With the current events of the Coronavirus, COVID-19, UTC faculty, staff, and students are under a grave amount of emotional, physical, and financial stress. Many students must maintain a job in order to pay for school, support themselves, and possibly their families. A petition to change to a pass/fail system has been in circulation. There are some major concerns with the impact of a pass/fail system. Some scholarships, along with certain major and general education courses require coursework be taken for a grade. Many graduate and professional schools, such as the College of Engineering, require specific courses be taken for a letter grade as well.

Some students don’t do well with online classes for various reasons, which is why they take classes on campus. Some classes such as senior level courses are difficult in nature. These courses require more time in person to discuss difficult theories and concepts to ensure students understand the material. Not all students have access to internet for various reasons, therefore, it is unfair to expect all students to be able to complete online courses for the remainder of the semester.

This petition is to change the minimum grade a student can receive, for the Spring 2020 semester, to be based on the lowest grade required to pass that course. For example, pre-requisite classes require a minimum grade of a C in order to pass, while some classes only require a D. This will allow everyone to still receive credit for the work that has been done thus far. It would give those who really excel in class the boost in GPA that they rightly deserve, but also wouldn’t hinder those who struggle with online classes from progressing in their academic career. Also, this will reduce the stress of both students and professors and allows for students to remain on track for graduation.