To whom it may concern,

My name is Clayton Caniford and I am the president of SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) and a member of the football team here at HSU. It has been brought to my attention from numerous student athletes and non student athletes across campus that many schools in the state of Texas have transitioned to a pass/fail grading scale due to the switch to all online classes this spring. At HSU, we are still using the letter system like normal. What a group of us including, Alonzo Morgan (HSU Black Student Union President), Cameron Hanna (HSU SAAC and Football Team Member), and Ellis Newkirk (HSU Football Leadership Council), would like to propose is a combination of the letter grading and the pass/fail system. Students should have the choice at the end of the semester to choose if they would like to receive the letter grade of a class or if they would receive a pass/fail. This would be the best scenario for all students. There are some students who take all classes in person because they do not preform well at online classes or do not have access to WiFi or a computer at home. Now, they are being forced to do something they are not comfortable with. If they are an A and B student in the classroom but make C’s and D’s in online classes, they should be able to choose a pass for those classes so it doesn’t jeopardized their GPA. If a student is a 4.0 kid who makes all A’s in their online classes, then they should be able to choose to pick the letter grade to help out their GPA. There have been many complaints from students where they have emailed professors multiple times and they have not responded. Contact with professors during this time is more difficult than it was when everyone was on campus. By having this system in to give students the option is really in the best case scenario for the students. We understand that many grad schools look at grades for certain classes also. This system is not just being put in place here at HSU. This system is seen throughout the country. Grad schools for the next 4 years will be dealing with a pass fail grade for classes due to the situation we have been put in this spring. By letting the students choose between a pass/fail and letter grade for each of their classes at the end of the semester, you will be looking out for the best interest of the students at HSU. If you would please join us in this cause we would greatly appreciate it. We are wanting the best for the students at HSU and this is a step in the right direction.