As you all know, we have been dealing with an ongoing pandemic for the past few months now and not a single person can say that they haven’t been affected in some way form or fashion. Schools all over, especially in Louisiana, have given their students the option of the Pass/ No Credit for their classes this semester, due to the unavoidable circumstances that Louisiana has dealt with, from two hurricanes to the forementioned pandemic that has caused mental strife for all. LSU gave us the luxury of the Pass/ No credit last semester, which helped students tremendously, but hasn’t done so this semester. Instead they extended the w date, which may look good on paper, but here’s how the Pass/ No credit option would be more effective. One, w grades have financial implications. A student using a W could ruin their scholarship depending on their major, and they shouldn’t have to go through that given these circumstances. Two, you only have a certain amount of W’s that you can use throughout your 4 years in college. As I said before, it is unfair for students to have to use a w given these unforseeable occasions. A student could use these w’s in the future when things go back to normal if a Pass/No credit option is implemented for all. Three, a Pass/ No credit option gives students more flexibility with their courses than a w. For example, a student currently might have a D or F in a subject but they don’t know if they can bring their grade back up but there is a possibility that they can. If you end up passing the class you have the option to put a P and receive credit for that course, but if you fail, you can still put a No credit for the course and the student can keep their w for a more convenient occasion. A w would simply nullify the class without giving the student the opportunity to even attempt to bring their grade up. 
As I mentioned before, the situation that we are currently dealing with is not normal. Families are struggling, students are struggling, and LSU continues to disappoint and not even doing the bare minimum and that is giving students a Pass/ No credit option, which is baffling considering it would benefit both parties involved, the students and the institution. It would be pretty soulless of the institution to weed out students while they’re are mentally, financially, and physically struggling and make them feel less by not caring at all. At this point I don’t even care about being professional because the frustration has boiled over as I type this, because it’s clear as day that education isn’t LSU’s number one priority, and it further proves why LSU has been a disappointment dealing with the situation. But geaux tigers am I right? 
So this petition is for hopes that they might listen to us and provide for their students for once.