2019-20 April 1

123 thoughts on “2019-20 April 1”

1. Universal pass is absolutely ridiculous, all should be refunded tuition if that were the case. It is really angering that this is even being talked about. Imposing universal pass on students is NOT the answer. Opt-in is clearly the most fair and equitable option due to the varied circumstances.

2. I’m a professor and have already posted in favor of option 0 (but with respect and understanding of the rational for option 1). I would like to delve more into option 3.
   For those considering option 3, think carefully about how those reading transcripts will choose to interpret an “S” given that it will be public knowledge that students were given an option to switch to S/U after their grade was known. An “S” under these conditions could reasonably be interpreted as likely representing “C” level work. Does this solve any of the problems this proposal is intending to solve? It does not seem to reduce the level of stress, since students earning a B (but striving for an A) will be faced with a tough choice. It does also not seem to address the problem that some students will have to help support their family or will have to live and study under difficult conditions. Academically this option seems indefensible.

3. A lot of people in favor of the current method believe that it is unfair for students who have already taken hits to their grades and want to use this semester to raise their grades are valid, of course, but those were situations where hopefully students reached out for help from faculty, staff, and peers.

   This is a situation where so, so many people in the tri-state area and California (where most Cornell students are from), as well as pretty much the rest of the country soon, are all being affected. Many companies are offering counseling, 1/3 of NYC has lost work, and so many of us in heavily affected regions know people who are at high risk or sick who we have become caretakers for.

   This is a situation that the school has a unique chance to actually help students out, even if those things weren’t available before this pandemic. Universal S/U would take the burden off of us when we are overwhelmed with what’s going on. Yes, this has happened before to many students, and yes it will happen again, and hopefully we get help then, but this is a big help to pretty much everyone right now so we can focus on what’s at hand and learn from that too.

4. Please pick the option for universal s/u. The other option is selfish and is not thinking about the thousands of lives that this pandemic is affecting. This pandemic is an international crisis big enough to shut down the entire country. For cornell to give normal grades would ignore how this pandemic is affecting people’s lives. Before the semester is over, there will be so many lives forever changed by this, and I think it’s is shortsighted

5. Someone said Med Schools and other grad schools wont accept S/U unless its universal. Thats not true! They are changing their policies. S/Us are not stigmatized and wont hurt the student! A lot of misinformation here. Please don’t believe false claims made on this page.

6. Firstly, I think limiting students’ choices even further during this unprecedented time is upsetting to me. We are all still grappling with how the past few weeks unfolded- within the span of a week, we went from college as usual to being told to go home indefinitely. Upon arriving at home, we are faced with our world being seemingly shut down with our internships and post-graduate plans in jeopardy, not to mention the economic consequences many of our families are facing. At this point, an optional pass/fail system might be our only sense of choice we have right now when it comes to schooling and our careers. More specifically, it’s inherently limiting to mandate pass/fail and is guaranteed to disappoint many students. For example, what will happen to those who are hoping to apply to graduate school, whose admission standards are so heavily based on the grades earned in prerequisite classes such as organic chemistry, physics, etc? Are those students just supposed to take these very difficult classes again because Cornell took away their ability to earn a grade in them? To those who say employers and graduate programs will look down upon those who chose pass/fail, I would remind them that the entire world is going through this pandemic together. There is no one untouched by this and to think these programs and employers will not take into account what ALL colleges are going through right now does not seem accurate to me. For me personally, I’m a transfer student, so I have two fewer semesters worth of credits factored in my GPA than a student who came to Cornell as a freshman. For this reason, it’s really important to have my this semester’s grades factored in because it actually does affect my GPA. I chose purposefully classes to give myself a lighter semester that I believe I can do well in so I can help bring up my GPA, and I would be really frustrated to have this opportunity taken from me. My parents are fairly easy-going when it comes to my educational pursuits, but one thing they constantly remind me is that your GPA “stays with you” and you ONLY have these four years of college to make it a high one. Whether we think it’s right or not, your GPA does matter after Cornell, but unfortunately, there’s nothing you can to change it once you leave. Many students were banking on this semester to help bring up their GPA, so during a time of such uncertainty, confusion, and frustration, please do not take yet another option away from them. For those who choose pass/fail for personal reasons, support them in their decision and set up ways to help them succeed. Our college lives have been turned upside down, and truthfully, for me personally, if all my classes were pass/fail, I would feel less motivated, less like the full-time student that I am, and I think it would make staying at home much worse (I understand the privilege in that sentence- just speaking for myself here). I want to still feel like an academically challenged, Ivy League student, even though I will be from my home. Please do not derail this semester even further than it already has been.

7. Please keep the opt-in option. Grad schools specifically medical schools cannot possibly be accomodating. I am a senior and was looking forward to using this semester to boost my GPA. I did very well the first 1/2 of the semester, like my peers because of this. Medical school admissions happens during the course of many years. I will not bea applying until two years, my friends are applying now, some are apply in 3 years. That being said, my GPA will differ significantly than those applying from different years. There is no way to account for this by medical schools. No matter what my GPA will look worse than someone else. I will be applying against people who graduated in 2022 when this is all over and med schools can’t possibly add points to my GPA to balance it out. Please don’t do this. Let us have one last semblance of normalcy.

