Western Carolina University adopted a new Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading policy for the Spring 2020 semester. Richard Starnes, Interim Provost of Western Carolina University, announced the new guidelines on Friday, March 27.
The Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading resolution was proposed and passed by Faculty Senate on Wednesday and was followed by acceptance by the upper administration. The university will now be giving most students the option of requesting S/U grades to replace letter grades for any or all of their Spring 2020 courses.
Students who wish to keep their letter grade will not be required to do anything additional on their part. Students who wish to replace a letter grade with S/U must request this using the S/U Grade Change Form that will be available through the Registrar’s webpage on April 30. These forms must be submitted by June 30.
According to the resolution, the faculty recognized the need for change to student grading, and that students should have “some say in that matter.” Many faculty senators pointed out the resolution was needed because of an equity issue, as some students have more resources right now than others enabling them to do their best work, compared to other students with a lack of resources.
The course withdrawal date has also been moved to April 30. Withdrawals will not impact completion percentages or student withdrawal limits for the Spring 2020 semester; however, the university recommends students contact the Office of Financial Aid about the impact withdrawal may have their financial aid.
This new policy comes as a direct response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and NC Governor Cooper’s order requiring all University of North Carolina System schools to end face-to-face instruction by March 20.
Other UNC System schools, including UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte and East Carolina University have all adopted a similar policy regarding grading for the Spring 2020 semester. Over 4,000 WCU students and parents have shared their support for a policy change through a petition as well.
In addition to announcing the change in the grading policy, Starnes also gave several guidelines for the process. These guidelines include:
- If a student chooses the S/U option for a course, letter grades of A through C would be considered Satisfactory, and letter grades of C minus to F would be converted to Unsatisfactory.
- A grade of Satisfactory will not be factored in GPA; however, it will count toward earned semester hours.
- Spring 2020 courses graded as Satisfactory will count towards applicable curricular, major, continuation and graduation requirements.
- Faculty will not know who chooses to use the S/U option when entering final grades for students.
- Incomplete courses from Fall 2019 will not be converted to F’s at the end of Spring 2020. These grades will be extended until December 14, 2020.
- The Chancellor’s List and the Dean’s List will be suspended for the Spring 2020 semester.
- All transcripts will include a note indicating the extraordinary circumstances of the global public health emergency during Spring 2020.
- Students enrolled in an Undergraduate professional school/program or in the Graduate School should follow the decisions of their specific program on whether they are eligible for S/U grading.
Faculty senate meeting to discuss grading resolution via Zoom on Wednesday, March 25. Photo by Jessica Posa.
Faculty Senate passed these guidelines as a resolution during a virtual meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, March 25. The vote was 22-0 by ballot.
During the meeting, the senators engaged in a lengthy discussion regarding certain points of the resolution, and proposed several amendments. In addition to senators, a few students were also included in the discussion, including Student Government Association President, David Rhode, and Graduate Student Association President, Alexis Rutishauser.
“Many of our graduate programs may not be able to provide S/U accommodation due to accreditation and licensure requirements,” Rutishauser said in a followup email after the meeting. However, she was hopeful that the programs that can offer the option will choose to do so.
During the meeting, Rhode also shared some data from the polls that SGA shared to students via social media. Of the 1,308 students who responded to the SGA poll, 1,082 were in favor of new grading guidelines, and 226 were not in favor.
In addition to this data, Rhode also shared that one of the main concerns SGA heard from students was the desire for autonomy of their grades. “A course-by-course basis is what we have asked students about and what they would prefer,” said Rhodes during the Faculty Senate meeting .
After the Provost’s announcement, WCU students were eager to share their thoughts on the new policy.
One complaint about the policy came from WCU student Jayvilin Davis, who said on social media,”I don’t agree with the taking away of the Chancellor’s or Dean’s list.”
The issue of the Chancellor’s List and Dean’s List was discussed at length during the Faculty Senate meeting. Rhode also brought up student concerns of cancelling the lists, saying that some students would still want the recognition if they did make the list this semester.
Ultimately, the decision to suspend the lists came from the Senate’s desire to promote equity, as some students do not have the resources needed to achieve status on the lists this semester.
Another point of concern for some students is how the scale for S/U was decided.
“Why would you do the S option if you have a C or higher? That can go towards your GPA and up it. You can still pass a class with a D, but for the S/U option, a D would be [unsatisfactory]. Students wanted it as a benefit for them but it doesn’t show that way,” WCU student Brenna Jennings said.
According to Enrique Gomez, Chair of the Faculty Senate, during the faculty meeting, the threshold of the Unsatisfactory scale was changed to a C minus because many major-specific courses have a minimum grade requirement of a C or above, not a C minus.
WCU has continued to update students, parents and the community of changes regarding policy and scheduled events during this time. Chancellor Kelli Brown announced on March 20 that all spring commencement ceremonies have been postponed, and rescheduling plans will be announced April 3. Decisions on summer courses and programs will also be announced at this time.
