As the student body grapples with the stress of the 2020 election — as well as the prolonged effects of a worsening pandemic — the administration has, to no one's surprise, fallen woefully short in supporting them.
In August, UNC announced it would extend the pass/fail grading accommodation for the fall semester — but with a catch. Students must decide whether or not to declare their courses pass/fail by Nov. 17, the last day of class, meaning before students take exams and receive their final course grades.
Students are rightfully frustrated with the policy, which is notably less generous than the one offered in the spring. Recently, a petition circulating on social media has called on the UNC administration to push back the pass/fail deadline. The petition has received signatures from more than 6,000 people.
The petition cited an article from WRAL’s Laura Leslie, which reported a sharp increase in the mental health needs of UNC-Chapel Hill students — particularly Black students.
Unfortunately, UNC does not seem to be budging on the issue. The Commission for Campus Equality & Student Equity took to Twitter Wednesday to share that, despite the petition, they were told the pass/fail deadline would not be extended to after finals.
“We are disappointed and tired,” the commission tweeted. “UNC continues to mimic the current leadership of our nation and inequity and racism continues to prevail within our University’s policies even during a pandemic.”
The stress and anxiety of current events have not faded. In fact, for most students, the pressures associated with the pandemic, election and recession have only grown. The format of online classes hasn’t changed, and therefore, there is no reason why students would be better equipped to tackle schoolwork this semester than they were the last. So why are we not being given the same accommodations?
