Due to the unprecedented circumstances facing our country and world, it is safe to say our lives have increasingly grown more complex within a very limited time. With such added stress upon the students of Wake Forest University, from not knowing if graduation is occurring to whether or not we are even returning to campus at all this semester, I believe Wake Forest can at least give its students the option to make specific, some, or all classes pass/fail since they cannot seem to provide us with any other specifics at this time. With all this added stress, the option of having pass/fail classes would allow students to focus on what’s important (like their families and friends who are impacted by COVID-19), focus on their mental health, and have some reassurance in their academics at an utter time of panic.

In addition, with COVID-19 impacting primary learning institutions and businesses, the average household in America is more populated than it would be without COVID-19. This means the living environments students are forced to adapt to might be unstable, abusive, or mentally / physically unsafe without providing any alternatives or safe spaces during these turbulent times. Also, in the event a parent, grandparent, or child within said household develops COVID-19, the entire dynamic of the household automatically changes and the focus shifts to the sick individual, putting academics to the side. With hospitals overrun and limited tests offered for COVID-19, sick individuals may be forced to remain at home in a form of isolation and may require more care from their families. I personally feel it is immoral and unethical to make a student pick between focusing on their academics or focusing on a loved one who has contracted COVID-19. I think I speak for everyone when I say I hope my University never puts me in that position. I seriously hope my University does not actually think I would choose academics over the wellbeing of my family.

***My plan of action is this: Wake Forest enact the option for students to have the ability to pick specific, some, or all classes pass/fail. I believe historically at Wake Forest there has been a policy instilled of three (3) retroactive pass/fails allowed under current Academic Regulations, but I believe this policy for Spring 2020 pass/fails should be additional and not count towards part of the three (3) pass/fails already allowed. Also, in accordance with the current pass/fail rules at Wake Forest, the ability to pass/fail a class in a major/minor is not allowed; however, under the conditions our entire country - and world - are forced to face, I believe there should be an exception. This new pass/fail policy would allow students to pass/fail Spring 2020 classes that count directly for a major/minor. Obviously for medical school or any other higher institution of learning where specific prerequisite grades are mandatory, this policy would not be beneficial to those students pursuing said paths post graduation. This policy has already been implemented successfully by Davidson College on March 18th 2020. 

For an institution whose motto is literally “Pro Humanitate,” a petition focused on the wellbeing of students and faculty seems only fair and in accordance with the University's very own practices and values. Wake Forest has always challenged me to do the right thing no matter the circumstances, and now I wish to challenge the institution itself.