By Alyssa Allemand
A petition calling for Edgewood College to implement a pass/fail grading system in light of the COVID-19 pandemic has already gathered 700 signatures, according to its creator, sophomore Marie Ruth Treleven.
Treleven addressed the petition to Interim President Sister Mary Ellen Gevelinger on March 19, the same day the college announced the permanent switch to online classes for Spring 2020.
As of Monday evening, the petition has 700 signatures, according to Treleven.
Treleven said she has yet to receive a response besides an automatic reply from the president’s office.
Gevelinger told OTE that grading systems are reviewed and approved by the Higher Learning Commission and that choosing pass/fail grades is not up to individual faculty.
Tuesday she said she has no comment on the petition.
The petition says the following:
“We propose that the students of Edgewood College deserve the option to transition from an A-F grading scale onto an emergency pass/fail grading system for all courses during this online semester (including major/minor classes) and that this system will still count towards our degree completions.”
The move to a pass/fail grading system would follow many other institutions, says the petition, such as Cornell University, Harvard University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“We must think of the students’ personal life and mental health during this pandemic and how it will affect their grades,” the petition says. “This must be a priority of our institution.”
“This pandemic comes with a handful of many other difficulties that students will have to endure: lack of internet, or a computer, health issues regarding themselves or a family member, lack of income- which could prevent the student from accessing internet as well, and in extreme cases, even preventing access to housing, and having to relocate completely or move back home.”
Treleven said that because of the way change.org — the website that the petition is through — is set up, every time the petition hits a milestone with signatures, the president’s office receives an email alert.
Those signing the petition range from current Edgewood College students, to parents, faculty, and sympathetic peers.
When signing, supporters can include their reasons for adding their names to the petition.
One student commented, “I feel that I will have a harder time grasping the material when worrying about my video chat/audio working instead of focusing on learning and that this would lead me to underperform, ending up with a grade that is not an accurate reflection of my usual performance.”
Some expressed the importance of students feeling secure during a time of such uncertainty. “It’s important for children to feel like they can succeed in changing times,” another person wrote.
Treleven said the faculty she has been in touch with about the petition “are very supportive.”
Donna Vukelich-Selva, an associate professor in the School of Education, said she believes switching to pass/fail grading makes sense. “I think that these are truly extraordinary times,” she said. “Students are under stress that would have been hard to imagine a few short weeks ago.”
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