Maintaining good grades, concentration, and participation in classes during the Coronavirus pandemic is extremely difficult. Many students find it stressful that they have to take classes online, as they find it harder to concentrate in a completely different environment. This is important, because some students have been falling upon rough times, from perhaps both before, and after, the pandemic struck, and their environment does not facilitate learning. Many have unruly parents, messy rooms, money problems, and a load of other distractions that deducts from their ability to perform well.

And this is only part of the story too. Many students may have also lost loved ones due to the virus and it has affected their well-being. Even more students live in constant stress and fear that they, or someone they love, will fall victim to it; not just physically, perhaps, but also financially.

Because of these factors, and the unexpected drop into all-online schooling, Mercy College had implemented a credits earned/no credits earned system last semester, that enabled students who registered for it to peacefully fail a course, or pass a course barely, without their grade showing on their transcript. This was an excellent idea.

However, what isn't so excellent is this semester, and the foreseeable future during this pandemic: Mercy has stated that they do not intend to bring back this feature. Mercy needs to, for the well-being of all students. Just like last semester, nobody could have predicted, or planned for, all classes to be online again, especially those who specifically signed up for in-person courses this semester as a means to fix their academics.

This feature needs to be brought back. It does not affect academic integrity, and is not an easy pass, as those who fail classes still need to retake it. There is no reason for this to not be a feature again, and bringing it back would relieve and help us all. After all, focusing on school during a fatal pandemic is not exactly an easy thing to do.