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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

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. 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).

15. 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!

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

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

19. 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.

    • 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.

20. 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.

21. 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?

    • 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!

      • 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.

22. 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.

23. 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!

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. Please be aware that many students have no idea about the pending vote by the faculty senate, so their voices have not been heard. I only discovered last night and many of my friends had no idea either.

    It is hard for students to be subjected to the administration’s frequently changing policies—first the issue of the timing of in-person class suspension, now the issue of grading. This uncertainty causes students additional stress and anxiety. I understand that the administration is doing the best they can, but it is disruptive to keep changing the rules, especially without students’ knowledge or input.

    Here are a few points I would like to share with you:

    · “Mandatory S/U” will NOT provide enough of a benefit to the students experiencing difficult circumstances. While letter grades are not a good idea for students who are in extenuating circumstances, having students work for an S won’t be much easier. More flexibility should be introduced into the grading scheme in order to allow these students perform well.

    o How can students be expected to take classes for any sort of grade, even S/U, under any of the following circumstances?

    § Loss of family income due to COVID-19 layoff/closure

    § Student/family member is seriously ill

    § Death of family or friend

    § Lack of access to internet and other resources

    § Experiencing severe depression/anxiety/mental health issue

    o With S/U classes, a higher grade is needed to receive an S than is needed to pass a class.

    o If students are experiencing severe distress, S/U won’t make much more of a difference than receiving a letter grades. An S/U system will still generate stress.

    · Letter grades are crucial to Cornell students for a variety of reasons. Eliminating letter grades for a Mandatory S/U isn’t helping them either.

    o Eliminating letter grades negatively impacts the following:

    § Students striving to improve their GPA or meet certain GPA cut-offs

    § Transfer students, who have far fewer semesters to build their GPA

    § Students applying for grad school/internships/jobs/merit aid

    § Students trying to graduate with honors

    § Students needing to exert some control over their life

    § Student engagement in classes

    · Certain graduate schools are saying they will only accept Mandatory S/U grades. However, since this pandemic has yet to fully play out, it may be detrimental to choose Mandatory S/U solely on this basis. It is possible the graduate schools will change their tune on which grades they are accepting once the pandemic is over.

    · The possibility that this pandemic will resume in the fall makes choosing Mandatory S/U a bad idea. This would set a precedent that Mandatory S/U must be used again in the fall, or any other semester like this. Students who are going to Cornell will not pay good money for S/U grades, and retaining this grading scheme for multiple semesters would be academically detrimental for students.

    While reading the Virtual Senate Meeting website, I noticed that many people were mentioning that this decision has to have a fast turn-around, and must be voted on by today at noon. I disagree with this statement. Such an important decision, and one that affects so many students, should not be made this hastily. I implore you to take more time to deliberate this decision, and to give ALL students the chance to be a part of this conversation. The decisions you are making today are affecting all of us, and we should have some say in the matter.

    More creative solutions could be available, and Cornell students probably have lots of ideas about what to do. We do not necessarily have to copy the policies that other Ivy League institutions are developing.

    Thank you for reading this! I hope you take this into consideration, and realize that there are other creative ways out there to solve this problem! I’m sure the student body could come up with lots of ideas as well, if asked, and we would really appreciate the opportunity to have some say in the matter!

27. Universal S/U is definitely the way to go because grades this semester do not mean the same as grades as other semesters. Everyone speaking in this comment section has access to the internet and has time to defend their views, but many Cornellians are currently fulfilling roles of caretakers to their siblings as their parents work in dangerous conditions, or living in areas of limited internet scrambling to figure out what they are going to do about in classes. Everyone in this comment section are healthy individuals, and it is extremely possible that some students are in the hospital fighting for their lives. This could change in two weeks. We are living in uncertain times and any one of us can be affected and the last thing I would think about when I’m getting treated is my grades. I think that since we are living in extremely uncertain times, it’s unfair to students who are really going through it to have opt in especially since some graduate schools are considering S/U grades only if it’s universal. Now is not the time to think about individual students but rather as a whole student body of 15,000 people all in diverse areas. Universal S/U helps those who can’t represent themselves here.

28. Why not make it pass/fail for the students whose GPAs were negatively impacted by this semester (so mandatory pass/fail) and give an option to those students who were able to boost their GPA this semester? That way, those students who were negatively impacted won’t face the stigma of ‘opting’ for S/U (as they were given no choice but to do S/U) and the students who performed well can still reap the benefits of their hard work. Is it possible to set a program in place that can sort students into these two categories?

