During the Spring 2020 semester, many colleges and universities offered some form of a pass/fail option on which classes could be scored.  Per a statement released by the University of Memphis last semester, “This system is intended as a unique response to the unprecedented and unforeseeable events causing our transition to online classes.”  The same conditions that warranted the offering of the option to have classes graded as pass/fail in the Spring of 2020 are still present and have worsened since the initial COVID outbreak took the nation by surprise.  In addition to the uncertainties caused by the ongoing pandemic which has lasted much longer than people originally imagined, there have been countless traumatic events thrust into the collective conscious of the entire nation.  For the past six months, people have been forced to face harsh realities of racial issues, economic and class issues, and now environmental issues.  Nothing in the rememberable past of average college-aged students has come close what is currently unfolding.  Undoubtedly, many students are suffering from trauma because of the aforementioned conditions, and as Mays Imad explains, it’s important to “recognize that amid a pandemic, our students may have a difficult time completing basic tasks . . . including keeping track of the slightest changes in our classes, making decisions about their learning, being motivated to study or to show up, prioritizing assignments, engaging with classmates or the subject, managing their time, or simply not quitting.”  In addition to the effects of trauma that students may be experiencing, The University of Memphis is still conducting remote learning, and with that comes considerations of factors that may be affecting a student’s ability to effectively complete coursework to the best of their ability, such as time zone, WIFI availability, home conditions, etc.  All of what has been explained is nothing which students could have controlled, and students should not have to also deal with the stress that letter grades can cause.  Offering a pass/fail option for classes of a student’s choosing helps alleviate some of the stress caused by the past several months and the ongoing pandemic.  Offering the pass/fail option would reduce some of the incredible stress that students are experiencing, and it is a policy that is equitable and would accommodate for the various situations in which students find themselves.  Several universities including Georgetown, University of North Carolina, University of Massachusetts, North Carolina State, University of Alabama Birmingham, University of Delaware, East Coast Carolina, and Bowdoin have implemented some form of the pass/fail option for the Fall 2020 semester, and University of Memphis would be doing its students a service to follow the example set by these institutions in ensuring the best for their students.