   Medical schools and graduate school prospective students will be disadvantaged, because many other schools aren’t doing pass fail.

8. I have to take my neurobiology course as a grade in order to qualify for the patent bar exam, or I would have to pay thousands of dollars in tuition just to qualify for the patent bar exam. This would take away time from my graduate admissions test studying. I’m in support of S/U.

9. Both of my parents are essential health workers, I come from a low income family where I’ll now have to take care of my younger siblings that are home from elementary school. However, I feel that universal pass would add to my stress and think that the opt-in S/U system is essentially the most fair and equitable option, as the circumstances are too varied and multidimensional to impose a universal system.
   I am a psychology major on the pre-med track, and I have dreamed of going to medical school my entire life. I feel like I had finally gotten the hang of my classes this semester, and had worked really hard to get my grades to where they are at this point in the semester. If we adopted a universal pass system, as has been suggested by Big Red Pass, it would essentially eliminate all of the hard work that I and other students have put into our classes so far, and would eliminate grades that we need for graduate school.

   Additionally, the fact that we now do not have the burden of extracurriculars and professional organizations, that should free up a lot more time for people.
   I am asking you to please, please, allow us the opportunity to CHOOSE what we want to do with our grades this semester.

10. Please support a universal S/U or P/F grading scheme.

    An S/U grade is only meaningful when it’s universal. Even if some grad schools may recognize what’s going on this semester, the majority of them will not (eg Harvard medical school) or implicitly see it as not good compared to those who choose a letter grade.

    As someone who also needs this semester’s grade boost to apply for law school & have worked really hard this semester, I still don’t think it’s fair for me to receive a GPA boost when many other students who need it don’t have the resources to get it. When some students don’t have the right to choose their life circumstances, it doesn’t make sense to say that students should have the “right” to choose getting a letter grade for a GPA boost. Having the ability to choose is a privilege that many students currently facing difficulties do not have.

    And Cornell need to be behind everyone else again. Every time we are always the “one Ivy” that does not do what needs to be done (eg Not participating in the last BDS before the Israeli one). There’s a reason why we are seen as lesser of an Ivy.

11. Please allow for opt-in. I am a student who truly struggled the entirety of freshman year and was finally on the recovery my sophomore year and this year. My dream is to become a pediatrician because my childhood was extremely difficult and I want to prevent children from experiencing what I experienced, but without being able to academically recover further with this semester, it will be significantly harder. If individuals choose opt in or have a difficult semester this spring, and explain to grad programs in essays/supplementals why they didn’t choose letter grades, I highly doubt they will be penalized for s/u for taking care of their family/selves. Please keep the system as is, I am truly begging you for my sake and for the sake of so many other students that have struggled academically and need this semester.

12. I am a first-gen/ working class transfer student. Universal S/U will seriously damage my cumulative GPA, because my academic performance at Cornell has greatly increased this semester (2nd semester here) this semester is my comeback and I have spent so much extra time rigorously engaging in coursework this semester.
    I have taken out so much student debt to finance this semester. Please do not devalue my effort and investment by Universally implementing S/U. I’m on track for a big jump From 3.3 to 3.7 this semester, I’m starting applications for Grad school scholarships now.
    Also, if universal is passed, students will inundate professors with letters of rec based off of Spring Semester’s assignment scores. Cornell students are very smart and will figure out meritocratic performance metric either way. Therefore delegitimizing universal S/U

13. I support the status quo option “0”. Reasons against universal S/U or P/F: 1) the current policy gives choice to students; there are no compelling reason for constraining their ability to make their own choice for themselves. Options 1 and 2 substitute the judgment of the (omniscient) university for that of the individual student. 2) in fact, Option 0 already advantages students who are not now currently doing well in their classes. They simply choose an “S”. Students who are doing well get a payoff for their efforts. Is there really a problem with an already lenient policy? 3) Let’s be realistic about Options 1 and 2. There are many many students at Cornell who will simply slack off for the rest of the semester given that there’s no payoff to their efforts. The learning environment for the rest of the semester will be decimated. 4) we do not know whether students will be disadvantaged in applying to graduate and professional schools or not; this is purely anecdotal and conjectural. Everyone across the nation and much of the world is affected by this virus, no one will be singling out Cornell students in the future for anything. Ever.

14. I object to the introduction of a resolution without prior opportunity for discussion within our departments. These are not minor resolutions and however urgent the faculty who put them forward may feel each of these options to be, they are not groups representative of the entire university (for example, looking at the “mandatory S/U proposal”, I do not see a single faculty member from Engineering, CIS, the Hotel School, the Law school, the CALS college… this is as narrow a group as can be imagined, even if they do number 25 or 30 people).

    We are talking about matters of real substance here and there is a process for such things, even when time seems pressing.

    I wish to formally object, and will ask for the opinion of the parliamentarian. In my view we can certainly DISCUSS these proposals, but any vote should await the next Senate meeting.