    • I think this is a great idea and was wondering if we could do something similar to this as well! Perhaps we could do this, along with giving some students the option to just choose S/U if they wanted to, so that it would be impossible to know whether a student chose S/U or if it was mandatory because of their grade. Or perhaps at the end of the semester, professors and the administration could look at how students grades have changed compared to how they were before we went to online learning. If the grades for any individual student decreased significantly after online learning was put in place, and would result in them doing significantly worse in the course, the professor could give this student a mandatory pass, as their worsened performance could be the result of the pandemic. Or perhaps come up with some way for students to report if they are experiencing circumstances that would make it unfair for them to receive a letter grade, and grant these students a mandatory pass for all (or any) of their classes.

29. If you are more concerned about your GPA than the health of those around you, be better.

30. The New School, as well as certain other schools, have adapted the policy of universal A/A-. That would solve a lot of problems at Cornell in my honest opinion.

31. I hope every single faculty member who voted “no” is ashamed.

32. Please keep S/U optional as was already decided. Mandatory S/U would not be fair or equitable to all students. Mandatory S/U will have a negative impact on students who were counting on having the grades to raise their GPA this semester. My child had a bad first semester, not because she was partying, but because of persistent illness. She has worked tirelessly to get the grades necessary to raise her GPA. I am sure she is not the only one who finds themselves in this situation. Students who take the option of S/U will have the ability to explain their circumstances. It is highly doubtful that schools would hold that against them during a pandemic. If S/U becomes mandatory, students who have been working hard to improve their academic standing will be stuck with whatever their GPA was no matter how much time and effort they put into their courses this semester.

33. Some corrections and clarifications on the information on this site:
    Grading Options: Overview
    Option 1: Universal S/U
    Under “Arguments Against”
    – In voting for (16-7) a mandatory, universal S/U policy, the Student Assembly also recommended defining an “S” as being a D- or higher. This is in line with how Williams College, for example, defined an “S” as they switched to a mandatory S/U grading policy.
    – on the disadvantages to students: “it is unclear what requirements agencies and graduate schools will impose, though current conversations suggest that accommodations will be made to take into account the unprecedented situation presented by the pandemic and recession.” The medical schools of Harvard and Columbia have made it clear that they will accept “S” grades provided that they were received from schools that had implemented universal S/U (instead of opt-in) grading policies. More professional schools may be headed in that direction too thus making an opt-in system of S/U grades a “disadvantage” to students.

    On the Rationale for Maintaining a Choice-Based Grading System:
    A2. If, as the Student Assembly recommended, an “S” grade is equal to a D- or higher, then there is no disadvantage to students
    A3. The language has changed here from the overview where it says that a “mandatory S/U system may reduce the quality of feedback” to a “mandatory S/U system would reduce the quality of feedback.” This remains a point of speculation, not certainty.
    C. “Many of the nation’s most selective graduate and professional program admissions office have confirmed in public statements that they will not penalize S/U grades.” Here are statements from two such schools that highlight the advantage to students of a mandatory universal system of S/U:

    “The Office of the Committee on Admissions at Harvard Medical School recognizes that plans to complete pre-requisite coursework have been impacted immensely by schools’ decisions to move to an online instruction model given the current realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. While HMS has always assessed pre-requisites based on the grades given by colleges/universities, we understand that many colleges/universities are emergently creating policies in which all spring 2020 courses will be graded on a pass/fail scale. So that no applicants are disadvantaged by policy decisions made by their colleges/universities as a result of this unprecedented event, HMS will accept pass/fail grading for spring 2020 coursework provided it is the policy of the college/university to only award pass/fail grades.”

    https://meded.hms.harvard.edu/admissions-prerequisite-courses

    Spring 2020 Grading Update in Light of COVID-19 Impact on Premedical Education
    “The Admissions Committee at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons has voted to accept Pass/Fail grades for prerequisite courses taken at schools who have decided to go Pass/Fail for this semester. We understand some concerns about impact on GPAs and will take this fully into consideration for future applicants. For students in schools for which Pass/Fail is optional this semester, we will consider each student’s situation individually.”

    https://www.ps.columbia.edu/education/academic-programs/md-program/admissions/apply/application-requirements

    Penn Law’s decision to implement a mandatory Credit/Fail grading policy for this semester acknowledges the disadvantage of an opt-in S/U system:
    “According to [Penn Law Dean Ted] Ruger’s email, the school has spoken with a variety of employers in the legal field, and they uniformly understand that traditional grading is not appropriate at this time. Employers have also said that an optional Credit/Fail system would draw “negative inferences” from a student’s decision to receive credit over a grade.”
    https://www.thedp.com/article/2020/03/penn-law-credit-fail-coronavirus

