April 17, 2020
The coronavirus has led to an unprecedented time in the country over the past month.
With daily life so different from just 30 days ago, the difficulty in adapting to this new reality has proved to be tremendously difficult for people all over the world. This sentiment is especially true for America’s college students. This is why FDU, and other universities, are not going nearly far enough when they extend merely a pass/fail option to students.
Instead, these colleges should provide students with A’s for their classes during the spring semester. In such an unparalleled time, this is the only way to help lessen the burden on college students who have seen their worlds turned upside down over the past month.
COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, has affected nearly everyone in the United States in some way, shape or form. As the death tolls pile up, and a return to normalcy seems further and away by the day, it becomes difficult for college students to provide the maximum effort that is needed for them to have success in their coursework.
According to the CDC, the stress associated with the coronavirus outbreak will affect millions of people.
“Stress during an infectious disease outbreak can include fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones, changes in sleep or eating patterns, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, worsening of chronic health problems worsening of mental health conditions, and increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.”
All of these symptoms are not conducive to academic success, and by choosing to not provide all A’s to students, universities are doing a total disservice to those they are tasked with educating.
When thousands of Americans have lost their lives, and when tens of thousands more are fighting this virus with every fiber of their being, a term paper could not seem less important than it does now.
Students did not sign up for online classes at the outset of the semester. They signed up for in-person instruction. While Zoom and other virtual meeting software have made learning much easier in these trying times, it is still a far cry from being in a classroom.
Providing each student with an A will allow them to have a tremendous burden lifted off their shoulders. They will no longer have to fret about their schoolwork as the world around them is falling apart.
While a pass/ fail option is a good first step, if utilized, it will not count toward a student’s GPA. This means they will have to choose between trying to improve their GPA, or not trying to improve their GPA if the pass/ fail option was used. The current situation is causing students to make a false choice. Both of these options are not appropriate for this particular time.
Providing students with A’s is the only way to proceed. While instruction is still important, and course materials must still be learned, this can be done without a letter grade being given to students.
Yes, this nightmare will eventually be over, but in the meantime, students deserve one less thing to worry about in a world that will never be the same.
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