By Jordyn Taylor

With final exams approaching, and still no change made by the University, students continue to advocate for pass/fail and additional academic accommodations in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the election and civil unrest. 

The university sent out a campus wide email on Nov. 16 announcing that the deadline to withdraw from a course will be extended until Nov. 30. Students immediately responded to this with negative feedback, voicing their urge for the pass/fail option and expressing their displeasure to the University.

“Between people having corona and dealing with personal issues, this semester has really been a mess for everyone. The pass/fail option is needed,” junior psychology major Isabel Offir said.

According to the email, the University believes the pass/fail option would have negative consequences for students’ futures, cause inaccuracy on their transcripts, and leave them unprepared for higher-level coursework.

A student made a petition, which currently has almost 8,000 signatures, and is asking the University of Maryland community to spread the word about it through social media. 

The student government was also not pleased with the University’s decision. On Nov. 18, the SGA voted unanimously to approve a resolution that urges the university to reconsider its decision. It received much support with 33 legislators sponsoring the bill. 

The Resident Hall Association also passed a resolution that calls on administrators to implement a pass/fail grading option this semester. The resolution was written by Emily Berry, the RHA president, and was passed on Nov. 10.

“I wrote and presented RHA’s resolution in support of the university switching to a pass/fail grading system because I believe it is important for resident students to have a voice in academic decisions,” Berry said, a senior double majoring in government and politics and economics. 

According to Berry, the University’s decision is not a viable solution to students dealing with academic struggles due to the pandemic. She said that withdrawals require a student to not only take a class again, but also pay for it twice, which is not fair during a time when many students are losing their incomes.

“The University still has time to reconsider their decision and I will keep urging them to switch to pass/fail, as many of our peer institutions have done,” Berry said.

Featured photo by Jordyn Taylor