123 thoughts on "Faculty Senate – April 1, 2020"

1. One additional argument for universal s/u is that there is no secure way to give an online exam. Not all courses are appropriate for take home exams or papers, and all exam solutions offered so far are flawed.
   Levent V. Orman

   • I see your point, but other schools (Berkeley, Johns Hopkins) are administering tests with Zoom. Although a far cry from having a secured test environment, this can help to ensure that there is less cheating occurring (can check for a tab switch, and what’s on a student’s desk, etc.).

2. We appreciate your current resolution that allows individuals to make a choice on what path would be best for them. Making a universal decision when there is a student body of 15,000 students is not inclusive and will increase stress and anxiety for those the Universal Pass is intending to help.

3. Please continue to support our right to choose letter grade or S/U!

   • Universal s/u seems like the only equitable approach. Beyond equity, letter grades likely no longer accurately reflect competence and/or relative abilities compared to peers.

4. Option 3: Opt in/out after final grades is the most inclusive resolution, as it allows students to make a choice on a very individual matter. Additionally, it reduces stress and anxiety for everyone. Please support this resolution. Thank you for all of your efforts.

5. Please give us the opportunity to continue to work hard for a letter grade (or for s/u)! Thank you all for your efforts

6. The continued support for our right to choose S/U or Letter Grade is much appreciated!

7. Universal pass/fail or S/U is the most equitable solution. A “pass” will always be seen as less than an “A”, and some med schools, such as Harvard Medical School, have stated that they will only recognize pass/fail grades if the policy is universal. Let’s not hurt those who have no option but pass/fail during this difficult time.

8. Universal pass/fail or S/U is the most equitable solution. A “pass” will always be seen as less than an “A”, and some med schools, such as Harvard Medical School, have stated that they will only recognize pass/fail grades if the policy is universal. Let’s not hurt those who have no option but pass/fail during this difficult time.

9. As someone who has a rough family situation and is under a lot of stress due to moving back and both parents having to continue to work, I strongly urge the faculty senate to consider the universal pass. These are unique times and similar measures have been taken by other major schools such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and Columbia. I ask that you please consider doing this to help students like myself who did not foresee this and may not be able to perform as well as they ought to due to the situation.

10. I don’t understand the point of grades. Classes will significantly deteriorate in quality. Cheating will be rampant. Collaboration – core to our education – will not feasible. How will grades be meaningful at all?

    This is an argument alongside the more obvious arguments such as unstable family home, stress from laid off or sick (or both) parent, etc.

    Our priority shouldn’t be receiving a meaningless letter grade. It should instead be to stay safe—and keep our loved ones safer.

    And yet, we will undoubtedly fail. Loved ones of current Cornellians will die. Loved ones of current Cornellians will get laid off. And such Cornellians will step up to the plate. They’ll be a reassuring voice to a younger sibling, or the bread winner of the family. This should be their priority. We cannot add burden to such Cornellians who will likely suffer from the traumatic loss of a family member and the financial setbacks of the recession. We, as an institution, must prevent them from worrying about letter grades.

11. Please continue to support opt-in S/U, it is not only the fairest solution but the majority decision too.

    • From my personal experience as a transfer student, a universal pass would significantly hurt my hopes of boosting my gpa after suffering from personal issues in a previous semester. I think it is fair to say that as college students we have all been met with external factors that have threatened our academic performance during our time in college, and often times without the option of choosing S/U. An optional S/U or Letter Grade is the most equitable solution.

12. I am a senior undergrad whose ability to attend a competitive grad school is dependent on my receiving letter grades this semester. Allow students to choose which grading schema best fits their circumstances. What works for one Cornellian does not work for all!

    • same!

    • Should have worked harder, pal. What stopped you from improving your GPA last semester? Or the semester before that? You cannot possibly put your own self-inflicted GPA above hundreds of your fellow Cornellians.

      • The above response is ridiculous, how can you shame another student for wanting to improve their grades. You have no idea what kind of circumstances could have led to them having subpar grades in the past that they had been hoping to make up for: family death, mental or physical illness, etc. Circumstances that many people may be feeling this semester as well. This student has likely been trying to improve their GPA over several semesters. Speaking from experience, it often takes several semesters to recover from one bad grade, so even missing this semesters grades could make a big difference. At times like these we shouldn’t be trying to drag other students down.