15. I started here at Cornell as a transfer my sophomore year. Now as a second semester junior, I have only 3 semesters of grades contributing to my GPA. I had an enormously difficult time adjusting (as many transfers do) and my grades took a hard hit from it. This semester I finally found my path; I’m enjoying my classes, finally excelling, and now know what I want to do in life. I’ve worked so hard this semester to bring my grades up, as my goal is now graduate school. Making a universal S/U will just nullify all of the effort I’ve given over the last few months; all of the late nights in the library, early mornings studying and perfect class attendance will have been for nothing. Additionally, it will discourage any further effort for the semester. Why study when I can now pass by doing the bare minimum? I need this semester’s grades, just like so many other people (especially transfers).
    Allowing students to have a choice is what is fair. Then, those who have adverse conditions can choose the S/U option, while those who need these grades can still use them.
    I urge you to consider all students in this matter, not just part of the population.

16. Please make it a choice for students to keep all their classes graded or turn to the S/U option. For those of us who may be pursuing medical school or graduate school after college, and who are striving for a GPA boost this semester, having mandatory S/U grading would be a huge detriment. Furthermore, many students who went abroad did not have that semester of grades count towards their GPAs and need this semester to give them grades that contribute to their GPAs. I understand that S/U is an amazing option for many students and it should definitely be something that is available to them, but do not fully write off letter grades for those of us who might truly need them. As a second semester senior, I really hoped to finish off strong this last semester and give my GPA that last little boost that will make me a competitive medical school applicant.

17. Please continue to support our right to choose what path is the best for us. I will most likely choose S/U for many courses, but we have gone through the majority of instruction for this semester already so making this mandatory would simply be unfair. Thank you for your efforts.

18. Let me begin by giving thanks to Charlie, Risa, and the many others who have made the discussion today possible. I very much believe that we, as the faculty, should have something to say about how we determine and allocate grades in our courses even if we are in the midst of a global crisis.

    I fully understand why many of us, as well as many students, wish to have a universal grading policy that adjusts the possibilities of student performance to the now-changed expectations and judgments of their instructors. However, I am also committed to the principle that it must and should be the instructors who decide what that policy should be. In fact, that is a fundamental principle under the Bylaws of the University.

    In addition, this is not an instance in which “one size fits all.” If it were and we all recognized such a policy as emphatically reasonable, there would be no reason to impose that policy on instructors. It would be implemented as a matter of course. If, on the other hand, if such a universal policy is not reasonable in at least some cases, then coercion of those instructors whose courses constitute those exceptions would be (equally) emphatically wrong.

    In both of these cases, mass student opinion or the central administration should not be deciding grading policy.

    Here is what I suggest instead:

    Resolved, That the academic departments and programs that offer courses (as the home department or program) determine what changes in grading policy are appropriate during the Spring semester of 2020. In determining that policy, these departments and programs are encouraged to reach a consensus among their faculty and to respect, where possible, the judgment of their colleagues where that differs from the majority.

    Richard Bensel (rfb2)

19. From reading all these responses, I am struck by how varied they are. Some want S/U and some want letter grades, all for their own various and personal reasons. Every student at Cornell is at a different stage in their academic careers, which is why keeping the choice, but extending the deadline to choose, is the best option!

20. As a student who is on financial aid and has had to make significant, real-life sacrifices throughout this semester to achieve my academic goals, I urge you to continue to support our freedom to choose either letter grade or S/U. Please do not discount the diverse needs of our student body by implementing a universal pass system. This will incredibly increase anxiety in times when we really do not have control over anything. We have had so many disappointments-please do not take this away from us.

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. 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.

23. This is reiterating previous points, but as a low-income student first generation student, I want to emphasize that a universal pass/fail system would ADD onto my mental health toll, not alleviate it. Not only do I have to worry about supporting my family, both in terms of income and in terms of health, but now I have to worry about losing the opportunity to improve my GPA which has suffered in previous semesters due to personal reasons. As a second semester senior, this is the last chance I have to strengthen my medical school application and raise in particular my science GPA, which isn’t as strong when compared to other, more privileged candidates as I had to contend with family health emergencies and working multiple jobs when taking introductory science courses. “Leveling the playing field” with universal P/F wouldn’t really level the playing field at all: it just prevents an opportunity for students like me, who have finally somewhat gained their footing academically and are trying to make up for poor previous academic performances. I think a post-grades opt-in P/F option with a letter explaining the circumstances for those who choose P/F is an appropriate measure because it supports disadvantaged students who need this semester in order not to cripple their graduate school and future employment prospects, and also provides a safety net in case we aren’t able to perform well at all.

24. Just because there are homeless people on the street does not mean we all have to sleep on the street; just because there are people not being paid enough does not mean everyone has to be paid only the minimum wage.
    To achieve equity is not to bring everyone down, but to provide equal opportunities to succeed. Universal Pass is not democratic; it is communism.

25. Please support the current grading policy. I am in a course this semester which is the basis of what I want to go to grad school for, so I need a letter grade to show my competence in the field. Anything other than universal s/u…

Comments are closed.