grading

Columbia College and School of General Studies students will be able to pass/D/fail one fall semester class without restriction until the end of the term and withdraw from courses till Dec. 14, according to a statement released by Columbia College Dean of Academic Affairs Lisa Hollibaugh on Nov. 18. The announcement followed a similar statement made by the School of Engineering and Applied Science earlier this week.

As the Columbia community continues to grapple with the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, each new day seems to dawn with news of fear and tragedy. While many professors have done their best to adjust to these new circumstances, some students have said that their professors have chosen to ignore this and have increased their workload with the excuse that students will “slack off” otherwise, and there are others who are actively using the “F” grade as a threat against their students. The standardization of academic practices during this crisis is essential to providing an equitable educational experience to all. The Committee on Instruction of all four undergraduate schools each has the ability to adjust academic or instructional policies to further reflect our current needs.

Among others, the University has joined Harvard Law School, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Wellesley College in instating a mandatory pass/fail grading system in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Life as we have known it, as our peers have known it, as our parents and grandparents have known it, has changed. When we first arrived on campus this spring, five of our friends were asked to go into self-isolation for two weeks. At the time, we thought it could be an unfair practice as they had to miss class, were unable to study in the library, and had little access to supplies outside of their dorm rooms. Now we see just how wrong we were.

Undoubtedly, one of the many responsibilities of an elite academic institution like Columbia is to expose its students to a wide range of both extracurricular and academic experiences. By producing unidimensionally focused graduates, Columbia is cheating students out of the type of exposure needed to adapt to life paths that will most certainly be more diverse than those they envisioned before graduation. A philosophy of broad exposure could result in an engineering major developing a love of classics, or an art major rekindling a passion for astronomy.

"2/10 is still a hard F. Or, if you're in SEAS, a hard B+."

A few hours ago, all CC students received an email about a grading policy change. For those of you who ignore most administrator emails - this one's for you! Starting in the Spring semester, a student can no longer use the "UW" grading option. Instead, you will receive a grade of "W" on your transcript if you withdraw from a non-Core class after the drop deadline and before the Pass/D/Fail deadline.  After the Pass/D/Fail deadline, you can't drop the course and you must receive a letter grade. If you want to see what I just said in fancy administrator talk, check out the official policy after the jump:more