    Many of our peer institutions have adopted mandatory universal S/U systems including MIT, Columbia, Harvard, Dartmouth, Williams, Barnard, Smith, Wellesley, Stanford, Bowdoin. Students at institutions with optional S/U grading policies would be a disadvantage in relation to their peers at the above institutions vis-a-vis admissions to professional programs such as those noted above.
    Amongst law schools, Cornell’s law school early on implemented a mandatory universal S/U system, as did other law schools such as Harvard, Berkeley, Michigan, Stanford, Penn, CUNY, and Wisconsin.
    In light of our current circumstances, the mandatory universal S/U system emerges as the more equitable and more advantageous grading system for Cornell students.

34. The final decision, if the University and Faculty Senate truly understand the circumstances of the students and the impact on them and VERY LIKELY NEGATIVE IMPACT on the next few weeks due to the increased projection of deaths, should be to have a Universal Pass/Fail or Universal pass. This is an extremely depressing time for the entire world, and for students that are mentally stressed and suffering from REAL problems and the very likely chance many students will BECOME mentally unprepared for classes due to the projections serves as a very legitimate and necessary reason to mandate all classes pass/fail or even universal pass. It is very sad to see it play out otherwise, as students have nothing in their control over what the world has thrown at them.

35. As a low-income student (I doubt many of the above are) who gets a full ride here… inequity is actually exacerbated from home and y’all who are low-income would actually know that. only the most privileged of us will get ahead under the chosen policy. Cornell literally is the epitome of collective egoism and individualism.

36. Please for the love of god make P/F or S/U OPTIONAL.

    I need this semester for grad school prospects and most students at Cornell are considering grad school. I’m not taking orgo pass fail when I pay $70k a year.

    As for lower income students making everyone P/F does NOT help them. If you want to help everyone give us all As.

37. I think in the middle of a global pandemic, it is important to follow in the steps of our peer institutions and do universal P/F. Since more and more peer institutions are implementing the universal S/U, graduate schools are less likely to be flexible and thus if we don’t mandate P/F or S/U, students who are already facing disadvantages this semester are going to be further penalized for being underprivileged. Cornell’s Any Person, Any Study implies equal opportunity which in this current situation we do not have.

38. Not adopting a universal S/U grading system is an abysmally bad decision. The senate clearly does not have their own students in mind when acting in this manner.

39. If we want equality, universal S/U is the way to go! We live in uncertain times, and those who are currently advocating for choice in order to improve their GPAs are not looking at the big picture. What if, in two weeks, their circumstances change and they are left with no choice but to S/U all of their courses? Surely they would want a universal S/U at that current point. Furthermore, I have friends who live in areas with a poor internet connection. How will they manage to complete their work at the same capacity as those who have the privilege of living in a household with constant internet? I have friends whose parents are currently in the hospital suffering from COVID-19, and the last thing on their minds right now is their grades. They will ultimately have no choice but to S/U all of their courses. Why should they be penalized? I understand those who are trying to improve their GPAs in order to be more competitive for graduate school, but currently, we must show compassion to those living in less privilege. If you are doing well this semester, then go ask your professors for recommendation letters that say so. Explain in your applications that you are doing better, but due to unforeseeable circumstances you were unable to receive a letter grade. Your GPA is important, I understand that. However, now is the time to think of others, not yourself. I am doing well this semester, and I too was going to use this semester to boost my GPA. However, knowing that me improving my GPA is at the cost of those who are not afforded the choice to doesn’t seem worth it. It’s a difficult moment and I think it would be best to level the playing field and make S/U mandatory. Cornell is a bubble, and we are no longer in it. In order for things to be equitable, universal S/U is the way to ensure that everyone to an extent is on an equal level. When lives are at stake, GPAs do not matter, and we must support our peers during this difficult time.

    • But we don’t want equality, we want equal opportunity. That’s the foundation of America and this University was founded on those principles. We need choice at all costs, if this freedom is curtailed, we are just hypocrites.

      • We don’t have equal opportunity at this current time because we have stepped out of the Cornell bubble. Everyone is in different environments with different levels of access to resources and thus the only way to have equal opportunity is to have a universal S/U, not an opt-in grading policy that benefits only those with greater access to resources.

40. I think it is unfair to assume everyone has a choice under the current system. Universal S/U is the only way to make things equitable.

