We, the students of the University of Michigan, ask the Provost and Deans of each school to permit Pass/No Pass grades to count towards all academic requirements for the 2020 Fall Semester, and we ask Michigan to reconsider their decision to return to a normal letter grade system despite the virtual setting.

The current COVID-19 pandemic presents substantial mental and physical health challenges for students and their families which letter grades will only exacerbate further. 

Despite students' efforts to accommodate this learning format, it is clear that distance learning has resulted in a deterioration of the learning experience.

There are numerous studies that demonstrate that quarantine and the distanced environment can lead to acute stress disorder, exhaustion, detachment, anxiety, insomnia, and poor concentration. 

Students who contract the virus are unable to devote their undivided attention to their schoolwork.

Financially disadvantaged students may need to pick up extra employment to cover their family's living expenses.

International students may need to strain or even flip their sleep schedules to account for time differences to seek basic help such as asking questions in class and during office hours. 

For these reasons and many more, please consider signing this petition to support an optional pass/no pass grading system at the University of Michigan for the fall 2020 semester. 

Link to a comprehensive and sourced petition: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13Fyf7nrZl7fT5SsWgTKvnMEAcKNEytsQ6K9wORBc7c8/edit?usp=sharing

Link to view anonymous testimonies from students: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KCYNEziCfMYKQU5muVNnhdYaEwUJtARyRZUsQ8CNo9w/edit?usp=sharing

Non-exhaustive list of schools that have enacted similar policies:

University of Pennsylvania, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Virginia, Tufts University, Ohio State University, DePaul University, California State University, Fresno, Macalester College, East Carolina University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Bowling Green State University.