As students of the University of Louisville we ask for a Pass/Fail grading for the current Summer semester. 

Executive Vice President and University Provost, Beth Boehm, sent an email notifying students of their option to Pass/Fail grading for Spring-2020 saying: “We understand that the coronavirus is creating extraordinary conditions for some of you and want to make it easier for you to finish the courses in which you are enrolled.” We are still living in unprecedented times. With COVID-19 and now the worldwide movement for racial justice, many of us, specially our Black and Brown students are facing extreme levels of stress. Many students are protesting, advocating their elected officials, and fighting to bring attention to these injustices.

This is a moment in history that will be written about. We demand the same level of understanding that was given to students last semester. 

A lot of us feel as if we have to choose over fully supporting the movement or getting good grades. We feel that young people shouldn’t have to compromise their morals for the sake of an “A.” In a time like this, having the ability to focus on schoolwork is a privilege that Black and Brown students aren’t afforded.

We are witnessing a historic movement. Now is the time to act, and as an institution, we should aim to set the standard for other institutions across the United States. It’s our sincere hope that we will one day see UofL in the history books as a leader in this fight. 

The University of Louisville prides itself on being one of the most inclusive schools in the nation. As students we hope that we can go beyond the expected, with inclusion and acceptance, to adopting overtly anti-racist policies. We believe an important component of this is ensuring that student’s futures aren’t impacted by poor grades, especially when many of our students are truly fighting for their lives.