41. As noted by the previous post, when classes come into effect, the faculty will likely become increasingly aware of many students’ inabilities to effectively do their work due to the state of the world/country today. This vote was taken by faculty likely residing in Ithaca, far from the epicenter of NYC where so many of us students are fearing for our parents’ safety and jobs. It was taken before students in these difficult situations have had the chance to turn our attention to school work. Those of us less focused on our GPAs at the moment and not in contact with the Senate due to more severe and pressing concerns have not been heard or, seemingly from the meeting transcript, hardly considered. I find it very disappointing that this resolution did not pass and feel that the university has failed to protect its undergraduates at this time, focusing instead on superficial factors such as GPA and preferring a policy of non-involvement, letting the blame fall on the students rather than the university.

42. What of students trying to attend graduate school who are in a poor home situation, and thus may be forced to choose between a poor letter grade and an S? Until there exists a guarantee that choosing the S won’t penalize students, universal S/U is clearly the option most equitable to this group.

43. We should be able to have a decision on how we would like to pursue OUR education. We should be able to choose if we rather a letter grade as opposed to it being decided for us.

    We are the ones receiving education at the end of the day; therefore, we should be able to choose how we want it to impact our grades/future.

    Please keep the option open for students to choose what classes they would like to be pass/fail.

44. The idea that any “universal” policy will be just on an individual basis is contradictory. The obvious problem with a universal pass is that it fails to take into account the needs of our students from their varying circumstances. Hence, the option to CHOOSE the grading policy that best fits your personal situation is the only plausible solution. So many of us are planning on graduate programs that require letter grade prerequisite courses. Who is to say every professional program will accept a “P” when there are other students (from other Universities) who chose the letter grade option during this semester? The adoption of a universal pass will only put Cornellians at a disadvantage, especially when it comes to planning their future careers.
    Academics aside, if we are stripped of our freedom of choice, what do we have?

45. The idea that a policy can be both “universal” and individually accommodating is not only contradictory but also erroneous. The most obvious problem with a universal pass grading system is that it fails to take into account the varying circumstances and academic stages our students are in. This is especially true for those applying to professional schools (namely dental, med, vet, etc.) where prerequisite courses CANNOT be taken for “pass.” How are students supposed to assume hundreds of professional programs will accept a “P” when there are other Universities that have not implemented such a policy.
    By giving students the CHOICE to choose their grading system, they will make the decision that best fits them at whichever academic and personal stage they are at.
    Forcing students to all adhere to a universal pass is simply placing Cornellians at a tremendous disadvantage, especially when it comes to future career planning and beyond. Let us not cause more stress and anxiety.

    Academics aside, if we do not have freedom of choice, what do we have?

46. Support for universal S/U: A “choice-based” system is not a choice at all. It is similar to how “optional essays” for applications or “optional assignments” are not optional for students who want to do their best. We are all students who want to do our best. We will be incentivized to do our best, to work hard, and to learn something. If we want to be prepared for our future courses, we will try our hardest. But some people do not have the option to try their hardest because of the pandemic, and as a result, they cannot do well in their courses. With a choice-based system, they can either take a failing grade (and explain that they performed poorly because of the pandemic, which people can choose to listen to or not), or they can take something S/U, which is stigmatized against because then people assume you did poorly. Universal S/U is the closest we can get to calling this semester a huge anomaly for everyone and giving students/professors/everyone some kind of leeway.

47. Mandatory S/U does not solve any of the problems at hand. You have heard from both the students in Big Red Pass and Big Red Choice. Either give us grades, or pass everyone. Mandatory S/U is not meeting us in the middle. Frankly it is a waste. If you are really concerned about students suffering difficult circumstances, what makes you think getting an S will even be achievable for them, if things are really bad. Making grades S/U is bad for everyone, and is not what any student, aside from the SA, has asked for. There is absolutely no point in doing S/U. Find a different, more effective way to take care of students who will face difficult circumstances. And allow students the choice to have letter grades. Many graduate schools are now saying they won’t discriminate against students who chose to do S/U over later grades.

    I think we need to propose a new solution that allows everyone to work for a grade, but provides a safety net and a guaranteed pass for those of us suffering from the CoVID-19 circumstances.

48. Despite the comments on this post leaning towards opt-in, from what I have seen through all of the Cornell student run pages on social media, the general consensus has been universal S/U. I think that reflects the will of the student body more so than this thread.

49. If you want to “[build] community during times of struggle,” then universal S/U is the only equitable solution to ensure all students are on an equal playing field. Stop valuing those who are more privileged by keeping opt in. There are things that are more important than a semester’s GPA, and a global pandemic where hundreds of thousands of people are projected to die and millions more affected is one of those things.

50. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/03/20/coronavirus-college-pass-fail/?outputType=amp

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