The University System of Georgia has decided against a pass/fail system, making Georgia Tech only one of two public schools out of the top 50 in the US to not have implemented some form of grade reform to accommodate the novel, unprecedented hardships that students face amid this pandemic. It is a fact that while many professors are, many are not accommodating to our individual needs, and in spite of the ones that have, the burden of schoolwork and the looming daunt of our final grades has only added to the hardships we face.

While the decision to implement opt-in pass/fail is certainly in the jurisdiction of the USG Board of Regents, to my knowledge there is no policy mandating any professors to fail a non-zero number of students. Thus, we ask that you grade on a Universal Pass A, B, C grading scale such that no students fail a class this semester.

This is an issue of equity. We know that 1.6 million Georgians, mostly from rural areas, lack an internet connection. In addition, the poverty rate for Black Georgians is over double that of White Georgians. The COVID-19 crisis that we already know is disproportionately affecting underprivileged and disenfranchised communities, and USG’s blinders are only making this worse. Furthermore, it discriminates against students from different geographic regions who are being forced to actively participate in lectures to the same capacity they were before even though they are up at absurd hours (we have heard from students who are getting up at 3 a.m.). ~10% of Georgians lack access to adequate internet, predominantly in rural Georgia where ~79% of residents lack adequate internet access. Adjusting to radically new lifestyles, in abusive or unstable households for some students, has been detrimental to the mental health of students, faculty, all of us. One student at GA Tech, who has asked to remain anonymous, is even at risk of losing his Visa without grade reform.

Given these unprecedented circumstances and great inequity in ability to participate, it is unethical that any student be allowed to fail a class. While the provost has encouraged professors to be accommodating, it is simply a fact that there will be some dissenting professors who choose to continue or increase their prior expectations. Many students lack internet, have lost their homes, or in mental health crisis. They might not have the ability or headspace to reach out for help. This is an issue of equity.

One might argue that some students were on track to fail some classes before we went to remote learning. 1) It is quite common for students at Georgia Tech to bring failing grades up to a passing grade in the latter half of a semester, and it is clear that the current circumstances make it unreasonably difficult to accomplish such a feat this semester. 2) Academic justice for students who will fail classes directly as a result of this pandemic are more important than the few who were already going to fail. Students who are unequipped to take on subsequent coursework should be encouraged to retake such prerequisite courses and be allowed to do so free of charge, as this is not the fault of the students.