This fall semester has had a number of challenges that may have impacted students' grades and as such, an S/U grading option, like the option implemented in the Spring 2020 semester by the South Dakota Board of Regents, should be implemented again for the Fall 2020 semester for students at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, if not all South Dakota Board of Regents Schools.  Some of the issues impacting students include, but are not limited to, a lack of breaks, change of format in classes, illness (some of which is directly due to the COVID-19 pandemic), worsened mental health (lack of breaks and isolation/quarantine from the pandemic can contribute to this), and general stress from the pandemic.  Additional stress may be seen in students who are in the high-risk category for severe COVID-19 complications, as well as students who live with people who are in that category.  Many students also do not have the option to not work, and the risks and extra stress associated with working (especially if the student is classified as an essential worker), can create problems as well.  In addition, students were given insufficient notice when told about the changes in the 2020-2021 calendar to account for possible issues with their classes and how that would impact graduation dates.  Students are already dealing with pressure to maintain their GPA (whether for a job, graduate school, medical school, law school, etc.), and adding in pandemic stressors means that students are risking their mental and physical health to keep their grades up (or to even pass). 

By not implementing an S/U grading option exactly like the one implemented for the Spring 2020 semester, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and ultimately, the South Dakota Board of Regents, are adding additional stressors and are damaging the health of students within the South Dakota Board of Regents system.  The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology states on their Health and Safety portion of the school website that "Along with excellence in education, your health and safety are our top priorities."  If health and safety are top priorities, then students should be given an S/U grading option to lessen the impact of stressors (particularly during a pandemic), and by extension, better their health.