Like the rest of the world, the Simmons University community is reeling in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. While the University's decision to shut down in-person classes was commendable, the undersigned feel that this measure is inadequate to address the particular needs of students — and faculty and staff — at this time.

In order to fully support your students, please institute mandatory pass/fail grading for all students — including graduate students — for the Spring 2020 semester. A mandatory pass/fail grading scheme will level the playing field for all involved.

The Simmons community is diverse, and made up of individuals who are now facing exponentially increased care duties, increased financial uncertainty, and other pandemic-related stressors. Students, staff, and instructors are all affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of lessening the academic rigor of Simmons courses, this decision will leave room for students — and staff and faculty — who are now dealing with the reality of a global pandemic to focus as much as possible on actually learning the material as best as they can. This decision would be in accordance to what many other institutions of higher learning are doing — including Smith, MIT, Duke, Boston College, and others.

Shifting to a pass/fail grading scheme will ensure that the (physical and mental) health and safety of students, staff, and faculty, is the top priority for all involved. This shift will ensure a more equitable grading principle, and showcase that Simmons is able to adapt to an unprecedented time.