On March 18th, 2020, the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee declared that all classes for the rest of the 2020 Spring Semester will be online. We are thankful that our University is responding well to this pandemic, and keeping in mind the safety and health of their students and staff first. The difficulty to uproot an entire institution is a brave decision, and we appreciate our instructors for taking the time to move their curriculums entirely online.

These changes, though, are not ideal for many students, and have caused a great deal of emotional stress and anxiety. We believe that there are still changes to be made to make sure that this situation does not cause any more strain on students.

This proposal is in line with actions taken by multiple institutions; The University of Minnesota petition being the catalyst for this petition, and other examples being Harvard University, Cornell University, Georgetown University, MIT, and Carnegie Mellon University- and back in 1969, the University of Wisconsin during the Vietnam War protests occurring on campus. University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee must follow suit.

We propose that students deserve the option to transition from A-F grades onto an emergency pass/fail grading system for all courses this online semester (including major/minor), and that this system will still count towards our degree completions. 

Unprecedented issues require unprecedented solutions.

Many folks do not learn well with online learning, many will face challenges and added difficulty in multiple courses, and will cause students to underperform. This situation does not- and SHOULD NOT be reflective of a student's ability. Changing the way our grading system works will take a great burden off of students while dealing with a wide-scale pandemic and self isolation.

Much like the University of Minnesota's petition stated, the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee is a diverse institutions filled with many different kinds of people with many different kinds of backgrounds. Some student's hometowns are being severely disrupted by COVID-19, some student's families are and will be severely affected by COVID-19. We must think of the students' personal life, and how it will affect their grades and education in dire situations like this, and this must be a priority. 

This situation also comes with a handful of many other difficulties that students will have to endure: lack of internet, or a computer, health issues regarding themselves or a family member/roommate, lack of income- which could prevent the student from accessing internet as well, and in extreme cases, even preventing access to housing, and having to relocate or move back home. These, as well as the affects of self-isolation (especially for those who struggle with mental illness) can all negatively affect a student's performance.

Online learning is not something all students have experienced before, and it is something actively avoided by many students because they feel that it is hard to fully grasp the course material. One must be extremely focused, and self-motivated to do well in online courses. Some students learn better in face-to-face classes, and that cannot be ignored.

Again, we are thankful that our University has taken the steps to keep their students physically healthy, but we also must keep ourselves mentally healthy- especially in a times like this. We hope that our University will continue to put their students first and foremost.

Link to CNN article on why pass/fail systems are a "good move for everyone": https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/18/opinions/coronavirus-makes-college-and-life-pass-fail-perry/index.html