We are a group of Columbia University undergraduates who support equitable undergraduate policies in face of the COVID-19 pandemic. While we appreciate the administration's efforts to hold classes in-person and accommodate people of different income and privilege levels, we fear that plans for in-person instruction will fall through and students will be forced to take classes online for a semester or more, leading to wild inequities in education access. We are issuing the following demands to our administration:

1. Students should be allowed to take a leave of absence for one semester or year if they face financial, personal, or logistical uncertainties or medical risks, regardless of academic standing and without penalties.

2. Taking a leave of absence should not have any deleterious effects on students’ academic standing, Columbia Student Health Insurance, guaranteed housing, or financial aid.

Please sign and share our petition today.