Thank you for reviewing this petition. The pass/fail option lets college students receive credit for a class without a low grade negatively affecting their GPA. For example, STEM majors can take humanities electives pass/fail without a B-minus on a research paper bringing down their GPA. Here at VSU, over 20 students have been hospitalized due to mental health reasons. This fact is beyond troubling to the rest of the student body. Virginia State University failed to communicate the status of the PASS/FAIL grading option. Virginia State University official website displayed that the PASS/FAIL grading option would be offered for the semester. Finally, COVID-19 has been a critical factor for students and us “returning to normal.” Online classes have been very difficult to adjust to especially for first time freshman, and their transition to a collegiate experience, students, specifically graduating seniors are relying heavily on PASS/FAIL grading option here at Virginia State University. Having the PASS/FAIL grading option will put students stress at ease and preserve their Grade Point Average, and raise our overall graduation rate.