On March 11, 2020, in the face of growing concerns around COVID-19, Siena College extended spring recess for students by one week. On March 13, 2020, classes were moved to a remote instruction format from Monday, March 23 through Wednesday, April 8. On March 27, 2020, Siena College decided to extend its distance learning model throughout the remainder of the semester. As a whole, the student body at Siena College understands the severity of the situation and the necessity for this prompt action; we further appreciate all the effort that went into making the decisions made to transition smoothly to our new platform of learning.

Additionally, to help reduce stress this semester the College elected to modify its existing pass/fail option. Academic Affairs informed the student body that we are now allowed two pass/fail courses this semester. However, only courses that are not a requirement for our major, minor, concentration, auxiliary, First-Year Seminar, common business or business core are applicable.

There is still a multitude of concerns to be alleviated within our community, some of which can be addressed by the administration here at Siena College. So, we are reaching out to request a shift in the college's grading policy to ease some of these concerns.

To point to previous examples of ways in which this can be dealt with, on March 13, 2020, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology decided to move to a structure of pass/fail grading, as is recommended in their rules and regulations manual to address times like these. Carnegie Mellon University plans to allow students to choose which classes to move to pass/fail grading within 7 days after their final grades are posted. On March 27, 2020, Harvard College adopted a universal satisfactory-unsatisfactory grading system this semester as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay and Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda J. Claybaugh.

We believe that Siena College is an institution that is not only accepting and understanding of students' needs but also willing to accommodate them if need be. With that being said, we do not recommend a mandatory transition to pass/fail as many students would prefer to have letter grades. Students may need these grades for GPA reasons (continued education, graduation requirements, or for personal academic goals). Rather, an optional transition for each student would allow those affected to reconcile these trying times with reasonable solutions that accommodate their needs and allow them to continue to learn effectively.

To further explain, we believe Siena College should allow each student to decide which classes they believe should be graded using a pass/fail method at any point throughout the semester, even after final grades are posted. Issues can arise at any point throughout the semester, now or while studying for finals and students should be protected in any case.

Classes that are designated by the student as pass/fail will still contribute to any majors or minors that the student is pursuing. In essence, this would simply be a replacement for the letter grade while still allowing students to continue on their current academic path. It is important to take this action to make sure no student is unfairly impacted, such as seniors who are unlikely to be registered in a class outside their major, minor, or concentration.

Those who have signed this petition, and I, believe that expanding Pass/Fail the option will:

• Provide the necessary atmosphere for students to complete their required coursework
• Better reflect our efforts during this difficult time without affecting GPAs
• Compensate for inconveniences 
• Alleviate the pressure to achieve a specific letter grade and allow students to focus on finishing the semester
• Reduce faculty stress in grading based on a different lesson plan
• Allow for easier communication between students and faculty about why they've earned their respective grade
• Cater to art, design, theater, film, and other hands-on-based classes that ultimately can't function online

Siena College students are passionate about their studies and will continue to work hard even in this time of great uncertainty. Allowing for an expanded pass/fail option does not mean the course work will be easier or that we will not take pride in our work, it simply gives students that have been put into a tough academic situation the ability to focus on their work but also their mental and physical health.

Sources for information regarding other colleges/universities can be found at the following links:

https://oudigitools.blogspot.com/2020/03/feedback-alternate-grading-in-crisis.html​

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/3/28/harvard-coronavirus-universal-satisfactory-unsatisfactory-grading/