In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, most students can agree that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) has been doing a remarkable job conducting and enforcing its own on-campus testing program for COVID-19.

However, while still having the option to attend lectures in-person is a rare privilege not many students have across the U.S, the academic resources currently available at UIUC are far more limited than usual. For instance, students cannot easily enter the campus libraries, where they may normally go in search of a free, quiet environment for studying, and this is only the tip of the iceberg among the numerous issues students at UIUC are currently dealing with.

In fact, most of such issues come from outside of the Champaign-Urbana community. The COVID-19 infection rate is rising across most, if not all, U.S. states, and by now most people know at least one person with an infected friend or family member. Even if students wish to return home over the weekend to reconnect with family, many feel guilt in doing so because the university actively discourages it in order to limit virus spread (which is perfectly understandable epidemiologically). 

Additionally, given that a large portion of the student body is either out-of-state or international, the time zone differences require many students to wake up at hours unreasonably early and/or late. Even if these students try to return to campus in search of a healthier work schedule, flights are very limited, and therefore they have no choice but to work odd hours due to factors outside of their control.

Just in general, students that decide to take courses from home due to safety concerns face many obstacles. Some may struggle with weak internet connections that are incompatible with Zoom classes and monitored exams, while others may live in a small house and have a difficult time finding a quiet place and hour without distractions.

Now, one may argue, “why not take the semester off?” to students that complain about the abnormalities, and the answer is that such is not a necessarily viable option for many students. Some students have already accepted job offers that start immediately after their planned graduation date. Meanwhile, those coming from lower income households are working hard to graduate as early as possible, in order to start earning money and pay back debts such as rent and student loans. For these people, taking a gap semester means incurring an opportunity cost of five months’ worth of income from a job requiring a university degree.

As can be seen, schoolwork is incredibly difficult to manage and simply not the most important thing in life for most students right now. Many students are experiencing anxiety and/or stress from the aforementioned phenomena, and if one takes a look at recent posts on UIUC’s large online Reddit group, it is immediately evident that a disproportionate number of students are currently struggling. A student has even lashed out his feelings in the form of graffiti, bringing shock and grave concern to the community.

Hence, the UIUC student body sincerely asks for the administration to help alleviate students’ mental health concerns this semester by letting students choose between the traditional A-F scale and the CR/NC (credit/no credit) option for all classes, including those that count toward graduation requirements. This is because most students are extremely protective of their Grade Point Average (GPA), since it can affect their eligibility to pursue certain graduate programs, scholarships, as well as jobs, whether full-time or an internship. As the national unemployment rate is high at 7.9%, students are currently especially concerned about staying competitive through their academics.

Since the CR/NC option was offered in Spring 2019 when COVID-19 infection rates were in the thousands and had just begun to affect students’ mental health, it should be reasonable that such actions are repeated for Fall 2020, where national cases of viral infection have surpassed 8.3 million. Many universities across the U.S. including (but not limited to) UMass Amherst​, UNC Chapel Hill​, CU Boulder​, Princeton​, Stanford​, UC Irvine, and the University of Southern California (USC), have in fact already implemented the CR/NC option for the fall. Many other universities are currently working towards adopting this policy change as well.

The student body believes the UIUC has a good history of supporting its students’ physical and mental wellbeing, as can be proved through frequent safety alerts, a nationally-acclaimed contact tracing system, as well as its decision to offer students the CR/NC option during Spring 2020 after the campus closed. The student body sincerely hopes that the administration continues to demonstrate such support for its community, by re-implementing the much-needed CR/NC option for the Fall 2020 semester.

As a student, what can I do to help?

1. Sign this petition! You do NOT need to create a change.org account; all you need is a Facebook or Gmail. The process takes less than a minute.
2. Share this petition through social media! Whether you share the link through Facebook or post a story on Instagram, spread the message that this is a chance for Illini student voices to be heard.
3. Email Provost Cangellaris (provost@illinois.edu) , President Killeen (presidentkilleen@uillinois.edu), and/or Chancellor Robert J. Jones (chancellor@illinois.edu) to request that we have the CR/NC option for Fall 2020. Remember to be respectful, as you should be in all emails you send, but also make it clear that we are struggling as a community!

-by Nathan Jenni & Kushal Amilineni, UIUC Class of 2021