Skye Sarac Headshot
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NC has offered a set of more lenient grading options to alleviate some of the challenges created by the shift to online instruction. The deadline to change classes to satisfactory/unsatisfactory graded has been extended to the end of the semester, and students can retroactively make this change after the semester is over.
This will hopefully alleviate some of the burden for students who are facing additional challenges such as caring for family members, unreliable internet access or food and housing insecurity as a result of the crisis. While the choice to provide extra accommodations is commendable, this also shines light on a uncomfortable reality that few are talking about- which is that for many students, these burdens are part of everyday reality, even when there is not a pandemic happening.
According to a survey conducted in 2017, approximately 14% of NC State students experience food insecurity, and 9.6% experience homelessness in a given year. While that may not seem like a lot, the total student population, including graduate and undergraduate students, is 36,304, which means that approximately 5,082 students experience food insecurity and 3485 students experience or have experienced homelessness. To put in perspective, the current freshman class has a population of 4,873.
Beyond those numbers, there are still countless students who struggle to balance school and multiple jobs, students who have families or dependants to care for and students who are struggling with mental or physical illness. And these struggles will not disappear once the pandemic is over.
In response to the crisis, petitions and social media posts, not only related to NC State but to universities across the country, are arguing, and rightly so, that students need extra support during this crisis. However, these petitions tend to overlook the millions of students who struggle year-round.
In addition to the resources which NC State already offers to help these students, including Pack Essentials and Feed the Pack, what if we were to continue the altered pass/fail system, so that any student, regardless of circumstance, will have the option to change a grade to pass fail at any point in the semester, without being penalized?
While some might argue that this would negate the purpose of working hard and earning one’s grades, it is important to remember that for some students, working hard isn’t simply enough to get by. For instance, if a student is a single parent struggling to afford childcare, the ability to drop a class may alleviate at least some of the burden they might be experiencing, and this could reduce their course load and make it easier to focus on other classes. This could also be beneficial for students who are struggling due to conflicts with a professor, or who face a sudden change in financial circumstances and need to work more hours.
In the big picture, one class does not necessarily make or break a college education; college is comprised of a multitude of opportunities and challenges, and a more flexible grading system will not necessarily hinder a students’ progress, rather, it could open the door to more opportunities and allow students to focus on what matters most in their lives in the moment.