembly.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/sa_r59_-_support_of_the_universal_su_grading_system_for_the_remainder_of_the_spring_2020_semester.pdf

    This resolution supports the Universal S/U Grading System for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester, due to unprecedented burdens that come with being home during the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. In addition, it also seeks to have any grade that is D- or higher to be graded as S.

21. Please support the opt in s/u policy. I am applying to graduate school and would like my grades this semester to count, as they are technical classes I won’t take again in my college career. The proposed s/u considers a d- to be a pass, which diminishes the value of the Cornell degree fo this semester, which means it may have been better to just not go to school this semester. Opt-in S/U also allows students who have varying environments and situations to decide for themselves as to what is the best decision for them. If the student does need S/U then it wouldn’t be held against them anyways.

22. I think universal S/U is truly the only option. Those that are advocating for choice may not understand the severity of what’s happening around us. As a first gen student coming from NYC, both of my parents have been laid off and we can essentially not leave our homes with how bad it is getting in NYC. I am way more concerned, as I should be, about making ends meet, making sure we have enough food, and staying healthy. I have had several friends and family members already fall ill to the virus, and my grades are the absolute last of my concerns. Cornell is made up of students across a spectrum of privilege- forcing students who are already struggling with food scarcity, socioeconomic difficulties, and health concerns to take their classes pass/fail while other students thrive this semester with all A’s will leave FGLI students even further behind than they already are. Please do what is right.

23. I think the best solution in this instance would be to allow us (students) the option of S/U after final exams have been administered – we have no idea what the coming months will bring and as such I think it is only fair to give us the option to see how we perform given whatever obstacles arise, especially for myself as a graduating senior. If the debate falls between universal S/U and the option to take classes S/U I stand behind the opt-in option as it would still give us the motivation/ability to gauge what we are capable of.

24. Please support opt-in S/U. If I don’t get letter grades, I will likely have to delay my med school application. As a URM, I understand that many of us are concerned with how S/U grades will be viewed if they aren’t mandatory. However, mandatory S/U does not allow students to use this semester to contribute to their overall gpa. It puts disadvantaged students who had a rough freshman/sophomore year, but are currently on an “upward trend”- such as myself-at even MORE of a disadvantage.

    I get that not everyone has equal access to resources such as technology, food, and WiFi during this time. However, that is the reality during our normal semesters as well. For example, I have to spend time working part-time while other students do not have to work and can spend all their time studying or going to more office hours. Because inequality is nothing new, it should not be an excuse for removing the choice for letter grades.

    I took a lot of credits this semester, worked really hard and my parents contributed money so that I could have a tutor to achieve my goals. If allowed to continue for a letter grade, I could potentially get my highest gpa ever. Please consider allowing me this opportunity for success. Thank you.

25. Personally, I have given the best of myself throughout all of this semester and believe I was doing a good job. By changing to a universal pass-fail you would only lower my motivation and make all of my previous efforts worthless, which I believe is completely unfair. I understand that there are people that will have difficulties studying away from the university, but they are still capable or recognizing the previous and opting to take their classes pass-fail. They won’t be in a disadvantage since schools will know what happened in 2020 and will understand, and at the same time we, who have worked so hard wouldn’t get such a harsh and undeserved punishment.

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