The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on a series of challenges for professors and students alike at Cal State Fullerton. Amidst academic dishonesty/security concerns with Proctorio and increased workload, everyone is feeling the pressure and stress this semester.

Last semester when we initially dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, we had the pass/fail option available as a resource due to the changes during the transition to online learning. This helped a wide variety of students save their GPA as well as remove some of the pressure associated with the transition.

A summer session and semester later, it seems as though students and professors are still dealing with issues due to the new learning environment. One issue, in particular, has been with Proctorio, in regards to the trade-off between student privacy and academic honesty expected from the professors. This is where pass/fail could come in. Additionally, many students have expressed their complaints about an increased workload due to an expectation of having "gotten used to the pandemic". The problem is that running things as normal isn't going to work, because this situation isn't normal. Many of us, students and professors alike, are dealing with a wide variety of new issues due to the pandemic, and being expected to function as normal is unfair to the struggles our community is currently facing. 

Extending the pass/fail option for students would allow them to fully focus on their knowledge of the class material rather than their grade, as it eliminates academic pressure. Additionally, this might also work to reduce the amount of academic dishonesty during online learning as well, as students feel less pressured to keep a certain grade, especially those who are near graduation or dealing with outside stress related to the pandemic. Other CSU universities such as Fresno State have allowed for this option as well. 

To show your support, sign this petition. Additionally, students can reach out to the academic senate at https://www.fullerton.edu/senate/