13. I implore the faculty senate to go with option 3. Some of us had a rocky start here at Cornell due to the vastly different high school educations we received. Because of that, some of us have been trying to fix our GPAs since freshman year for graduate schools, first jobs, etc. College is all about growth, taking away our ability to raise our GPAs suppresses that growth. Continuing to allow students a choice is important so those that are faced with adversity during this difficult time get the help they need along with those who faced adversity before coming to Cornell. Not to mention a universal P/F may cause a lot of students to “check out” for the semester.

14. A universal S/U system would eliminate opportunities for personal growth, jeopardize the competitiveness of Cornell graduates, put external merit-based scholarships at risk, and compromise Cornellians’ freedom of choice. As the best compromise between the universal pass and opt-in S/U policies, we would like you to support our campaign to follow the footsteps of other prominent universities like Carnegie Mellon, Boston University, and the University of Michigan by allowing POST GRADES OPT-IN S/U: Cornell Registrar should RETAIN its current optional S/U policy but EXTEND the deadline to opt-in to 7 days after final grades are released.

    Post-grade opt-in S/U is in favor of students from a disadvantaged background because it will:

    Prevent historically disadvantaged students, who may have suffered lower GPAs during freshman and sophomore years, from being put at an even greater academic disadvantage. Spring 2020 may be one of their last chances to improve their academic records, particularly if they’re applying to graduate programs directly out of Cornell

    Enable Cornellians, such as those from low-income backgrounds, who rely on external merit-based scholarships to afford their Cornell education to retain their eligibility for such scholarships

    Post-grade opt-in S/U is in favor of students applying to graduate programs because it will:

    Enable Cornellians applying to postgraduate programs to keep their competitiveness when compared with students from other schools with letter grades

    Enable graduating seniors, second-semester, juniors and other Cornellians who are applying to pre-professional schools this cycle to retain their last chance to improve their academic record before their graduation/application

    Allow Cornell undergraduates to retain their opportunity for improvement and growth this semester and prevent them from feeling as if their efforts from the first half of their semester will be wasted

    Post-grades opt-in S/U also allows for the option of S/U which will:

    Mitigate academic stress by allowing flexibility for all students during these confusing and chaotic times

    Prevent discrimination against students who face unique technical and circumstantial challenges by providing them the option to avoid having their circumstances count against them negatively academically

    Please keep the current system in place, but extend the grade decision deadline to after final grades are released!

15. Please continue to uphold students choice to choose letter grade or S/U!

16. Universal S/U is an equalizer and takes in consideration the unfair disadvantages students now face being back home. We cannot allow graduate and higher-Ed programs to punish students who face food insecurity, instability, and other obstacles to their education at home.

17. A lot of the time it is easy to forget that college is a bubble where we can help to better equalize the playing field and provide students an easier opportunity to do well. But in this difficult time, where parents are dying and getting sick, students are forced to reconcile with difficult and upsetting circumstances, and our nation’s unemployment is rapidly skyrocketing, it is incredibly unfair to ALL students to not enact universal S/U. This allows for our student body to acknowledge this difficult semester and helps people from difficult backgrounds in applying to graduate school as all students can be seen the same way and thus will not be penalized for being forced to take a course S/U. Consider the whole as the big picture. It must be reiterated how important such a resolution is all students and to give everyone a chance to succeed- that would make Ezra proud in these difficult times.

18. Please take under consideration the thoughts of your low-income, first-generation communities. Those online wanting optional S/U have the option to voice their opinions. These people do NOT represent the majority as those without wifi access and those too busy caring for their loved ones or working extra jobs due to their parents being laid off cannot voice their opinions. I am begging you, as a FGLI minority myself, to please instill mandatory S/U. It is not optional S/U if the most underprivileged do not have an option.

19. My own preference is for option 0 (status quo at this point) but I can see the case being made for option 1 (universal S/U) and think its also a reasonable option. I think these are the only two viable options.
    The concerns with option 0 are in part based on the assumption that the transcripts will be read out of context of the current events. This is surely not the case. I expect it will (accurately) be assumed that an A or B will mean less than they normally do this semester because faculty will have a tendency to inflate grades to compensate for the hardships their students will experience this spring. I expect it will also be assumed by transcript readers that students receiving an S under option 0 were not taking the class S/U just because they were looking for an easy way out. I also expect that the concern about external scholarships etc. with option 1 will not be well founded in the end, at least if many of our peer institutions go with universal S/U.
    Frankly I think that in practice there is little meaningful difference between these options in spite of appearances. Everyone will know what happened in spring 2020.
    Options 2 seems like a nonstarter for various reasons and I expect that in practice it is equivalent to option 1 except that students get less less credit for their work.
    Option 3 is totally unacceptable. The assumption of those reading the transcripts will be that an S or U is a grade the student does not want to show whoever is reading the transcripts. It seems this considerably amplifies the stigma of an “S”. This is also unfair to any student already taking the class for S/U since it will degrade the meaning of their S.
    Option 4 does not seem fully formed.

