For the Spring 2020 semester, the University of Tulsa extended the deadline for undergraduates to declare courses as Pass/D/Fail "in recognition of the sudden change of course delivery methods and the transitions students are facing." This flexibility helped to combat student's stress and mental/physical health issues from the COVID19 pandemic and sudden transfer to virtual learning.

This semester, while the University has extended the deadline to withdraw from courses, it has not extended the deadline to declare courses as Pass/D/Fail. The original deadline to declare Pass/D/Fail was September 11, the last day of the third week of classes. This deadline, with the current situation regarding virtual learning and the stress of the pandemic and election, did not offer a sufficient time frame for students to assess their academic needs and potential hardships for the rest of the semester.

This semester, students have faced quarantine/isolation requirements and illnesses including COVID19 that have brought unexpected setbacks and have accelerated mental health issues. These abnormal burdens significantly hinder students' ability to perform to their full potential in their academic work and make it near impossible to successfully undergo a full academic workload of a normal semester. While we recognize and appreciate that many professors have made significant accommodations and alteration to course expectations to ease and enhance students' experience, we also recognize the widespread necessity for additional accommodations. In addition, while students were aware of the delivery methods for classes this semester, the stress of the pandemic and challenge of virtual learning remains the same from the Spring semester.

Therefore, we propose that the University of Tulsa reinstate the flexibility they offered in the Spring, and extend the deadline to declare Pass/D/Fail until December 9th, the same deadline to withdraw from a course. This would give students who cannot withdraw from courses due to personal situations the opportunity to protect their academic success and standing. In addition, this change would benefit all undergraduate students who have faced unprecedented challenges this semester without sacrificing their success.