Today, we are living through an unprecedented event in human history. An event that, unless you're older than 102, nobody on the planet has ever experienced. As a student, friend, sibling, parent, grandparent, professor, whoever you may be, you are in some way being affected by the global pandemic, COVID-19. 

University is an amazing part of life, and it is truly a privilege to be able to pursue post-secondary education at UNBC. And though there remains much to be thankful for with regards to how the school is handling this, there is still room for improvement. Here at UNBC, we have had a... unique year. Battling through the uncertainty of the strike was, quite frankly, an exhausting period of time that my peers and I have yet to fully come back from. This pandemic has repeated many of the challenges of the last semester, only with new additions - like heavily weighted finals, job insecurity, and health concerns.

To help students nationwide, major universities like UBC and the University of Ottawa have implemented pass/fail grading policies to show compassion to the students they know are struggling. It's those universities' way of saying that they care about the wellbeing of their students and that they see students as more than just a number. So far, UNBC has failed to take similar action. Time is running out to implement changes, and if nothing is done then GPA's will drop, mental health will decline, and students at other schools will stand a better chance of getting into competitive programs like med school. 

Please consider signing this petition to help those at UNBC who are struggling after two semesters of academic upheaval. If you want UNBC to shift towards the more compassionate option of a grading system which is a pass or fail, then please sign and share this!