20. If the university adopts Universal s/u, I fully expect a tuition refund because the semester has been a complete waste.

    • How has it been a waste? You took advantage of the resources on campus and lectures for half of the semester. Presumably you learned something. Online courses are still being offered with staff still giving you feedback on your work, and presumably you will continue learning.

      What logical reason do you have for it being a complete waste?

      • Some of us had the option to graduate early, but stuck it out for both the college experience and for our GPAs. Now that the college experience is virtual, and we may not have grades at all, I think it is acceptable for people in these types of situations to consider the semester “a waste”. In addition, we’re still paying for our apartments, when we could have leased them if we had left. Thousands of dollars down the drain. As for classes, many students in lab classes, arts and architecture classes have to somehow complete their semesters online. These courses, and even the others that are more compatible to online format, will no longer hold the same educational value as in-person classes. I think it is perfectly logical and acceptable for us to regret spending thousands of dollars on this semester.

21. For many students, if not the majority of students, the opt-in S/U system is not, in fact, optional. There are two main reasons for this:

    (1) Medical schools and other graduate programs will not accept S/U grades unless there was a universal S/U system in place. Additionally, numerous peer institutions such as Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, MIT, and Dartmouth have made the transition to universal S/U. Therefore, students at these schools will have a marked advantage over Cornellians in the application process, as they can either tend to their more pressing responsibilities without the pressure of academics. For those who do not have such responsibilities, this affords them the time to focus on other aspects of their application without facing repercussions for taking S/U classes. Please keep in mind that this decision will impact students in all years (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors).

    (2) Students who cannot receive the same quality of education as their peers will be greatly disadvantaged by an opt-in S/U system. This could be due to a lack of resources or due to due to overwhelming external responsibilities. Not only would they be disadvantaged if they are applying to graduate programs like medical schools for the reason outlined above, but also for employment that requires having a certain GPA. Thus, opt-in S/U only exacerbates inequities in the student body and is in contradiction with Cornell’s motto, “Any person, any study.”

22. Please keep the status quo. Many students also experience hardships before COVID-19 hits but having a more accomodating grading scheme was not an option before. The situation is a difficulty but not more difficult than when other mishaps occur in student’s lives. It’s unfair to the students who went through hardship by taking damages in their grades or having to take gap years. Also, keeping the option to have letter grades do not hurt anyone. In fact, many students RELY on the grades this semester to apply for more advanced degrees. Even if they are not penalized by the PASS/FAIl grading scheme this year, their OVERALL GPAs are still being compared to other students during admission/recruitment. It’s highly unfair for them to lose the opportunity to showcase their academic capabilities and improve their academic standing.

    • This is exactly what I agree with. No matter what students will be at an disadvantage, even with universal S/U. I know many people like myself applying to medical school in the next 1-3 years. There is no way medical schools will be able to account for this semester’s change (if the change to S/U occurs) because of all the different candidates applying. They can’t simply add the points to our GPAs. This semester I and many other pre-meds seniors have worked VERY hard knowing that this was our last semester to bump our GPAs. I am supposed to see a .08 bump in my GPA (this is huge!). Medical schools will not be able to see this. Please please please don’ t take away our ability to choose.

23. Keep the letter grade option, it’s the most fair for people who want to attend graduate schools

24. As someone who comes from a low income family with both parents now laid off, and a home situation in which I cannot perform up to my personal standards I strongly urge the faculty senate to approve the universal S/U measure or even an Universal Pass measure. If this is not done it will only worsen the burden on students in a position such as myself, and make a disparity in performance and grading in important matters such as graduate admissions or job applications.

    Please consider this argument, all the best.

25. As a first-gen who comes from a low income household, I urge you to please keep our current grading option and our right to choose. Making a universal decision on a student body of about 15,000 is not inclusive and will increase stress and anxiety for students who have worked hard this semester and feel that their futures will be compromised!

26. 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…

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. 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.

32. 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!

33. 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)

34. 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.

35. 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.

36. 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.

37. 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.

38. 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.

39. 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

40. 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.

41. 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.

42. 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.

43. 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.

44. 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.

45. 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.

46. 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.

47. 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

48. 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.

49. 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.

50. 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.

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