Ursula Muñoz Schaefer/Assistant Opinion Director
Last week saw the circulation of a petition asking the University to “allow classes the option for pass/fail or a generous curve.”
The 20.6k signatures on it prove that the majority of students want this to happen. As a recent @BarstoolFIU tweet pointed out, “this semester is completely lost… It’s wild how some of us have to keep up with classes while also finding living accomodations.”
Naturally, the petition sparked a chain reaction as it spread across class group chats faster than European tourists spread COVID-19 around the world. As the Student Government Association passed a survey to properly assess our requests, a (far less successful) counter-petition was passed, pleading the University to keep this semester’s grading scale as it is.
Regardless, students are struggling during this time, and it’s clear that the curriculum changes have been anything but smooth.
“People have been highly stressed and distracted by this global threat and have lost the motivation and momentum that they previously had,” said Alberto Lionarons, a senior digital media major who signed the petition despite being on track to ace all of his courses this spring.
But it’s more than just stress that has students pushing for the petition. As I’ve mentioned before, the online transition has mostly affected students who were taking practical courses and are now losing valuable experience needed to enter their field after graduation. Rose Ayala, a senior majoring in broadcast media, said it was her hands-on classes like Studio Production and Multimedia II that suffered most.
“I think [this semester] should be Pass or Fail because not only am I limited; I’m only receiving partial experience,” she said. “To be given a letter grade when I haven’t reached my potential is deceiving.”
The online transition is also a problem for international students and others who depended on the University for access to many of the resources needed to pass their classes. As a student who has been dealing with displacement since October, Ayala said not being allowed on campus and experiencing WiFi issues was like “being thrown another wrench.”
Many students’ academic performance will likely change because of their inability to access certain softwares and equipment from home. And while some websites like LinkedIn Learning and software companies like Adobe have offered students free services and longer trials, there’s no guarantee that everyone will have access to them due to troubleshooting issues, or classics like power outages and lack of proper internet connection.
A letter grade would be unfair to anyone who might find themselves struggling to maintain their A’s now that the University’s libraries and equipment booking system are no longer an option.
“During previous evacuations for the hurricanes, I’ve had to deal with slower internet connections interfering with online testing amongst other things,” said Lionarons. “I think it’s very possible some students who don’t have access to high speed internet will suffer academically.”
I can personally vouch for this because, as someone living off the mainland, I experienced a scare when my power went out last week—right as I was about to submit a discussion post on Canvas. Because it came out of nowhere, I was left anxiously wondering whether I’d even be able to complete the assignment before that night’s deadline.
Marialexia Hernandez, a senior majoring in television production, said she feels frustrated by the lack of communication from professors who are only speaking with students over email, which was one of the things that led her to sign.
“I feel like I am not getting the necessary feedback in a timely manner,” she said. “This low-key stresses me out because I feel like my work isn’t the best that it can be and it will definitely reflect on my grade.”
A Pass or Fail grade can not negatively affect students’ GPA. It’s true that different majors have different requirements, and it may be worth noting that the psychology and pre-med students I asked about this were very much against the petition, while most of the communication students felt it was only fair after having their semester butchered and their assignments complicated.
I would not mind for Pass or Fail to be an optional thing this spring. In fact, some students have raised the idea that a curve would be better. But the fact remains that transitioning online and having “a normal semester” as the counter-petition states is no longer possible. Something has to be done and those most affected by this crisis don’t deserve to get left behind.
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