This petition is set to urge the St. Catherine University administration to change the grading system this semester to a Double-A Policy, meaning all students will receive an A/A- in each class. Due to the inequities that other proposed changes in grading policy, such as Universal Pass or Optional Pass/Fail, could pose, the Double-A grading policy is the most reasonable and equitable approach. [FAQ regarding Double-A Policy can be accessed here]

Due to this emergency relocation taken in precaution against COVID-19, St. Kate's has thrown students and faculty alike into foreign circumstances. Suddenly, students without food security, internet access, and/or reliable housing are expected to perform at the same level as students who have stable situations at home. Many students also have to care for siblings whose K-12 education has been suspended and are expected to provide childcare at home. Furthermore, others may be caring for family members who are at grave risk during this time or may be immunocompromised themselves. In addition to physical health, the mental and emotional well-being of students is crucial. When the lives of yourself and your loved ones are in jeopardy, academics should be the last thing you have to be concerned about.

Similarly, international students who have been abruptly relocated into time zones that do not align with regular Central class times will be unable to attend classes that require live participation, such as seminars and labs. Online tests allocated for specific times would also be made impossible – e.g.: some students would have to take finals at 1 AM or even more absurd hours of the night.

Other universities have already begun to recognize the impact that a global pandemic has on students' abilities to participate in academia. An increasing number of them --including Stanford, Smith, St. Thomas, and Northwestern-- have moved forward in implementing changes in their grading systems to lessen the burden of these drastic life shifts on our peers. We ask that St. Catherine University follow suit.

We recognize that COVID-19 is impacting everyone and their families right now. We hope that a Double-A grading system can alleviate some of the pressures from an administrative standpoint during this pandemic.